Peru State College Athletics

Sarah (Williams) Murray, a 2014 Peru State grad, was the first women’s cross country competitor to compete in the national championship race in nearly 30 years.

In 2010, Williams was named the Midlands College Athletic Conference (MCAC) Runner of the Week three times before winning the conference meet, which qualified her for the NAIA championship race. In doing so, Williams ran under 20 minutes for the first time to establish a new school record for a 5K race.

During the 2011 season, Williams ran unattached and competed in marathons including the Boston Marathon. She won the Prairie Fire Marathon (formerly Wichita Marathon) while knocking 10 minutes off the previous course record.

Williams had comparable results in 2012 as she was twice named the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) Runner of the Week. She later qualified for her second trip to the national championship where she knocked 35 seconds off her previous best time.

She stills has all the major race records to this day for Peru State College. Williams was also strong in the classroom as she was named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete.