Forward - Lisa Murphy
Carnegie Mellon University
2013-2017

All-American selections: 2016 (1st), 2017 (1st)

All-Region selections: 2014 (Rookie of the Year), 2015 (2nd), 2016 (1st), 2017 (Player of the Year)

Conference MVPs: 2016, 2017

NCAA Tournament appearances: 2016 (Elite 8)

Other honors: 2017 Jostens Trophy winner...Division III career leader in field goal percentage

From the archives

• Persevering to go pro (Dec. 2017)
  Murphy wins Jostens Trophy (March 2017)
  Murphy first player in UAA WBB to reach 2000/1000 milestone (Jan. 2017)
  Reloaded Tartans building on 2016 success (Jan. 2017)

What others say: "Lisa’s career statistics speak for themselves, they are simply mind-boggling! An All-American on the court, and that and so much more off the court, Lisa was a scholar, a kind and compassionate person, a great leader and a tremendous teammate. Lisa Murphy is the elite of the elite!” -- Jacquie Hullah, Carnegie Mellon head coach

In their own words: "If I did my college experience a hundred times over again, I would choose D3 and CMU every single time. Not only did I make lifelong friends and become part of a group that transformed the culture of the program, I was also able to thrive as an individual off the court. Choosing D3 meant I got to play the sport I love at a competitive level while also pursuing other adventures that allowed me to grow as a whole person. I am forever grateful for every experience CMU has given me."

Where are they now: Finished graduate school and teaching special education kindergarten

Career synopsis: Here's a scene that must've haunted the dreams of Carnegie Mellon opponents for years.

Lisa Murphy comes down the floor on offense. She drifts toward the paint and eventually stands with her back to the rim, feet a little more than shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent. She cranes her arms over her head and calls for the ball. At this point it's pretty much over. Murphy is going to get the ball. She's going to take a couple smooth, quick steps in one direction or the other. And she's going to score, with her defender nearly falling over, like someone who just lost a wrestling match with a building.

Murphy set a lot of firsts during her career. First team All-American. First player in UAA women's basketball to score 2000 points and grab 1000 rebounds. First CMU player to play basketball professionally, first in Denmark and then in Australia. She joined the Tartans knowing that it was a rebuilding program and welcomed that challenge. 

Murphy holds the Division III women's basketball records for field goal percentage in a career (71.2 percent), season (78.0 percent in 2017) and game (100 percent on 16-for-16 shooting). And the second best shooting performance over the course of season? That's also Murphy (75.2 percent in 2016).