In sports, teamwork and individual accomplishment are often set in opposition to one another. The synergy and communication of the offensive line bears little resemblance to the solitary pressure of the 18th green.
There are few sporting events that emphasize cooperative teamwork and individual accomplishment in equal parts, but these elements are both integral to track relays. The men's middle-distance relay squad this year can be looked at collectively as an outstanding team or individually as a group of impressive athletes in their own right.
Either way, they are a force to be reckoned with on the national stage. On April 9, Track and Field News ranked one of Duke's relay teams second in the country in the 4x800 relay and fourth in the 4x1500.
The team, consisting of a group of four individual 1500-meter runners, ran its ranking 4x1500 time of 15:36.53 at the Raleigh Relays in late March, and followed up a week later with its 7:26.43 4x800 relay performance at the Duke/NCCU Invitational. The top time this year in both events belongs to relay teams from the University of Arkansas.
"This is a great relay team because it doesn't have one great star; it really is a team," men's track head coach Norm Ogilvie said. "The guys work very hard and can see themselves succeeding on a national level."
The lineup and even the order of the runners is identical in both events. The races are led off by sophomore Ian Cronin, who is followed by junior Casey Reardon. Reardon then passes the baton to senior Bill Spierdowis. The anchor leg is run by sophomore Nick Schneider.
Dominance in the longer relay has been a goal for the team from the outset, but the 4x800 success was surprising.
"We decided at the beginning of the year that the 4x1500 at [the upcoming Penn Relays] was our goal," Schneider said. "Then [Ogilvie] put us in to compete with the "A" team."
The quartet began the year as the "B" squad for the 4x800, with the "A" group consisting of Tom Gianturco, Aaron Paul, Donny Fowler and Jon Amt. These four runners considered the 800-meter run as their primary individual event. But at the lone home meet of the season, the 1500-meter specialists defeated their teammates by seven tenths of a second and became the go-to team for both events.
"All good milers are, by definition, good 800-meter runners," Ogilvie said. "They've worked all year in both events and are reaping the dividends of that work now."
Even as their coach downplays the difference between the two events, the runners themselves focus on the difference between separate legs of the same race.
"The role of the leadoff leg is to put us into the race," Cronin said. "A good leadoff leg can get everyone psyched and ready to go."
Schneider added: "The anchor leg comes down to where you get the baton. You just try to get out front and outkick your opponent."
The national success of the relay units, a refreshing break for a team that finished an abysmal ninth in the ACCs last year, has not detracted from the individual performance of the four runners. At the Duke/NCCU Invitational all of the relayers had strong performances in the open 1500-meter run. Schneider finished third, and Cronin, Reardon and Spierdowis took sixth through eighth. All four men qualified for the IC4A Championships later this season. Their coach does not believe the focus on relays has hurt the other performances.
"Duke has always done well in relays, and it does not detract from each individual," Ogilvie said.
But for these runners, the whole is certainly greater than the sum of its parts, as teamwork and the different dynamics of a relay contribute to their success.
"Talent has something to do with it," Schneider said. "But, we're all out there working together every day, so teamwork is a factor.... Plus, in a relay, there's a lot less strategy - it can be nicer to get out and run as fast as you can."
As the relay team heads to the ACC Championships this weekend and the high-profile Penn Relays after that, they will surely be among the most talented squads in attendance. Whether they are a conglomeration of talented runners or a singular team, they are the cream of the nation.
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