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Duke University

DURHAM, N.C. – A school-record 17 athletes are set to compete for Duke track and field as the Blue Devils look to cap an impressive all-around season with a bang at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this weekend. The four-day national meet is slated for June 11-14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. COVERAGE INFO: […]

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DURHAM, N.C. – A school-record 17 athletes are set to compete for Duke track and field as the Blue Devils look to cap an impressive all-around season with a bang at the NCAA Outdoor Championships this weekend. The four-day national meet is slated for June 11-14 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

COVERAGE INFO:

WHAT TO KNOW:

  • Duke will be represented by 17 athletes – eight men and nine women – across 10 different events. The 17 competing Blue Devils mark a new program high, besting the 16 qualifiers in 2022 and 2023.
  • Graduate student Simen Guttormsen looks to complete the sweep in the men’s pole vault after capturing the gold medal at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Guttormsen capped his indoor season with a performance for the ages, culminating a stellar campaign with a huge personal best and program record of 5.71m (18-8.75 feet).
  • The Blue Devils head into the weekend ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA Championship field in three events. Freshman Joseph Taylor is slotted third in the men’s 400m, junior Lauren Tolbert is seventh in the women’s 800m and the women’s 4x400m also checked in at No. 7.  Graduate student Aliya Garozzo (11th) and sophomore Christian Toro (11th) sit just outside the top 10.

TICKETS PUNCHED – HOW THEY GOT HERE

  • Senior Max Forte was the first Blue Devil to punch his ticket to NCAA’s courtesy of a stupendous performance in the men’s decathlon at the Mt. SAC relays back in April. Forte parlayed a personal-best effort into a spot on the Duke men’s decathlon charts, posting 7,813 points to place fourth and move into No. 2 all-time at Duke.
  • Forte’s overall showing featured four top-five finishes across multis, headlined by a runner-up showing in the 100m dash (10.60 seconds) and a fourth-place finish in the long jump via a mark of 7.41m (24-3.75 feet).
  • Sophomore Christian Toro secured his first career berth to the national meet by way of his third throw in the men’s hammer throw that checked in at 66.86m (219-4 feet) – good for No. 5 in the East Regional field.
  • Simen Guttormsen finished among the top 12 in the men’s pole vault semifinal, passing on the opening height before clearing the next two on his first jump. The graduate student finished the competition with a final mark of 5.33m (17-5.75 feet) – sixth overall.
  • Sophomore Gemma Tutton punched her first ticket to the NCAA Outdoor Championships after finishing tied for fifth in the women’s pole vault first round. She passed on the first height then cleared the next two on her first and second attempt, respectively, finishing with a final clearance of 4.24m (13-11 feet).
  • Joseph Taylor turned in a stellar performance in the men’s 400m quarterfinal on the way to securing his ticket to Eugene.  The rookie posted the top time in his heat – 45.05 seconds – to earn the automatic qualifier, with his dash checking in third overall.
  • An impressive race by the men’s 4x400m locked up a spot in Eugene while unseating the program record in the process. Comprised of Taylor, graduate students TJ Clayton and Callum Robinson and senior Michael Bennett, the Duke quartet finished in the top three of its respective heat to notch the assured berth to nationals via a season’s best time of 3:04.47. Freshman Andres Langston, who also competed on the men’s relays for Duke during the year, is headed to Eugene as well.
  • Lauren Tolbert turned in another standout effort in 800m race with the junior notching a monster personal best en route to breaking her own school record and cementing herself among the NCAA Outdoor Championship field. Tolbert shaved over a second off her previous best and blazed to a finish of 2:00.27 – fifth best in the field – to lock down the instant berth.
  • The 400m hurdles saw the Blue Devil pairing of freshman Braelyn Baker and graduate student Aliya Garozzo turn in commanding performances to punch their tickets to Eugene and make their NCAA dreams a reality. The tandem placed in the top three of their respective heat and crossed the finish line in succession with Garozzo (56.46) narrowly edging out Baker, who moved into No. 4 all-time in program lore via a time of 56.48 seconds.
  • Representing the Blue Devils in the women’s 4x400m race, the quartet of Garozzo, junior Julia Jackson, senior Megan McGinnis and Tolbert clocked 3:27.87 – No. 2 in their heat and No. 4 in the overall field – on the way to registering the automatic bid. The 4x100m comprised of sophomore Mia Edim, seniors Abby Geiser and Meredith Sims and Baker posted a mark of 43.72 seconds to finish among the top 12.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “DukeTFXC.”
 
#GoDuke
 



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