The Duke Invitational, which generally showcases some of the best talent in the world of track, boasted another impressive field this past weekend. Despite adverse weather conditions during the meet, many female athletes still turned in outstanding performances and set new standards of excellence.
Marion Jones, the former North Carolina standout and World Champion, set a new meet record in the long jump with a leap of 21'9". Jones was also scheduled to compete in the 100-meter dash, but the world champion withdrew amidst concerns about the effects of the cold weather.
Antonio Pettigrew, a former St. Augustine's standout and world champion in the 400 meters, explained the position of Jones and other competitors who decided to withdraw.
"In these conditions, a lot of people pull out," Pettigrew said. "People get injured. Mentally, the weather brings them down. It is harder to get warmed up, harder to get going."
Reebok Enclave's distance medley relay team had no such problems. It set a new meet record in the women's DMR with a time of 11:26.04. Kim Voyticky, Kristen Sbarra, Colette Gurtler and Megan Sullivan formed Duke's DMR team. The Duke team finished first in the collegiate division with a time
"I'm really happy with our performance," Sullivan said. "We set a school record and everyone ran well, but I think that we can improve even more. I didn't set a personal record, and Kim can run a little better. We're really excited about the chance to go to Penn Relays."
Jamila Forte has been a model of consistency, finishing as a top-five performer in virtually every meet this year. Her high jump of 1.64 meters (5'4") earned her a third-place finish. Beth O'Donnell, also a reliable performer, posted another top-five finish. O'Donnell's 5,000-meter time of 10:05.41 was good enough for fifth place.
Colette Gurtler and Megan Sullivan posted nearly identical 1500 meters times of 4:40.36 and 4:40.46, respectively. Those performances ranked in the top 10 for collegiate performers.
"This was a good experience for me," Sullivan said. "This was my first open 1500, and it was a good experience to be able to run with some top-notch athletes."
Running against some of the best half-milers in the world, Voyticky finished in eighth place overall. Voyticky's 800 meter time of 2:09.49 was the fourth fastest for collegiate athletes. Julie Kenner won the event with a 2:04.90. Kenner competes for Reebok Enclave and was a member of the 1996 United States Olympic Track and Field team.
Duke's sprinters also approached some school marks. Yvonne Ayew, Teabra Dixon and Lauren Banks all competed in the 100-meter dash. None of the runners advanced to the final, but all were within a second of the school mark of 12.60. Ayew ran 13.15, Dixon 13.37 and Banks 13.48 to pace the Duke sprinters.
Banks and Ayew teamed up with fellow sprinter Tara Cyre to represent Duke in the 200-meter dash. Banks and Ayew posted times of 26.98 and 26.93, respectively. Cyre's time was 26.57
Lisa Bell posted another solid performance in the pole vault. Bell cleared 2.85 meters (9-04.25). She has already earned a spot in the prestigious Penn Relays and finished eighth with her vault.
Jillian Schwartz, Duke's other pole vaulter, cleared 2.55 meters (8-04.25) to finish ninth. Despite the performance, Schwartz has not yet qualified for her next goal, a spot at the Penn Relays.
"My performance was okay," Schwartz said. "It was nothing special. At the ACCs, I hope that I can qualify for Penn Relays."
Duke's next meet will be the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships. The meet will be held in Orlando on Apr. 17-18.
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