After months of hard training and competition, the Blue Devils are finally about to face the ultimate test: the postseason. With ACC and NCAA competitions in May and June, the Blue Zone is here with a preview of the big-time meets:
Men’s team
All throughout the 2024 outdoor campaign, the men’s throwers have been the ones to watch. In the hammer throw, graduate students Aimar Palma-Simo and Christian Johnson are the highest-ranked of any Duke athlete in an event. With his mark of 71.48m from the Duke Invitational, Palma-Simo is 12th in the entire NCAA this season, with a comfortable third-place berth in the Eastern region. Not far behind, Johnson’s mark of 70.87m stands at 14th in the nation and fourth in the East. It’s safe to say that both will be gunning for a trophy at the national competition come June.
While the hammer throw duo of Palma-Simo and Johnson are likely the only Duke men with a guaranteed shot at NCAAs this year, a handful of the Blue Devils could just make it given ideal conditions and consistency.
With the current regional standings, three of Duke’s javelin throwers are set to compete at the East Preliminaries: graduate students Marten Gasparini and Joseph DiDario with sophomore Matt Prebola. What’s more, Gasparini's mark of 71.10m is the 13th-best in the region, putting him in reach of a golden ticket should he stay consistent.
In the jumps, graduate student Beau Allen leads the way for the Blue Devils after a first-place finish in high jump at the Charlotte Invitational two weekends ago. Tied for 22nd nationally and 24th in the region, Allen has a good chance of not only qualifying, but also being competitive on the national stage. However, his mark of 2.15m has him in a five-way tie in the East region alone. When meet day arrives in Kentucky, Allen is going to need to be at the top of his game.
For junior decathlete Michael Bennett, the stakes are slightly different: in the decathlon, there is no first-round qualifying event. Instead, NCAA spots are earned by the top 12 athletes in each region’s season-best list. At the moment, Bennett is seeded 12th, barely clinging to a spot. With conference championships upcoming, he’ll need to perform well to hold on.
On the track oval, Duke has two men with a chance at the national meet: junior Beck Wittstadt and graduate student Michael Keehan. Coming off of a strong DMR leg at Penn Relays and a new school record of 1:47.19 in the 800m at the Wake Forest Invitational, Wittstadt has had quite the season. But although his 800m record is good for 21st among all mid-distance athletes in the country, he’s seeded at an unwieldy 12th place in the region, so the key will be to stay calm and execute under pressure. In the 3000m steeplechase, Keehan’s situation isn’t so different. No. 31 in the nation, yet a treacherous 16th in the East region with the ACC battle still to come.
Women’s team
For the Blue Devil women, the postseason is bound to be an exciting one.
First up, there is senior Brianna Smith, the Duke's sole returner from the indoor national championships who has a chance at outdoors. After getting her first taste of the national stage at Indoor NCAAs and USAs in the winter, Smith came through with a vengeance this season. As it stands, Smith is eighth in the heptathlon and 12th in the high jump across the East region. And since NCAA qualifying in the heptathlon is based on rankings, she’s arguably set for Hayward Field with one more opportunity to better her mark of 5519 at the conference meet. In order to punch a second ticket, Smith will have to bring her A-game when the East Preliminaries roll around.
In a league of her own, freshman Gemma Tutton is set to make her East Preliminary debut and likely her first NCAA appearance too. Fresh off of clearing a Duke freshman record of 4.35m, the British pole vaulter is ranked fourth in the region and an impressive tenth in the nation. As Tutton progresses through championship season, there is only one question: How high can she go?
For freshman javelin thrower Julia Magliaro, the question is how far. Like Tutton, Magliaro has had a breakout season, throwing a No. 4 all-time program mark of 50.49m and maintaining her second-place spot on the ACC leaderboard. Likewise, graduate teammate Tia Rozario is ranked in the top three of the conference, following her own season full of all-time marks in the triple jump. With regional rankings still up in the air pending upcoming competitions, both Magliaro and Rozario are tenth in their respective events, a good sign going into the meets that matter.
Over the past few years, there hasn’t been a distance the Blue Devil women dominated like the 400m. Last season, junior Megan McGinnis took the outdoor ACC crown in the 400m before blazing her way to an 11th place finish at nationals. At the same time, she led the 4x400m squad to an eighth place NCAA finish. This year, although McGinnis has been rusty on the way back from injury, Duke has depth like never before. Aside from having three women running sub-53 second splits — sophomores Lauren Tolbert, Julia Jackson and McGinnis — the team has a number of dependable sprinters to choose from in a relay pool, like graduate students Maddy Doane, Skyla Wilson and Halle Bieber among others.
Up in distance, the Blue Devil women’s 800m squad will be intriguing to follow as the postseason heats up. The only problem for head coach Shawn Wilbourn is going to be deciding who to send to the conference competition. This outdoor season, Duke has not one or two, but five women under 2:06 in the mid-distance event, headlined by Tolbert with a time of 2:03.17 and senior Charlotte Tomkinson close behind at 2:03.71. While the two are currently 15th and 20th in the East region, they just might have a shot at national qualifying. The 800m is notorious for close finishes, and anything could happen.
Overall, this looks to be an exciting postseason for the Blue Devils. With immense throwing talent leading a strong squad on the men’s side and versatility and speed headlining for the women, Duke will look to continue building a name for itself in both the conference and national championship meets.
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