Duke Men Finish Seventh, Women 11th At ACC Track & Field

Saturday, April 18

Miami, Fla.

All Day

Duke University

Day Three

Duke Men Finish Seventh, Women 11th At ACC Track & Field

4/18/2009 9:00:00 PM | Track & Field

By: Duke Sports Information

CORAL GABLES, Fla. ? Duke sophomore Amy Fryt won the pole vault in a lifetime-best 13-3.5 to become Duke track & field's third ACC champion of the weekend at the 2009 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the University of Miami's Cobb Stadium in Coral Gables, Fla., Saturday afternoon.

The Duke men's track & field team scored 61 total points ? its most in the conference meet since 1963 ? and 21 on Saturday to finish seventh in the conference, up two places from a year ago. The women tripled their point total from last season, scoring 33 points to finish 11th.

Duke wrapped up the meet with three champions, eight All-ACC performances ? a Duke record ? and 11 NCAA Regional marks.

Florida State came away with the title on the women's side, while the Virginia and FSU men will share the men's championship - the first time the ACC crown has been shared since 1982.

Fryt's victory gave her the ACC title as she joined Ryan McDermott in the steeplechase and Jade Ellis in the long jump as weekend winners. Her jump was her first time over 13 feet and her lifetime best, giving her the all-time No. 2 spot at Duke as well as another NCAA Regional and ECAC mark. Fryt scored 10 points for the Blue Devils with the victory. Twice during competition she had to make her third attempt clearances to secure the victory, and twice came through in the clutch.

Ellis added to yesterday's win the long jump with a second-place finish in the triple jump, leaping 51-11.75 to score eight points and set a season-best by over two feet. That was both an NCAA Regional and IC4A qualifier for him. It also broke his own school record by nine inches and earned his second All-ACC honor of the weekend.

Ellis would then come back to anchor the 4x100m that scored one point with an eighth-place time of 42.10. The team of Buzz Moorman, Caleb Duncanson, Sam Bowler, and Ellis notched an IC4A qualifier.

Duke's Molly Lehman was second in the 1500m, earning All-ACC honors as she crossed the line in 4:21.11 to secure another regional and ECAC standard there. Freshman Esther Vermeer was eighth in 4:33.84, to score one point in the event. Cory Nanni posted a regional mark in the 1500m, scoring three points with his sixth-place finish of 3:46.18.

Mike Schallmo finished fifth in the discus, throwing 173-3 for four points. The mark was good for both the NCAA Regional and IC4A qualifiers. Schallmo fouled on his first two throws in the prelims, then notched a lifetime best on his third to make the finals, where he came back with another lifetime best in the fourth round.

Tony Shirk took sixth in the men's pole vault, scoring three points in an IC4A height of 16-00.75, a lifetime best.

The women's 800m saw Devotia Moore take seventh ? scoring two points ? in a seasonal-best 2:11.06, an ECAC mark.

Finally, the men's 5000m saw Bo Waggoner take seventh and score two points in 14:27.82, while his freshman teammates Andrew Brodeur and James Kostelnik took ninth and 10th place, respectively, in 14:41.05 and 14:43.97.

After enjoying success at the ACC Championships, the Blue Devil squads are back at it next weekend with the historic Penn Relays, held April 23-25 at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pa.

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