The Duke men’s cross country team will head to the ACC Championships this weekend, bringing with it a top-15 ranking, an undefeated conference record and confidence in its ability to take the team title.
Head coach Norm Ogilvie said the team’s strategy is simple.
“Our strategy is to win,” he said.
The Duke men will face their toughest competition yet in Boston, as the ACC is the only conference with five of the nation’s top 30 teams. Florida State, Virginia, and N.C. State are acknowledged as Duke’s top opponents. But while these three teams have had impressive performances throughout the season, Duke has already beaten N.C. State and Virginia.
As of now, the main challenge arises from the Seminoles, which have a racing strategy similar to that of Duke. Like the Blue Devils, Florida State runners regularly use their endurance and depth to grab come-from-behind wins, and both teams are therefore favored in bigger, more competitive races. The two teams have yet to go head-to-head this season, but based on their previous performances, they seem to be evenly matched.
“We beat Virginia at the [Panorama Farms] Invitational, we beat N.C. State earlier in the year, the only team we haven’t faced is [Florida State],” senior Bo Waggoner said. “It definitely gives us confidence to know that we are on that kind of level.... It’s a good sign.”
Despite the fact that N.C. State’s Ryan Hill and Virginia’s Emil Heineking are expected to compete for the individual title, Duke does not want to let the team win slip away.
“We’re the best, the hungriest and the most experienced,” Ogilvie said. “Five of [our] top seven are seniors. We’ve been through the ACCs.”
The team echoes this determination, and despite the nerves that come before any major meet, the Blue Devils will try to go out and prove themselves yet again. With five runners looking at their last chance to win the ACCs, the men are not about to let the competition deter them.
“Of course we think we have a chance, we think we’re going to win,” Ogilvie said. “We respect our opponents, but we don’t fear them.”
The Blue Devil women will also head to Boston this weekend to race in the ACCs, but have a more individualized approach than the men.
“Our main strategy is to focus on racing the course,” women’s head coach Kevin Jermyn said. “We come up with individual race plans for each athlete based on her strengths.”
Still, the Duke women will look to Florida State as their benchmark, and they want to stay close to their opponents during the race. With five other ranked teams in the meet, the competition is intense, but nothing outside the norm for the Duke runners, who have raced a meet with ten teams in the nation’s top 30.
“We don’t dwell on [the competition],” Jermyn said. “The girls are not intimidated.”
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