With the men's track season already underway, the team has dropped hints that it could etch its name as one of the program's finest in a long time.
Better athletes, sound recruiting and the cross country team's successful trip to the NCAAs in the fall provide reasons for the optimism. The runners' record-setting success in the indoor track season confirmed it.
Terry Brennan, one of the premier sophomores in the ACC, broke a Duke record held since 1976 in the 5000 meters with a time of 14:25 in the Terrier Classic earlier this spring, showing his presence will be felt in the distance events this season.
The distance medley relay of sophomores Mike McKeever and Brendan Fitzgibbon and juniors Kyle Leonard and Lamar Grant ran the second-fastest time in school history with a time of 9:48 at the Terrier Classic.
On this medley team, McKeever, Fitzgibbon and Leonard all ran in the 1500 finals of the ACC outdoors last year, which made the Blue Devils the only team to put three runners in this race. Grant, a football cornerback, was an IC4A qualifier last year and is one of the top sprinters on the team this season.
On Jan. 22 at Virginia Tech, the 4x800 relay team of highly sought-after freshman Bill Spierdows, junior James Vasak, Leonard and McKeever ran a time of 7:38-the fastest time in the U.S. so far this season.
The top hurdler is sophomore Richmond Flowers. As a freshman, he was both an ACC finalist and an IC4A qualifier in the indoor high hurdles. Tom Becker will be looked upon to handle the senior leadership role on the team. In his final track season, he will be the top distance runner in the 500 and 10000 meters.
In addition to the depth of the team when it comes to the runners, the field events also have had their successes. Pole vaulter Seth Benson has cleared 16-feet-2 3/4 inches, good for third in the ACC.
"He is one of the top pole vaulters, period," said coach Norm Ogilvie.
The key to much of the team's success for both the runners and fielders is partially due to a change in attitude from last year.
"Everyone worked hard in the fall and the coaches pushed us to the limit even on our off days," said sophomore sprinter Nii-Amar Amamoo. "Attitude, will and coaches will make the winning combination this year."
Both the athletes and the coaches say that this team appears confident that this is perhaps the best team that the Blue Devils have seen in many years. Personal records, school records and qualifiers will be numerous this season in both the track and field events.
"This season could be a recordbreaker as long as people stay healthy," Amamoo said of his team. "My goal is to qualify for the IC4As this season. It would be a storybook ending for me to qualify at the ACC Championships."
The team's next meet is the Virginia Tech classic Feb. 12-13.
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