Expectations were high for the men’s cross country team as it entered the ACC Championship ranked 26th in the nation. After its disappointing last-place finish a year ago, the Blue Devils were poised to prove 2003 was a fluke.
“If we got third place then we would have done our job,” head coach Norm Ogilvie said. “It was very competitive for third, fourth and fifth. We might have been a little bit off.”
The times fell short, but the Blue Devils did not fall flat, earning a respectable fifth place finish in an ACC, which is the team’s best finish in several years. Running on a new 8-kilometer course in Maryland, the runners noted that the layout change made the race more “demanding.”
Ogilvie said the team managed the race well and did not try to chase after the fast pace set by winner Florida State’s Andrew Lemoncello.
“We were very careful on how we attacked the first part of the race,” Ogilvie said. “As a team we ran a smart and well thought out race.”
Nick Schneider led the Blue Devils, placing sixth overall with a time of 24:53.3. Schneider and fellow senior Michael Hatch ran the first four miles of the race in stride until Schneider picked up the pace slightly. Hatch finished among a pack of seven runners and placed ninth overall with a time of 24:58.6. Schneider and Hatch’s performances each earned All-ACC honors for the second time in their respective careers.
Freshman Chris Spooner, whose individual goal for the meet was to win ACC Freshman of the Year, finished 20th overall in a time of 25:30.4. Spooner fell short of N.C. State’s top freshman Gavin Coombs, who he had topped earlier this season. Rounding out a young Duke lineup were sophomores Keith Krieger and Dan Daly, who earned 23rd and 42nd, respectively.
Against strong competition, Duke placed fifth behind No. 11 Florida State, No. 16 N.C. State, Clemson and Virginia. The Blue Devils’ primary goal entering the meet was to beat the Tigers, which rank one spot behind Duke in third, in the NCAA’s Southeast Region. Had the Blue Devils finished ahead of Clemson, they would have solidified a bid to the National Championships Nov. 22. Both teams are equally talented, Ogilvie said, and Duke edged the Tigers by three spots at the Pre-Nationals meet two weeks ago.
“We are even at 1-1 [with Clemson],” Ogilvie said. “Now we have to win the rubber match.”
With the Wolfpack the clear favorite to win the Southeast Regional, the second automatic bid will be up for grabs between Duke, Virginia, Clemson and William & Mary during the upcoming 10-kilometer regional meet in Greenville, N.C. Ogilvie is optimistic about the Blue Devils’ chances at the race because they have been training the majority of the season for long distances.
“None of [these results] will matter if we beat [Clemson and Virginia] at regionals,” Ogilvie said. “It’s clear cut—we know what we have to do. At regionals it will be a fight.”
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