After spending all of their indoor seasons and over half of their outdoor seasons on the road, the men's and women's track teams are spending this weekend at home competing in the annual Duke Invitational.
"We're going to be running on our track, and there'll be a lot of people cheering," senior Mike Park said. "It's our home ground, so we've got to defend it."
Duke will host over 1400 athletes from 75 schools and clubs this Friday and Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium.
North Carolina, N.C. State, Syracuse, Wake Forest, and Georgetown are among Duke's collegiate competition.
These schools will probably not be the Blue Devils' most formidable opponents. Professional teams such as the Reebok Enclave and the World Express will give the Blue Devils some of the greatest competition they have faced all year. Among these professional athletes are several Olympians and World Champions.
"It'll make the field loaded at the top," women's head coach Jan Samuelson-Ogilvie said. "The top heats will be extremely strong.... It allows us to put all of our athletes in heats where they're competitive. It's conducive to great performances."
These athletes will give Duke's traditionally strong middle distance squads a higher caliber of competition. Blue Devil senior Kim Voyticky will take on two U.S. Olympians, Julie Henner and Meredith Rainey-Valmon, in the top heat of the women's 800-meter run Saturday at 2:35 p.m.
Twenty minutes later, 1992 Olympian Steve Holman and 1997 NCAA Champion and Georgetown graduate Bryan Woodward will compete in the men's 800 meters. Sophomore James Vasak will represent Duke in that race.
The Blue Devils also expect to make a strong showing in the 1500-meter run. Park, who will run in the top heat, and freshmen Brendan Fitzgibbon and Mike McKeever hope to qualify for the IC4A Championships held in May.
Duke's strongest event, though, is the distance medley relay.
"Georgetown and Duke are the co-favorites," men's associate head coach Norm Ogilvie said. "We expect to hook up with them again in three weeks at the Penn Relays, so this is sort of a Penn preview. Our guys are very psyched to have the opportunity to see where we are."
The Blue Devil team of sophomores Kyle Leonard and Matt Diglio, senior Jeremy Walker and Park will battle it out with the Hoyas Friday at 6:45 p.m.
At most of its previous outdoor meets this season, Duke has focused on its relays. Many Blue Devil harriers will be competing in individual events for the first time this year.
"I think we've made them stronger by running them in a lot of relays," Ogilvie said. "We're at that part of the season when we make the transition from relays to individual events. I think they're ready to run in the open events."
Saturday afternoon at 1:45 p.m., former World Champion Antonio Pettigrew will compete in the 400, as will St. Augustine's standout Jerome Young. Pettigrew's 400-meter split of 43 seconds flat is the second fastest in history-only Michael Johnson has run faster.
In the women's distance events, several Blue Devils hope to qualify for postseason competitions. Freshmen Megan Sullivan and Beth O'Donnell have already qualified for the ECAC Championships in the 3,000 meters and the 5,000 meters, respectively. Saturday, Sullivan will try to make ECACs in the 1,500, while O'Donnell will run the 3,000-meter race.
The Blue Devils can expect to see a familiar face in the women's 100-meter dash. Current World Champion and former Tar Heel Marion Jones will run the 100 and compete in the long jump, both on Saturday.
Duke expects its strongest field event performances in the men's and women's pole vault. Seth Benson vaulted a 15'9" recently, qualifying for the Penn Relays. Benson, considered by Ogilvie to be one of the top freshman pole vaulters on the East Coast, looks to better his mark Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
In the women's pole vault, a new event in collegiate track and field this year, junior Lisa Bell holds the school record of 9'4 1/4" and the Blue Devils' best postseason hopes in the event.
The Blue Devils enjoy the Duke Invitational because it gives them a rare chance to run in the presence of their family and friends, a boost that can provide the edge needed to break personal records or qualify for postseason meets.
"A lot of parents and family members come and watch, and for a lot of them it's the only meet they can come to," senior Kim Hay said. "It makes for a lot of fun and some really good performances.
"It's one of the most important meets of my college career."
The women's hammer throw will open the competition Friday at 2 p.m., while running events will commence at 4 p.m. Saturday's competition begins at 8:30 a.m. with the developmental heat of the 800 meters.
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