Duke Caps Final Day of East Regional

Saturday, May 30

Jacksonville, Fla.

All Day

Duke University

Day Three at NCAA East Preliminary Round

Duke Caps Final Day of East Regional

5/30/2015 10:44:00 PM | Track & Field

By: Duke Sports Information

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duke track and field program wrapped up the final day of the NCAA East Preliminary Round with some strong performances Saturday in Jacksonville, Fla. Highlighting the day for the Blue Devils was the women's 4x400 squad setting the school record in the event.

Running in the final heat of the women's 4x400, seniors Elizabeth Kerpon and Lauren Hansson, sophomore Madeline Kopp and freshman Maddy Price combined for a 3:32.27 clocking, the fastest performance in program history, but came up just short of qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Hansson and Kopp ran the first half of the race and put Duke in third through the first half of the race, teaming up for a 1:46.06 800m split. Price handled the third leg, registering a 53.57 split, before Kerpon anchored the Blue Devils with a scorching 52.64 final leg. Needing a top-12 finish to earn a bid to nationals, the Blue Devil squad placed 14^th, just a fraction of a second behind 12^th-place Mississippi State's 3:23.13. The same group ran earlier in the day in the women's 4x100 competition, finishing 21^st with a time of 45.49.

Also on the track, junior distance runner Madison Granger nearly earned her own spot at nationals in the women's 1,500m. After running a 4:21.23 Thursday to advance to today's quarterfinals, Granger crossed the finish line in 4:24.88 to place 17^th.

Redshirt junior Stephen Boals returned to action for the men's shot put after competing in the discus Friday. Boals ended the event 22^nd overall, tossing the implement 58-6.75 (17.85m) on his second attempt of the day.

Duke was represented by a pair of Blue Devils in the women's high jump, redshirt junior Karli Johonnot and junior Maddie Morrow. After clearing 5-7.00 (1.70m), Johonnot and Morrow both failed to clear 5-8.75 (1.75m), placing tied for 33^rd and tied for 38^th, respectively.

Duke will have a week off before qualifying Blue Devils will travel to Eugene, Ore., for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Making the trip to nationals will be graduate student Erica Brand (women's discus), junior Megan Clark (women's pole vault), freshman Madison Heath (women's pole vault), redshirt junior Thomas Lang (men's javelin) and redshirt junior Teddi Maslowski (women's heptathlon).

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