The men's track team made significant progress at the Terrier Classic this weekend, competing in a field that included Georgetown, George Mason, Villanova, Iona, St. John's and host Boston University.
Sophomore Matt Diglio threatened the school record in the 500-meter run on Saturday. His time of 1:05.11 qualified him for the IC4As and is Duke's second fastest of all time, less than half a second shy of junior Jesse Allen's record of 1:04.72.
In just his fourth collegiate indoor track meet ever, freshman Brendan Fitzgibbon moved into the Blue Devils' all-time top five in the 800-meter run, crossing the finish line in 1:54.79. His time, Duke's fourth-fastest ever, also made the IC4A cut.
The Blue Devils also fared well in the distance medley relay, perhaps their strongest event. Fitzgibbon, Diglio, sophomore Brian McCulley and senior Mike Park combined to place 14th out of 40 teams with a time of 9:56.89, Duke's fourth-fastest distance medley of all time. McCulley's 800-meter split of 1:51.8 was his fastest so far this season, and Park's 1600-meter split of 4:15.39 will make him eligible for the IC4As.
While 14th place may not seem very impressive, that number doesn't tell the whole story. Last year, Duke's distance medley placed second at the IC4As with a time of 1:55, during the peak of indoor track season. That the Blue Devils would run just one second slower and place 14th near the beginning of the season attests to the increased strength of the field.
"They placed 14th out of 40, which is phenomenal, considering how fast this is," men's associate head coach Norm Ogilvie said. "It blows me away they were 14th overall with a time like that."
With Sunday's finish, Duke's distance medley climbs to the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference, replacing North Carolina, who previously held the fastest time in the ACC this year with a 9:58.72 mark.. This achievement of could give the Blue Devils an edge when they face their first conference opponent, Clemson, in the Virginia Tech 5-Way this Saturday.
"Clemson could put together a good distance medley, and it has more depth in the sprint and field events," Ogilvie said. "We'll see what we can do in the middle and distance events; those are our greatest strengths."
Notes: In women's track action, the distance medley relay team of senior Kim Voyticky, freshman Kristin Sbarra, senior Colette Gurtler and freshman Megan Sullivan set a new school record and qualified for the ECAC meet on Saturday with a time of 11:57.87... On Sunday, Sullivan competed in the 1000-meter run, Gurtler ran in the 3000, Sbarra competed in the long jump and the 400 and Voyticky ran in the 800. Results for the individual events were not available as of press time.
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