Blue Devils Set to Compete in ACC Outdoor Championships

Thursday, May 13

Raleigh, N.C.

Duke University

Day One at ACC Outdoor Championships

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Blue Devils Set to Compete in ACC Outdoor Championships

5/12/2021 5:14:00 PM | Track & Field

Live Stats Watch (Day One) | ACCNX Watch (Day Two) | ACCNX Watch (Day Three) | ACCNX Start List

DURHAM, N.C. – With eyes set on making history, the Duke track & field program will compete in the 2021 ACC Outdoor Championships this weekend. The meet is scheduled to run from Thursday, May 13 through Saturday, May 15 at the Paul Derr Track Facility on the campus of NC State.

27 women and 23 men will represent Duke as both teams have their sights on personal bests, individual and team titles and NCAA Championship positioning.

PERFORMER OF THE WEEK
For the first time in the outdoor season, the Blue Devils have taken home both the ACC Track Performer of the Week and Field Performer of the Week awards. Graduate student Brittany Aveni became Duke's first Track Performer of the Week since Michaela Reinhart earned the recognition on January 29, 2020. Freshman Moorea Mitchell became the first Field Performer of the Week since Erin Marsh won in the indoor season January 27.

NAMES TO WATCH
Several Blue Devils enter competition with the top marks of the season in the ACC.

Brittany Aveni – Women's 400m (52.23 seconds)
Women's 4x400m Relay (Lauren Hoffman, Elena Brown-Soler, Jenna Crean & Brittany Aveni) – 3:32.92
Scott Campbell – Men's Javelin (68.77m)

FIELD EVENTS
Thursday:

The ACC Outdoor Championships begin at 11 a.m., Thursday, as the men's javelin starts a packed day of action. Duke is well represented as freshman Scott Campbell, graduate student Kiegan Lenihan and sophomore Luke Jackson will compete.
Campbell owns the top mark in the ACC this season, hitting 68.77m (225-7 feet) at the Raleigh Relays and is hoping to earn his first ACC title. Lenihan owns the fourth farthest throw of 67.34m (220-11 feet) and is hoping to reach the podium for the third straight time and become a two-time champion after winning the ACC title in men's javelin in 2018.
Thursday also marks the start of the heptathlon and decathlon. In the heptathlon, Marsh will headline the field, owning the seventh best mark in the nation at 5,748. Graduate student Zoe Hughes will also be a top competitor, as she owns the 12th best point total in the country. Senior Kate Kutzer and freshman and ACC Outdoor newcomer Brianna Smith will round out the field.
After a partially rained out decathlon at the Tobacco Road Challenge, graduate students Evan Lee and Harry Lord will get a chance at a full run this weekend with hopes of securing critical team points.
After several personal bests by both this season, graduate student Julia Valenti and sophomore Brynn King will compete in the pole vault. Both will make their ACC Outdoor Championships debut and have cleared the eighth and ninth highest marks in the conference, respectively.
Redshirt Senior Ben Beatty is hoping to add another ACC medal in the hammer, after taking the bronze medal in the shot put in the ACC Indoor Championships.
Field events will conclude for the day with the men's and women's long jump. Graduate students Cha'Mia Rothwell and Elena Brown-Soler will compete in the women's event, while sophomore Ezra Mellinger will compete in the men's event.
Rothwell's mark of 6.38m (20-11.25 feet) set this season ranks sixth in the ACC and second in program history. Brown-Soler and Mellinger also recorded top-five marks in program history and will be strong competitors for the Blue Devils.

Friday:

Women's javelin will kick off field action, as senior Ashleigh Rodriguez represents the Blue Devils. Rodriguez has had a breakout season, recording the fifth furthest throw in Duke history to rank sixth in the ACC at 49.61m (162-9 feet).
Beatty will return for his second event, competing in the shot put. Beatty enters off a season-best throw of 17.56m (57-7.5 feet) at the Duke Twilight.
The heptathlon and decathlon will conclude Friday, as Marsh will look to add a seventh ACC medal to her illustrious Blue Devils career.

Saturday:

The biggest event of the day will be the women's high jump, with Marsh leading a crowded field once again. Joining Marsh will be sophomore Elasia Campbell, senior Rivka Arbiv and Smith.
Marsh has had tremendous success in ACC Championship high jump competitions, winning two silver medals as well as winning two events within multi-event competitions.
A two-time ACC medalist in her own right, Campbell is getting her first attempt at the outdoor championships following last year's cancellation. The Marietta, Ga., native has a season high of 1.74m (5-8.5 feet).
Arbiv enters a strong note, following a collegiate best of 1.72m (5-7.75 feet) at the Duke Twilight. The senior is vying for All-ACC honors after two separate honors in the pole vault earlier in her collegiate career.
Beatty will end his busy weekend with competition in the discus. The Fredericksburg, Va., native is hoping to become the first Duke ACC Champion in the event since Dick Gesswein in 1963.
Sophomore Beau Allen has All-ACC honors on his mind, as he wraps up field competition in the men's high jump. Allen entered the Blue Devil record books with the fourth-highest clearance in program history of 2.10m (6-10.75 feet) this season.

TRACK EVENTS
Thursday:

Competition will mostly feature preliminary rounds, with finals in the men's and women's 10,000m in the evening.
The men's and women's 400m hurdles preliminaries will start the day at 6 p.m. Senior Lauren Hoffman and graduate student Connor Atkinson are some of the favorites in the event, recording the second and third fastest times in the ACC this season.
Reigning ACC Track Performer of the Week Brittany Aveni will start her weekend in the 200m, as part of a deep field that includes Rothwell and junior Kelcie Simmons in the women's event and Mellinger and sophomore Joseph Laster in the men's event.
Aveni has put together a historic season and remains one of the most versatile sprinters in the country. The Geneva, Ohio native is one of two women in the country to hold top-35 times in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 4x100m and 4x400m (Tianna Wilson, Arkansas).
Sophomore Rory Cavan and freshman Austin Gabay will make their ACC Outdoor Championships debut in the 1500m. Cavan turned in the 13th fastest time in the ACC this season at the Tobacco Road Challenge.
After thrilling distance runs at both the Virginia Challenge and the Duke Twilight, Duke sends five runners to compete in the 10,000m. Senior Michaela Reinhart enters as a favorite to medal, holding the third fastest time of the season at 33:44.32. She will be joined by 2021 ACC 5000m silver medalist Sara Platek and senior Amanda Beach, while senior CJ Ambrosio and sophomore Zach Kinne.

Friday:

Several more preliminaries begin at 6 p.m., with the women's 100m hurdles followed by the men's and women's 400m, 100m and 800m. The men's and women's 3000m steeplechase finals will end the evening.
The first test in a premier medaling opportunity for the Blue Devils comes as Marsh and Rothwell take the track in the 100m hurdles prelims. Both hold top-50 times nationally, with Rothwell the 20th fastest in the country and will be strong competitors this weekend.
One of the single strongest medaling chances comes in the men's and women's 400m and the preliminaries will start at 6:40 p.m. Aveni and graduate student Iman Sule hold the top two times in the ACC this season and have a chance to deliver a sweep with either sophomores Carly King or Jenna Crean.
Laster and Simmons headline the 100m fields for the Blue Devils. Both have set top-five marks in program history this season and will aim to score much needed points in the ACC title chase.
After running a brilliant time to qualify her for the 800m in NCAA Indoor Championships at the ACC Indoor Championships, senior Leigha Torino will look to do the same in the outdoor 800m.
Fresh off one of the most impressive runs of the season, freshman Victoria Patterson will headline the 3000m steeplechase field to end the day. Patterson holds the ninth fastest time and set a top-five mark in the event in Duke history.
Senior Alex Miley holds All-ACC and medal ambitions in the men's 3000m steeplechase after recording the 41st fastest time in the nation 8:50.18 at the Virginia Challenge.

Saturday:

The opening act on the track will feature some of Duke's best events in the men's and women's 4x100m relay. The Duke women in particular hold ACC title ambitions after setting the program record earlier in the season.
Following the Thursday and Friday preliminaries, the finals for several races will begin, starting with the men's and women's 1500m, followed by the 100m and 110m hurdles, the men's and women's 400m, 100m, 800m, 400m hurdles and 200m.
Reinhart is set to return to action in the 5000m, holding the top Blue Devil mark of the season and a top-100 mark in the nation.
The men's and women's 4x400m relay will conclude competition beginning at 8:30 p.m. The quartet of Lauren Hoffman, Elena Brown-Soler, Jenna Crean & Brittany Aveni hold the top mark in the ACC and are seeking gold for the Blue Devils.