It seems these days the women's track and field team is never satisfied.
Anchored by 14 new personal records, including new school records, the Blue Devils placed third out of 37 teams at the Emory Invitational held in Atlanta, Georgia this past weekend.
The meet was won by Alabama A&M, reigning Division II national champions.
"We thought we would be in the top three," assistant coach Scott Yakola said. "The team that won is one of the best teams in the country, regardless of what division, so we were very happy we placed where we did."
Probably the best performance of the weekend was by sophomore Megan Mitchell. Mitchell finished third in the discus with a toss of 105-8.0, and then immediately afterwards set the school record in the shotput with a throw of 38-2.25. That throw was a foot farther than Mitchell had ever thrown outdoors.
"[Megan] threw the 38 feet twice during the meet and had her best series ever in six throws," Yakola said "She did a great job and she's really going to continue to throw well."
The other school record was set by freshman Breanna Pearson in the triple jump, leaping 35-11.5. That jump broke the former school record by nearly 10 inches.
Yakola said that the numerous personal records set over the weekend can be attributed to the team's desire to improve at each meet.
"[When] I talked to the team last week, we were at a level where I thought we were getting a little comfortable with and not being continually hungry to get to the next level," Yakola said. "That's something we worked on last week in practice and that's something we took a step towards."
Yakola acknowledged the leadership of the four seniors who have set an example to the rest of the team with their desire to win.
"Our four seniors are just the ones who for four years now have always made that stride, unwilling to accept anything but their best and anything less than the best of their teammates," Yakola said.
"They're a huge reason why we've gotten better. They said `We're getting better, if you want to come, this is what it takes, and you're going to have to do this to come along with us.' They are leaders, and they are taking kids with them."
Other Duke performers also excelled. Jeanne McFeely cane in first in the 1500-meters in 4:34.12, while Betsy Keever came in second in that race in 4:39.30. Robin Schretter placed second in the 3,000-meters in 10:00.90, while Kristin Stout came in second in the 400-meter hurdles in 66.04.
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