Murphy, Weaver graduating as three-time champions in upperweight classes

Thursday, March 14

Cedar Falls, IA

Liberty University Club Sports

NCWA

Graduate heavyweight Rick Weaver and 235-pounder Josiah Murphy both won their third consecutive titles at the NCWA Grand National Championships in back-to-back finals on March 16 near Shreveport, La.

Murphy, Weaver graduating as three-time champions in upperweight classes

4/3/2024 6:29:00 PM | Men's Wrestling

Graduate heavyweight Rick Weaver transitioned from football back to wrestling while Josiah Murphy moved from 197 to 235 pounds to complete his six-year journey at Liberty.

Gallery: (4-3-2024) Wrestling heavyweights

Liberty University men's wrestling graduates Rick Weaver (heavyweight) and Josiah Murphy — who bumped up from 197 to 235 pounds this postseason — three-peated as NCWA Grand National champions in back-to-back finals on March 16 near Shreveport, La., continuing a reign of upperweight dominance for the Flames over the past several seasons.

"It was high-stake situation because it was the last two matches of the night," Murphy said. "It would have been not so glamourous had only one of us won. The fact that we both pulled it off made for a really good ending to the night and really helped the team out with points."

The Flames had already clinched their second consecutive runner-up team finish to Bellarmine (Ky.) University, which is transitioning to the NCAA Division I ranks next season.

Liberty's remarkable run of upperweight success began with three-time NCWA Grand National champion Austin Amos completing the trifecta in 2020 with his second 197-pound crown after winning his first title at 235 in 2018.

Weaver finished runner-up at heavyweight as a freshman in 2020 while Murphy was sidelined by a knee injury. Last season, 235-pound graduate Jeff Allen became the Flames' first four-time NCWA Grand National champion, joining Head Coach Jesse Castro, who won four NCCAA crowns from 1977-81.

Murphy and Weaver captured their first crowns in 2022 to help Liberty claim an unprecedented fourth consecutive NCWA Grand National team title with a championship meet record seven individual titlists.

Persistence paid off for Weaver this year, who made the Flames Football team as a walk-on defensive lineman this past fall after missing the cut on two previous tries, and slimming down by 70 pounds in a span of five weeks from early January to mid-February to make his return to the wrestling mat.

"My goal this year wasn't even to defend my title," Weaver said. "It was just to get back to 285 and feel good. Football was amazing and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything in the world. Wrestling is just a different type of training. Out of all the training I have done, wrestling is the one that has pushed me to my limits mentally and physically."

After graduating with a B.S. in Sport Psychology in 2023, Weaver will complete his M.S. in General Psychology in May. His academic focus may have given him an edge over his finals opponent, Caribbean's Jonovan Smith, who will represent Puerto Rico in the Summer Olympics in Paris.

"I wrestled (Smith) with a better IQ in wrestling," Weaver said. "I did what Coach Castro has taught all of us and that is that you don't need too much to get the job done. Sticking to my training is the best thing for anyone."

Murphy and Weaver inspired one another to complete their three-peat feats, throughout the spring semester and especially before the NCWA Grand National finals.

"We were both backstage praying together moments before I went out," Murphy said. "It put a little more pressure on him, gave him a little more motivation. He felt like he had to win."

Like Weaver, who was an overpowering wrestler and fullback at Covenant School in Charlottesville, Va., Murphy played football in addition to wrestling throughout his career at Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Va.

"I've always had love for wrestling, but playing football helped a lot with the transition to college and honing in on my skills for wrestling," said Murphy, who admires Weaver for pursuing both sports at Liberty. "That is very respectable. The time commitment and being able to perform at such a high level is very impressive and unprecedented almost, especially at the level of Liberty's football and wrestling programs."

He was amazed by Weaver's determination to return to the mat after spending the previous seven months on the gridiron.

"It was super impressive that he was able to do that so fast and do it in a healthy manner," Murphy said. "He came over with a solid foundation from football, but wrestling definitely a different type of conditioning and our strength and conditioning program was able to bridge that gap well."

Murphy peaked as his career progressed, overcoming the meniscus tear in his knee that will require surgery this summer while bulking up through consistent weight training under men's wrestling Strength Coach Michael Gowen. That enabled him to smoothly transition from the 197- to the 235-pound weight class.

"Our strength coaches working with us have done a really good job of programming our lifts and holding us accountable and encouraging us to get in more lifts outside of practice," Murphy said, noting that having the strength and conditioning room right beside the wrestling room in the Club Sports Training Complex is a "massive convenience."

His biggest encourager on the mat besides Castro was another four-time national champion, his wife, women's wrestling Assistant Coach Cendall (Manley) Murphy, who won four straight NCWA Grand National titles from 2017-20.

"She is my No. 1 supporter, always in my corner," Murphy said. "She set the precedent high for me, and kept raising the bar by helping me work out outside of practice, and keeping me accountable in every aspect of competition. She worked on my mental toughness, as well as keeping me physically motivated and spiritually intact."

After graduating with his B.S. in Exercise Science, Murphy is finishing his M.A. in Biblical Exposition through the Rawlings School of Divinity.

"I wanted to dive into seminary and learn as much as I could," he said, noting that he is also considering going into coaching wrestling. "It's helped me to grow in my faith, challenged me to read the Bible, and given me new tools to really learn from the text."

Josiah and Cendall Murphy are praying about their next career moves.

"We are open to wherever the Lord leads us," he said. "We have been praying that He would give us wisdom and guidance for our next steps."

With his collegiate eligibility expired for both wrestling and football, Weaver has officially retired from wrestling but is not hanging up his cleats as he pursues professional opportunities in football.

"I am currently focusing on football for my future plans athletically," he said. "Talking to different scouts with the NFL and some other leagues is mind blowing, but this is only the beginning. Who knows what opportunities I will have in the future for football or wrestling. All I know is that I am trusting in God with every step we take together. Someday, I just want to give back to these young athletes what I did not have growing up and that is someone to guide them in the right direction."

By Ted Allen/Staff Writer; Video by Flames Central