Nicole Murphy Interview

LOWELL, Mass. – Distance runner Nicole Murphy (Mendon, Mass.) has been named the winner of the Laurie Mann Award.  The announcement, as part of the 2020 Rowdys, was made Tuesday by the Athletic Department.

The Mann Award is presented to the top female student-athlete who encompasses academic and athletic excellence, as well as leadership and community service.

"Nicole has been a true student-athlete since arriving on the UMass Lowell campus," said UMass Lowell Cross Country/Track and Field Head Coach Gary Gardner.  "She is a leader by example and always willing to help a teammate.  She, a grad student, will be missed."

Murphy battled back from injuries and health issues to be an extremely important part of the River Hawk Cross Country and track and field teams.  She is one of the team's emotional leaders and a talented distance runner scoring points in multiple events at the America East Indoor Championships.

Murphy is a presidential scholar athlete, a frequent member of the America East All-Academic Team and has been on the Dean's List in each of her semesters at UMass Lowell.  She has been active in the community.

"I like people and I like spending time with people," according to Murphy who says she was inspired by her family, teammates and Associate Head Coach Ally Waruch.  "Coach Ally is an awesome role model.  She's a strong female leader and she's made me rethink who I want to be and how I want to approach different situations in life."

Off the track Murphy has been extraordinarily busy.  She is working toward her master's in Business Administration after graduating with a B.S. in Public Health and a minor in legal studies.  She worked during the year as a tutor at the Costello Athletic Center working with students in a variety of subjects: chemistry, anatomy, math and writing courses.  Murphy was a Teacher's Assistant for International Law.  

She did an internship with MASSPIRG.  Her research project was accepted into the UMass Lowell Symposium this Spring. She worked on educating and providing services to help the public through campaigns such as Hunger and Homelessness and Save the Bees. 

Murphy is the VIP Committee Coordinator for the 100% renewable energy campaign directing a team of students to research scientific and economic practicalities of energy sources and present their findings to the campus decision makers. 

Murphy has been active throughout her collegiate career.  Her senior project was working for the Mental Health Court in Lowell. She worked with a UMass Lowell Professor to provide data and services to all the key stakeholders that help the court operate.

During the summer of 2019 Murphy traveled with a small group of students to Copenhagen, Denmark as part of her study of International Business.