University of Georgia Athletics
Murphy Off To Flying Start
February 13, 2018 | Swimming & Diving, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
When he's standing in front of you, talking about this and that, Georgia swimmer Camden Murphy, dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, looks like a lot of fit guys that get in a workout at the Ramsey Center each day.
On the Gabrielsen Natatorium's deck, in his swim gear, then you see it — the shoulders and overall physique of an all-pro linebacker. He looks like a tough guy, which he is. He swims the butterfly, you see.
"If you're a 100 or 200 butterflyer, everyone knows you're tough," said Jack Bauerle, Georgia's Tom Cousins Swimming and Diving Head Coach and himself a former Bulldog butterfly man.
"It was my best stroke," said Bauerle, who swam for the Bulldogs back in the early 1970s. It was a stroke he began swimming as a kid growing up in the Philadelphia area, where toughness has long been a valued commodity.
"I got started by a lifeguard who said, 'Hey, this is the toughest stroke, so if you can learn this you're going to be a tough guy.' I thought that was pretty cool," Bauerle said.
Travel around the swimming world online and you'll quickly find that the butterfly is quite separate from the other swim strokes. If the freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke are more regular events, the butterfly is regarded as a more formidable monster, like the marathon versus the much shorter running events in track.
From a recent post on USASwimming.org, featuring 10 reasons to love the 200 fly, the No. 1 reason was because it gives the swimmer "instant 'pool cred.'" In Murphy's case, he does it because he likes it, because it's difficult and because he's really good at it.
"I think physically it's the hardest; I like doing it, but it's still really challenging," he said. "You can't really swim easy fly. You can swim easy freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, but you can't really swim easy fly, so that's what makes it really difficult."
Murphy is one of six freshmen swimming for the ninth-ranked Georgia men at the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships, which begin Wednesday morning at Texas A&M. The talented newcomer, from just outside of Detroit, in Novi, Mich., has made a big impact since he arrived, and impressed his coach.
"Cam's one of the best young guys we've ever had," Bauerle said. "What sets him apart already, and very seldom have I seen this in a freshman, he is just so consistent every day with his effort. It's always there.
"When he gets out of practice, that was the best he could have done that day."
It's those muscles — "If you swim the butterfly you have shoulders," Bauerle said — and that technique, along with a work-ethic his coach absolutely loves, that have Murphy winning butterfly events and posting some of the best times in the country.
"He's great to have on a team; he's gonna be a star," Bauerle said.
Those are mighty big words, but who knows better than Bauerle what a collegiate swimming star looks like?
Before arriving in Athens, per the tracking on CollegeSwimming,com, Murphy's best time in the 200-yard butterfly was 1:44.31, set in December 2015 at the Speedo Winter Junior Nationals. For nearly two years, Murphy said, he "plateaued" and couldn't post a faster time. Then he got to Georgia.
It took some time but Georgia's intense and extensive training started to pay dividends. At the Georgia Invitational on Dec. 3, Murphy crushed his previous best in the 200, finishing in 1:41.74. That time is the eighth-fastest among collegiate swimmers this year, just over a second behind the top time of 1:40.57 of Arizona's Justin Wright, and an NCAAs "A" cut qualifying mark.
Murphy's time in the 100, 46.07 seconds ranks 16th in the country, and his 100 freestyle time of 43.88 is the fastest on the team so far this season. His 50 free mark of 20.29 is third among Bulldogs.
Murphy started swimming when he was around age 6 and soon after took up the butterfly.
"When I was 9 or 10 is when I started to get into a rhythm and it felt more natural," he said. "Obviously I'm swimming it a lot more now and it feels really good."
And his results are really good. He already has the fourth-fastest 100-yard butterfly time and the sixth fastest in the 200 in program history. And it's a program with a right butterfly history, with recent standouts like Chase Kalisz, Pace Clark and Gunnar Bentz on the men's side.
It remains to be seen if Murphy can reach those heights, placing among the very best in the country and the world, but he's off to a flying start.
Staff Writer
When he's standing in front of you, talking about this and that, Georgia swimmer Camden Murphy, dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, looks like a lot of fit guys that get in a workout at the Ramsey Center each day.
On the Gabrielsen Natatorium's deck, in his swim gear, then you see it — the shoulders and overall physique of an all-pro linebacker. He looks like a tough guy, which he is. He swims the butterfly, you see.
"If you're a 100 or 200 butterflyer, everyone knows you're tough," said Jack Bauerle, Georgia's Tom Cousins Swimming and Diving Head Coach and himself a former Bulldog butterfly man.
"It was my best stroke," said Bauerle, who swam for the Bulldogs back in the early 1970s. It was a stroke he began swimming as a kid growing up in the Philadelphia area, where toughness has long been a valued commodity.
"I got started by a lifeguard who said, 'Hey, this is the toughest stroke, so if you can learn this you're going to be a tough guy.' I thought that was pretty cool," Bauerle said.
Travel around the swimming world online and you'll quickly find that the butterfly is quite separate from the other swim strokes. If the freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke are more regular events, the butterfly is regarded as a more formidable monster, like the marathon versus the much shorter running events in track.
From a recent post on USASwimming.org, featuring 10 reasons to love the 200 fly, the No. 1 reason was because it gives the swimmer "instant 'pool cred.'" In Murphy's case, he does it because he likes it, because it's difficult and because he's really good at it.
"I think physically it's the hardest; I like doing it, but it's still really challenging," he said. "You can't really swim easy fly. You can swim easy freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, but you can't really swim easy fly, so that's what makes it really difficult."
Murphy is one of six freshmen swimming for the ninth-ranked Georgia men at the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships, which begin Wednesday morning at Texas A&M. The talented newcomer, from just outside of Detroit, in Novi, Mich., has made a big impact since he arrived, and impressed his coach.
"Cam's one of the best young guys we've ever had," Bauerle said. "What sets him apart already, and very seldom have I seen this in a freshman, he is just so consistent every day with his effort. It's always there.
"When he gets out of practice, that was the best he could have done that day."
It's those muscles — "If you swim the butterfly you have shoulders," Bauerle said — and that technique, along with a work-ethic his coach absolutely loves, that have Murphy winning butterfly events and posting some of the best times in the country.
"He's great to have on a team; he's gonna be a star," Bauerle said.
Those are mighty big words, but who knows better than Bauerle what a collegiate swimming star looks like?
Before arriving in Athens, per the tracking on CollegeSwimming,com, Murphy's best time in the 200-yard butterfly was 1:44.31, set in December 2015 at the Speedo Winter Junior Nationals. For nearly two years, Murphy said, he "plateaued" and couldn't post a faster time. Then he got to Georgia.
It took some time but Georgia's intense and extensive training started to pay dividends. At the Georgia Invitational on Dec. 3, Murphy crushed his previous best in the 200, finishing in 1:41.74. That time is the eighth-fastest among collegiate swimmers this year, just over a second behind the top time of 1:40.57 of Arizona's Justin Wright, and an NCAAs "A" cut qualifying mark.
Murphy's time in the 100, 46.07 seconds ranks 16th in the country, and his 100 freestyle time of 43.88 is the fastest on the team so far this season. His 50 free mark of 20.29 is third among Bulldogs.
Murphy started swimming when he was around age 6 and soon after took up the butterfly.
"When I was 9 or 10 is when I started to get into a rhythm and it felt more natural," he said. "Obviously I'm swimming it a lot more now and it feels really good."
And his results are really good. He already has the fourth-fastest 100-yard butterfly time and the sixth fastest in the 200 in program history. And it's a program with a right butterfly history, with recent standouts like Chase Kalisz, Pace Clark and Gunnar Bentz on the men's side.
It remains to be seen if Murphy can reach those heights, placing among the very best in the country and the world, but he's off to a flying start.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
Free/Fly/Breast/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Back/Fly
/ Swimming & Diving
Fly/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Butterfly
/ Swimming & DivingGeorgia Swim and Dive - UGA Invitational Post Meet Video Recap
Friday, November 21
Georgia Swim and Dive Dual Meet Tournament Video Recap
Monday, October 20
Georgia Swim and Dive vs South Carolina Video Recap
Thursday, October 09
Georgia Swim and Dive Bulldog Invitational Video Recap
Sunday, March 02