The men's and women's track and field teams head to Princeton, N.J., this weekend to compete in the IC4A and ECAC Championships. The men will participate in the IC4As while the women run in the ECACs.
The pair of meets is the penultimate achievement for many Blue Devils, as they work all year to qualify for the prestigious events--the NCAA Regionals and Championships are the final goal.
In order to earn a place in either the IC4A or ECAC Championships, an athlete must meet a qualifying time or mark that has been set prior to the beginning of the season.
On the women's side, a bevy of individuals will represent the Duke contingent. Janay McKie qualified in three individual events, all sprints: the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash.
McKie will not only be looking to place well at the meet, but will also be looking to lower her school records in the 100 and 200.
Lauren Matic, Duke's top middle-distance qualifier, is slated to compete in the 800-meter run and the 1500-meter run. The long-distance will be better represented, as Elizabeth Wort and Laura Stanley each will participate in the 3,000-meter race, and Clara Horowitz in the 5,000-meter run.
Hurdler Jenna Turner, a school-record holder in the 100-meter hurdles, qualified in both the 100 and 400-meter events.
In the field, Laura Chen will look to outleap the competition, as she has already qualified for the NCAA regionals with an impressive jump of 12-9 1/4 earlier this season. Ginny Stone will compete in the hammer throw after qualifying with a heave of 159-11.
The strength of the men's team is its distance medley relay, once-ranked in the top five in the nation in 2003.
The foursome, comprised of Ian Cronin, Casey Reardon, Bill Spierdowis and Nick Schneider has already recorded a blistering mark of 7:26.43, a number they intend to drop at the IC4As. Schneider also qualified in the 1,500-meter race.
Two other runners will represent Duke in individual events, as Donny Fowler will compete in the 800-meter race, and Michael Hatch will run in both the 1,500 and 3,000-meter runs.
Brent Warner will be Duke's lone field representative, as he qualified with an impressive jump of 16'5.
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