Valenti Takes Silver and Multis Shine in Day One of ACC Outdoor Championships

Thursday, May 13

Raleigh, N.C.

Duke University

Day One at ACC Outdoor Championships

Photo by: Jaylynn Nash

Valenti Takes Silver and Multis Shine in Day One of ACC Outdoor Championships

5/13/2021 11:38:00 PM | Track & Field

Results (PDF)Standings (Day One)Photo Gallery

RALEIGH, N.C. – Duke track and field began its quest for an ACC title as the men and women completed day one of the ACC Outdoor Championships at the Paul Derr Track Facility on the campus of NC State on Thursday.

After day one, the women sit in seventh place with four of 21 scored events completed, while the men are in 10th with five of the 21 events completed.

The Blue Devils scored their first points of the championships in the men's javelin, as graduate student Kiegan Lenihan finished sixth with a throw of 64.51m (211-7 feet). The Tarrytown, N.Y., native scored five points for the men's team and earned All-ACC Second Team honors with the throw. Lenihan becomes the Blue Devils' first four-time All-ACC honoree since John Austin (2008-11).

Duke registered its single best finals finish of the day from graduate student Julia Valenti, who won the silver medal in the pole vault. The North Reading, Mass., native scored eight critical points for the Blue Devils and crushed her collegiate personal best with a clearance of 4.13m (13-6.5 feet). Valenti continues Duke's proud pole-vaulting tradition, giving the program its seventh consecutive year with an All-ACC honoree as Valenti earned an All-ACC First Team distinction.

Much of the late morning and early afternoon was dominated by the heptathlon and decathlon. The Blue Devils saw strong opening days in both events, as senior Erin Marsh and graduate student Evan Lee lead the heptathlon and decathlon after day one.

In the heptathlon, Marsh was in a battle with Miami's Michelle Atherley all day, trading the top two spots several times. Marsh began the morning in style in the 100m hurdles, taking second place with a personal best time of 13.17 seconds and improving her previous best, which ranked second in program history. Marsh showed more of the same in the high jump, taking the event with a clearance of 1.78m (5-10 feet). Right behind her was freshman Brianna Smith, who smashed her previous best with a jump of 1.75m (5-8.75 feet) in the high jump to take second place. Smith's mark moved her into a tie with Kelly Mieszkalski's 1990 mark for fifth in program history.

Marsh and graduate student Zoe Hughes would go on to earn additional first place finishes, as Hughes took the shot put with a throw of 12.64m (41-5.75 feet) and Marsh captured the 200m with a time of 24.39 seconds. At the conclusion of day one, Marsh leads with 3,668 points, while Hughes holds fourth with 3,275 points, Smith is in fifth with 3,265 points and senior Kate Kutzer in at 12th with 2,819 points.

In the decathlon, Lee was the most consistent student-athlete of the day, earning top-three finishes in every single event and holds the lead with 3,872 points. Fellow graduate student Harry Lord started a steady rise and checks in at fourth with 3,355 points after day one. Lee began the day quickly with a second-place finish in the 100m and third-place finish in the long jump with marks of 11.11 seconds and 6.66m (21-10.25 feet), respectively. The Blue Devils bested the competition in the shot put, as Lee set a personal best of 13.75m (45-1.5 feet) to win the event, while Lord checked in at 12.34m (40-6 feet) for second place. The day ended on a strong note for both competitors, as Lee and Lord earned second and fourth in the high jump and second and third in the 400m respectively, with Lord setting a collegiate personal best of 50.82 seconds.

Over in the men's hammer, redshirt senior Ben Beatty set a huge personal milestone in his 10th place finish. Beatty beat his previous personal best by 2.21m with a huge throw of 59.13m (194-0 feet). With that mark, Beatty turned in the second furthest throw in program history, just 0.43m away from the program record, but moves past Iyin Battle's 2019 throw of 58.96m (193-5 feet).

Several Duke competitors made the most of their preliminaries in the evening. Senior Lauren Hoffman and graduate student Connor Atkinson lived up to their historic seasons, as both advanced to the Saturday finals by winning their heats. Atkinson's time was notable, as the Ashburn, Va., native set a personal best and the fastest time of the day at 51.70 seconds. Atkinson improves his third fastest time in program history once again, missing the second fastest time by just 0.21 seconds. Reigning ACC Track Performer of the Week and graduate student Brittany Aveni won her 200m heat with a time of 23.26 seconds to advance to the final as well.

The evening ended on a high note, as sophomore Ezra Mellinger joined Lenihan and Valenti with All-ACC honors in the long jump. Mellinger made his first jump of the day count, recording a mark of 7.33m (24-3.75 feet) and scored three critical points for the Blue Devil men to bring their total to eight points. In the nightcap, senior Michaela Reinhart made history in her eighth-place finish, recording a time of 33:26.61 to set a personal best and the fourth fastest time in program history, while adding a point to the women's total to make it nine overall.

Action will resume at 11 a.m., on Friday, with the women's javelin set to compete, followed by more events in the heptathlon and decathlon.

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ACC Medalists
Julia Valenti – Silver Medal (Pole Vault)

All-ACC Honors
Julia Valenti – All-ACC First Team (Pole Vault)
Kiegan Lenihan – All-ACC Second Team (Javelin)
Ezra Mellinger – All-ACC Second Team (Long Jump)

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