Men’s DMR shatters school record, Sommers takes fifth in pole vault as Duke track and field prepares for ACC Championships

Another meet, another broken record for Duke track and field.

In the last race of their last indoor track meet of the regular season, the Blue Devils delivered a final rewrite of their record books at the BU Terrier DMR Challenge over the weekend. The men’s 4000m distance medley relay team of Austin Gabay, Alejandro Rodriguez, Owen Drometer and Beck Wittstadt ran a blistering 9:29.20 to demolish Duke’s 14-year-old school record by more than five seconds. The team also took seventh overall in the highly competitive event.

Every member of the quartet ran their fastest splits of the season, but head coach Shawn Wilbourn called Wittstadt’s lead-off 1200m “the most impressive part of that relay.” The junior’s quick start set up the race and gave the rest of his team a chance to come in before the record mark.

The women’s DMR was also scheduled to compete in Boston but withdrew from the race after a few runners fell ill.

While the men’s relay raced at the BU Terrier DMR Challenge, pole vaulter Paige Sommers represented Duke at the Virginia Tech Challenge. The junior from Westlake Village, Calif., secured a fifth-place finish with a final height of 4.12m (13-6.25 feet). 

Wilbourn explained that Sommers and the men’s DMR were the only athletes to compete over the weekend due to the targeted nature of the meets, with “fast teams and a fast track and the hopes to run an NCAA qualifying time.” The rest of the athletes took time to rest ahead of the ACC Championships next weekend in Boston.

“We’re just preparing,” Wilbourn said. “That’s our goal. That’s our focus. And we’ll see how that shakes out.”

Looking ahead to the championship portion of the season, Duke appears primed to continue delivering impressive races and record-fast times.