It was all about the individual for the Duke track team at this weekend's Penn Relays, with exceptionally high finishes and school records for several competitors in one of the nation's most storied track and field competitions.
"We had the best Penn Relays in my career," 14-year head coach Norm Ogilvie said. "The only way to describe the team's results are in terms of the individuals added up, [and] we had a great weekend."
In the high jump, freshman Debra Vento surpassed her sixth-place seeding, clearing six feet en route to a third place finish in the championship division and a new Duke record. Despite missing the NCAA Regional qualifying mark, freshman Kelly Reynolds improved her own school record in the hammer throw with a distance of 172-7.
Sophomore Clara Horowitz, who has been rebounding from an injury, raced to a second place finish in the 3000-meter run with a time of 9:30.72, an ECAC qualifying mark.
With a silver and bronze already in place for the Blue Devils, Paige Miller added to the team's successes with a first-place finish in the 5-kilometer race. Running a 16:29.76, Miller qualified for NCAA Regional and became the fourth female Blue Devil to win a Penn Relays championship.
Duke has now won all three of the women's top distance races at the Penn Relays. In 1985, Ellen Reynolds captured the 10-kilometer title and Ellison Goodall won the 3000-meter in 1978.
"If you win a Penn Relays championship, you're among the best in the country," Ogilvie said. "These are not only big wins, but place the athletes among the top in the nation."
Even within the relay teams, certain individuals stood out. In the women's 4x1500 race, the Duke squad of Meaghan Leon, Shannon Rowbury, Sally Meyerhoff and Horowitz shattered the school record combining for a time of 17:48.2 and a sixth-place finish. Rowbury's run of 4:15.8 on the second leg was one of the fastest splits in the race--and in Blue Devil history. It does not count as a school record, but Rowbury drastically improved upon last week's record-setting 4:20 finish.
Rowbury also anchored the distance medley team, which had a tough 12th place finish in the championship division.
The women's 4x800 team of Meyerhoff, Rowbury, Leon and Lauren Matic posted a ECAC-qualifying time of 8:45.05 and earned an eighth-place finish in the championship division.
Although failing to match his season high, senior Brent Warner finished fourth in the pole vault with a height of 16-5. In two years of vaulting at the Penn Relays, he has finished second and fourth, and according to Ogilvie, this year's field was much more competitive than the 2003 slate.
One finish that surpassed Ogilvie's expectations was the men's distance medley. Competing in the championship division, Duke's team of Casey Reardon, Dan King, Jon Amt and Nick Schneider finished ninth between Florida State's and North Carolina's squads. FSU edged out the Blue Devils by less than one second in the race, which was the highest finish for the team in three decades.
"Placewise, it was the best we've done for a long time," King said. "But timewise we didn't run as well as hoped. It was bunched up and had some bad hand-offs."
While the team still has some obstacles to advance to the NCAA Championship, this weekend provided a good stage for national competition.
"This gives the athletes tremendous confidence," Ogilvie said. "It shows that they can perform well under pressure."
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