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Duke T&F Indoor Season Preview: Throwers
1/11/2015 10:00:00 AM | Track & Field
DURHAM, N.C. -- With the start of the 2015 Duke indoor track and field season set for Jan. 16 at the Carolina Cup, GoDuke.com met with the Duke track and field coaching staff to discuss the upcoming season. Today's preview focuses on the Duke throwers, led by assistant coach B.J. Linnenbrink.
The Blue Devils return throwers with plenty of leadership and experience for the 2015 campaign. During the indoor season, Duke will be led by shot putters Stephen Boals on the men's side and Erica Brand and Urina Harrell on the women's side.
Shot Put:
Boals, a redshirt junior from Loomis, Calif., earned All-ACC honors during the 2014 indoor season with a runner-up finish at the conference meet, recording a distance of 59-4.25 (18.09) and setting a school record in the process.
“Stephen Boals is our top returning performer for the indoor season,” Linnenbrink said. “He has looked great in our fall training and we are hoping to have a big opening weekend at UNC to help build a solid foundation for the season as we try to get back on the podium at the ACC Championships.”
Joining Boals on the men's side will be freshman Jack Maher. The Brentwood, Tenn., native comes to Duke after winning gold as a senior in the shot put at the 2014 Tennessee state meet. Maher also holds the Brentwood High School record in the shot put with a toss of 60-9.50 (18.53).
For the women, Brand, a graduate student, enters the 2015 season with the second-farthest mark in the shot put in Duke history [49-7.75 (15.13)]. Right behind Brand in third is Harrell with a throw of 46-11 (14.30). Currently a redshirt sophomore, Harrell placed 10th at the 2014 ACC Indoor Championships in her first year of collegiate competition.
“Erica Brand and Urina Harrell will headline our women's throw group during the indoor season,” Linnenbrink said. “Both have a tremendous amount of talent in the shot put. Erica is coming off a redshirt from last outdoor season, and we look for her to continue to improve as a shot putter. Urina has made some fantastic gains during the offseason, and I look for her to have a breakthrough sophomore season.”
In addition to Brand and Harrell, sophomore Amarie Bremel, who specializes in the discus during the outdoor season, will provide depth for Duke in the shot put. Bremel tossed a season-best 40-2.75 (12.26) in 2014.
Weight Throw:
The Blue Devils return one athlete each on the men's and women's sides, Michael Foley and Stephanie Skove, who competed in the weight throw last year. A junior from Paradise Valley, Ariz., Foley notched the second-farthest throw in Duke history at the 2014 ACC Indoor Championships, placing 10th with a 55-3 (16.84) effort. Skove, a senior from Eatontown, N.J., recorded a personal-best toss of 43-5.75 (13.25) to finish eighth at the Joe Hilton Invitational.
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