In their most important contest yet this season, both the men's and women's indoor track teams placed third at the Armory Collegiate Invitational held in New York City over the weekend.
The women, who were in the elite championship division, only placed behind Louisiana State and South Carolina. The men also finished third in the university division behind St. Augustine's and Manhattan College.
"I have been here 14 years, and this was the best weekend Duke has ever put together on the track and field," head coach Norm Ogilvie said.
While both teams impressed as a whole, individual records were the highlight of the weekend.
In what Ogilvie called the "top performance of the weekend," junior Paige Miller setting a meet record in the 3,000-meter run with her 9:18 showing.
"We always knew she had potential," Ogilvie said. "We are very excited about what she has accomplished and what she will accomplish."
In that 3,000-meter race, sophomore Clara Horowitz ran an NCAA provisional time of 9:31. In the mile, fellow sophomore Shannon Rowbury also ran an NCAA provisional time, coming in at 4:43. The depth of the distance squad was also showcased in the 5,000-meter run with two of the five runners--Sally Meyerhoff and Phebe Ko--breaking into Duke's all-time records list. Meyerhoff and Ko both qualified for the ECAC Championships along with Jen Faraguna in the mile and 1,000, Allison Hofmann in the 1,000, and Lauren Matic in the 800-meter run.
Ogilvie praised associate coach Kevin Jermyn for the success of the women's distance squad.
"He has done a fantastic job with the women's distance runners," Ogilvie said. "A lot of credit goes to him."
Freshman Debra Vento increased her school record in the high jump by clearing 5-11.25 this weekend, which should qualify her for NCAA's.
Although only nine competitors made the trip from Durham to New York City, the men's team came away with three school record performances and a personal record from everyone who ran on Friday.
The men's success was capped by the distance medley with Jon Amt, Steve Craig, Nick Schneider and Dan King combining for an NCAA provisional mark of 9:43. In his first "serious attempt at a 3,000," according to Ogilvie, Schneider set the school record with a time of 8:14. King, a freshman, also earned an individual school record in the 400 with a 48.89.
Duke dominated in the pole vault with Jeff Buttacio, Brent Warner and Jeremy Davis taking the first three spots. The only downside of the weekend was Davis injuring his ankle in his final jump.
Although questionable for this weekend's ACC Championships, Davis should be ready for ECAC's in three weeks.
The meet served as an opportunity for the both the men and women to compete with some of the top talent in the nation, and prepare for this weekend, along with the IC4A and NCAA Championship meets.
While the team had high aspirations going into this weekend's competition, even Ogilvie did not expect a third-place finish for both the men's and women's teams, calling this weekend's success a "huge surprise."
"This weekend in New York could be a turning point for the Duke program," Ogilvie said. "We certainly gained respect [from] some of the best programs in the nation."
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