For the first time in his high school career, Burke junior Duncan Murphy is heading to the Class A State Cross Country Championships, and he has to do it solo.

Murphy earned his spot after a strong district race that placed him 12th, capping off a season filled with multiple top-15 finishes. His dedication throughout the summer finally paid off after months of hard work for this one meet.

“I wasn’t shocked that I made the state meet at all,” Murphy said. “I got top 15 in a lot of the regular meets, so I kinda expected to be at the meet.”

Qualifying for state is a dream accomplishment for any runner, but racing at state without his teammates was the biggest surprise. Instead of lining up with his usual Burke teammates, Murphy found himself surrounded by runners from other OPS schools, from Central all the way to Westview.

“I really wasn’t nervous lining up for the race,” Murphy said. “It was different because I had to line up with other OPS kids from different teams and not my team, which threw me off a little bit.”

While the experience was unfamiliar, Murphy managed to persevere without his usual surroundings. Running on a new course and competing without the comfort of teammates pushed him out of his comfort zone, but he accepted the challenge.

“I was okay with how I raced,” Murphy said. “I thought I could’ve done a little bit better, but it was the first time I’ve raced there, so I was a little confused on how to run the course. But it worked out in the end.”

As Murphy crossed the finish line, his result outside the top 15 might not have seemed important to some. But at Burke, this marked the start of a new era of runners making their mark. Murphy’s performance sent a message that Burke cross country is ready to be taken more seriously.