Murdock named Herald ­athlete of week

La Conner High School senior Tommy Murdock, the defending state 2B champion in the 110-meter hurdles and two-time state title winner in the 300-meter hurdles, is reaching new heights this spring.

Murdock, who set a new school mark in the 110s at the recent NW2B/1B Championship Meet, was named the Skagit Valley Herald Boys' Athlete of the Week following his stellar performance at the recent league trials in Mount Vernon.

Not only did Murdock establish a new La Conner High School standard in the 110-meter hurdles with a 14.83 finish, but he also claimed league crowns in the 100-meter dash (11.48), 200-meter dash (23.40) and 300-meter hurdles (39.46).

"Tommy has been consistently good all season, and he's always looking to improve," La Conner head track coach Peter Voorhees told the Weekly News.

A case in point, said Voorhees, has been Murdock's work with assistant coach Rob Lawson, who helped Murdock fine-tune his sprinting technique.

"It's definitely paying off," Voorhees said.

Murdock's first place finishes in four separate events helped the Braves secure second place on the league team leaderboard. La Conner was runner-up to Coupeville by a 148.5-126 margin. Mount Vernon Christian placed third in the five-school NW2B/1B field.