One year ago, the Blue Devils nearly left the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet in last place. This year, it is a different story.
Duke went to E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky., and turned in a slew of personal-best times. The men's squad finished 17th in a field of 42 teams—11 of which are nationally ranked—and the women's squad finished 26th out of 45 teams.
“The other teams pushed our guys,” Duke men’s head coach Norm Ogilvie said. “But that’s why you come to this meet—to compete against the best.”
As he has all season, graduate student Shaun Thompson was at the front of the pack for the Blue Devils, leading his team across the line with a time of 23:29.8 and a seventh-place finish. Thompson's performance was especially important because the closest Duke runner to him was junior Blake Udland, who finished 84th with a time of 24:14.3.
The next three Blue Devil runners to cross the finish line all kept pace with each other. Sophomores Stephen Shine and Alec Kunzweiler finished 133rd and 136th, with times of 24:31.9. and 24:32.4, respectively. Freshman Nikhil Pulimood finished with a time of 24:37.2, good for 146th place.
“Our top five guys ran personal bests for the distance, and you can't ask for any more than that,” Ogilvie said. “That’s how competitive it is, it’s a really good race. We were very pleased at how the other guys ran."
Freshman Stephen Garrett and junior Daniel Moore rounded out Duke’s scoring seven with times of 24:57.1 and 25:11.6, placing 201st and 238th, respectively.
No. 1 Colorado captured the team title with 89 points, with ACC rival Louisville capturing 11th place with 401 points. Fueled by Thompson, Duke accumulated 506 points for 17th place, well ahead of another ACC team, Georgia Tech, which finished with 817 points in 36th place.
On the women’s side, junior Madison Granger once again led the Blue Devils, but finished in 102nd place with a time of 21:09.2. She and co-captain Anima Banks finished back-to-back—the senior finished in 103rd place with a time of 21:09.4.
Freshman Sheridan Wilbur finished in 122nd with a time of 21:14.7, and classmate Liz Lansing finished 157th with a time of 21:29.7. Senior Olivia Anderson, freshman Gabrielle Richichi and freshman Kim Hallowes rounded out the team's scoring with places of 208th, 234th, and 244th, and times of 21:45.5, 21:59.5, and 22:03.3.
“All seven of our girls set personal bests,” women’s head coach Christine Engel said. “It was a really great team effort, and we’re gaining momentum with each competitive opportunity.”
Duke will have nearly two weeks to rest and recover before the ACC Championships Oct. 30 in Tallahassee, Fla.
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