Sprint Medley Team Leads Duke During Second Day In Philadelphia

Friday, April 24

Philadelphia, Pa.

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Duke University

Day Two

Sprint Medley Team Leads Duke During Second Day In Philadelphia

4/24/2009 11:15:00 PM | Track & Field

By: Duke Sports Information

PHILADELPHIA ? The Duke men's sprint medley relay squad of Sam Bowler, Caleb Duncanson, Brad Troxell, and Stephen Clark logged the No. 5 all-time mark in school history Friday to lead the Blue Devils during day two of competition at the 115th annual Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelpia.

The team ran 3:28.67 ? just making the Duke top-five list ? in the Championship of America race, anchored by Clark's personal-best 800m split of 1:52.6 to win Section 4 and take 24th overall.

In the college pole vault, freshman Tony Shirk leapt his second-best height of the outdoor season ? 15-9 ? to take third and win the bronze medal. His mark was an IC4A qualifier, his second of the season.

Jade Ellis finished sixth in a stacked field of the Championship long jump, leaping 24-10.5, both an NCAA Regional and IC4A mark for him. Ellis' competition was one of the toughest long jump fields ever at the Penn Relays, as Ellis took sixth despite being the only one of the 13 jumpers not to compete in the NCAA Championships this past indoor season. It was Ellis' third NCAA and fourth IC4A mark outdoors in 2009.

The Duke women's 4x1500m team placed eighth in the Championship of America race, as Esther Vermeer, Patricia Loughlin, Emily Schwitzer, and Leslie Morrison clocked 18:36.96.

The Blue Devils wrap up their trip to the prestigious relay meet tomorrow. Keep up with all the action at the Penn Relays official homepage, where you can find a full schedule of events and live results as well as other information on the historic meet.

Duke will round out competition on Saturday with the team of Joshua Lund, Ryan McDermott, Bo Waggoner, and Cory Nanni to race in the college men's 4xMile at 1:20 p.m. The women's college 4x800 will feature Molly Lehman, Devotia Moore, Morrison, and Vermeer at 2:10 p.m., and Duke will then close out action on the track with the group of Sean Pat Oswald, Clark, Chris Rowland, and Nanni in the men's college 4x800 at 4:35 p.m.

The Blue Devils' javelin corps of John Austin and Robert Weinstein will go on Saturday as well, with Austin set for the college championship at 11 a.m. and Weinstein bound for the college competition at 12:30 p.m. Austin was third last year at the Penn Relays.

Duke will return home on Sunday, May 3, for the annual Duke/asics Twilight Meet at Wallace Wade Stadium, the squads' second home meet of the spring season.

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