Duke track and field readies for 'first-class' event at Vertklasse Meeting
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the outdoor season in full swing, the Blue Devils will not have to travel far for “first-class” competition.
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____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the outdoor season in full swing, the Blue Devils will not have to travel far for “first-class” competition.
The Blue Devils continue to build momentum towards a strong outdoor season with another school record broken and a number of top-five all-time performances.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Nick McCrory's laundry list of diving accolades could probably stretch the 10-meter distance from the platform to the surface of the diving well.In an illustrious career that includes an Olympic bronze medal and 11 All-American selections, McCrory, a senior, learned to conquer competitions big and small. Saturday the Olympic bronze medalist found himself in unchartered territory: forced to come from behind in pursuit of his fourth NCAA platform title.Needing 92.10 points on his final dive to surpass sophomore Rafael Quintero of Arizona, McCrory executed his most difficult dive to near-perfection. When he resurfaced after his back two-and-a-half somersault with two-and-a-half twists, McCrory saw only 9s and a 10s at the judges' table.His total: 94.50.Winning the national championship by a mere 2.45 points, McCrory became the first four-time national champion on the platform in NCAA history.“Even though he was down a fairly large margin and had to put up a big dive on the last one, everybody knew he was capable of doing it,” head coach Dan Colella said. “I was standing amongst the Arizona athletes and coaches, and they were all standing there with a look of anticipation with Nick as the last diver. When he ripped the dive, you could hear the air come out of them.”Coming from behind on the final dive, Nick McCrory's margin of victory at the NCAA Championships was a slim 2.45 points.McCrory's first three national championships did not come in such dramatic fashion. The closest any competitor had come to besting McCrory was when Stanford's Kristian Ipsen, a junior, finished a full 43 points behind him at the 2013 NCAA Championships.As he approached the platform for the final time in his collegiate career, McCrory calculated the score he would need to win. After taking his leap of faith, the four-time national champion was unsure he had hit his mark."To be honest I didn't think I got it when I hit the water," McCrory said. "I was surprised by the scoreboard. I saw my dive and I guess it was better than I thought.”After posting the top score in the preliminary round with a season-best 480.35 points, the Olympian faltered on his third and fourth dives in the final round and found himself in fifth place with two rounds left. McCrory moved up the scoreboard to fourth place after his fifth dive—a back two-and-a-half somersault.Regaining the form that had won him his first three national championships on his final dive, McCrory etched his name—as well as Duke's—into the NCAA record books.“I’m just really proud for my school,” McCrory said. “They’ve done so much to support me and get me here and keep me going. I’m really happy to be representing Duke.”McCrory also earned bronze on the 1-meter board on Thursday. Earning a total of 412.15 points over six dives, the Blue Devil took third behind Texas' Michael Hixon and Ipsen, who tallied 443.50 and 436.55 points, respectively.
Senior Nick McCrory will look to end his collegiate career on a high note this weekend, entering the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships with big goals.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the upcoming Texas Relays and Raleigh Relays, top performers Curtis Beach and Megan Clark have not had a weekend off between the NCAA Indoor Championships and the start of the outdoor season.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In her final swim as a Blue Devil, senior Christine Wixted reached a goal she had been chasing for four years, and All-America honors served as a worthy consolation prize.Wixted reached the finals of the 200-yard breaststroke at this weekend's NCAA Championships as she and classmate Lauren Weaver led Duke and their four younger teammates to a 51st-place finish.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With brief relief from this year’s long and brutal winter, the Blue Devils opened the outdoor season with a sunny and warm Friday and Saturday at the Carolina Relays.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Following its first automatic relay qualification in program history, Duke will send a program-record six athletes to compete in the 2014 Women’s NCAA Championships in Minneapolis.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Curtis Beach didn’t go home to Albuquerque, N.M., for sun and relaxation this spring break. Instead, he won the national title in the indoor heptathlon in front of a hometown crowd.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Stepping up to lead Duke into championship competition, freshman Michael Miller exceeded expectations by capping off his first postseason meet with a trip to the podium.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Duke heads into postseason competition on the heels of one of its most successful indoor seasons in program history—but nothing is guaranteed.The Blue Devils begin three days of competition at the ACC Championships Thursday in Clemson, S.C., where the field will feature the conference's toughest competition to date.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the women breaking 11 school records and earning their first automatic relay qualification for the NCAA Championships last week, the Blue Devils hope for another successful finish at the men’s ACC Championships.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Blue Devil seniors shined in championship competition as senior Nick McCrory swept the diving events and the women’s swim team rewrote the school’s record books.
Duke will travel to Blacksburg, Va. for the third time in a month and forego the Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame to wrap up regular season competition.
The women’s swimming and diving team and the men’s diving team will open their championship season Wednesday in Greensboro, N.C. and conclude Saturday night.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Splitting up the team once again to compete in meets in New York and Ames, Iowa, Duke’s runners shined amongst the nation’s top competitors. The Blue Devil relays dominated both meets, taking first in the women’s distance medley relay at the Iowa Classic and first in the men’s 4x800 meters in the Millrose Games. The men’s team sent only four athletes to compete in the single relay event in New York. Villanova’s relay team entered the competition as the favorite team to win, but Duke was able to take and hold on to an early lead with freshmen on the first two legs.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite being unable to compete in Friday’s preliminaries due to inclement weather, the Blue Devils arrived in Charlottesville, Va., after a three-hour bus ride in time to turn in several personal best times in finals.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>School records continued to fall as the Blue Devils competed in the Armory Collegiate Invitational and the Virginia Tech Elite Meet this weekend.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After competing with a reduced roster last weekend, Duke will compete nearly every athlete this weekend, splitting the team between two meets.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Blue Devils split up this weekend to send athletes to both the Penn State Invitational in State College, Pa., and the JDL Fast Track meet in Winston-Salem, N.C. Continuing a strong start to the indoor season, Duke earned four individual wins and broke two school records Friday and Saturday.