Marsh Finishes Fourth, Rothwell and 4x400m Take Seventh at NCAA Outdoor Championships

Saturday, June 12

Eugene, Ore.

Duke University

Day Three at NCAA Outdoor Championships

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Marsh Finishes Fourth, Rothwell and 4x400m Take Seventh at NCAA Outdoor Championships

6/12/2021 11:24:00 PM | Track & Field

RESULTS (PDF)FINAL TEAM SCORES

EUGENE, Ore. – Capping off a historic stretch at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships, senior Erin Marsh finished fourth in the heptathlon to take home the best finish by a Blue Devil in seven years. As a unit, the Duke track & field program collected USTFCCCA First Team All-America honors in three events – the heptathlon, 4x400m relay and 100m hurdles, for the most since 2011.

"It is humongous for our program," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Shawn Wilbourn. "To do what we have done and turn the program around, and not just turn it around because we've been building for this for a long time. The 4x400m is something we've focused on, and we've gotten here [before], and this is the first time we have gotten to the finals. We are coming out of here with a number of All-Americans. The thing is that this will set the precedent. It will change the culture for our program, and we want this to be a regular occurrence. This is the first time we've been this successful, but we plan to continue it and make it a tradition."

Marsh's fourth place finish was the best individual performance by a Blue Devil since Juliet Bottorff placed third in the 2014 10,000m. Her point total of 5,924 also broke her own school record by 21 points and was the second-best outdoor finish of any multi-event performer, male, or female, in program history, behind only Curtis Beach's silver medal in the 2011 decathlon. The Blue Devils finished 32nd with nine points, the best finish by the women's team since 2014.

Marsh and teammate Zoe Hughes kicked the day off in the long jump in the fifth of the heptathlon's seven events. Hughes came out of the gate with a strong showing, taking eighth overall with a jump of 5.88m (19-3.25 feet) to jump from 20th at the end of day one, to 17th with 4,047 points through five. Marsh was right behind her with a ninth-place finish and mark of 5.81m (19-0.25 feet) to collect 792 points and move into third place overall with 4,443 points.

Marsh would go on to add a season best in the javelin, finishing 14th overall with a mark of 34.82m (114-3 feet) and stood in fifth overall with 5,011 points entering the final event. Hughes would take 21st in the javelin with a mark of 31.34m (102-10 feet) and was tied for 18th entering the 800m.

With the pressure on, Marsh and Hughes rose to the occasion in the 800m. Both recorded collegiate bests, with Marsh setting the third-fastest mark of the day at 2:13.54 to take home 913 points and move back into fourth place. Marsh scored five points for the Blue Devils with the fourth-place finish. Hughes also set a collegiate personal best, running the 800m in 2:19.11 to finish 12th overall, record 836 points and finish in 17th with 5,385 points. As a result, Marsh earns USTFCCCA First Team All-America honors, while Hughes collected Honorable Mention All-America honors.

Graduate student Cha'Mia Rothwell was the first to secure First Team All-America on the day, as she finished seventh in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.14 seconds. Rothwell officially became the highest finisher of any women's hurdler in Duke program history and scored the first two points for the Blue Devils as a team. It capped off an incredible season for the Durham, N.C., native, who set the school record in the 100m hurdles and 4x100m relay, while adding a Second Team All-America honor in the 4x100m relay to earn her first two such awards.

The final event of the day was the 4x400m relay and proved to be one of the fastest in collegiate history. While Texas A&M set a collegiate record as the event winners, the Blue Devils turned in a blazing run of their own and took home First Team All-America honors. The quartet of graduate students Iman Sule, Elena Brown-Soler, senior Lauren Hoffman and graduate student Brittany Aveni broke their own school record for the third consecutive event, with a scorching run of 3:28.27 to finish seventh. The run broke their NCAA East Regional mark by 0.92 seconds and the team becomes the first Duke 4x400m relay team to be named First Team All-Americans. Aveni was particularly impressive, running the third-fastest split of all competitors, clocking in at 50.13 seconds on the anchor leg.

Earlier in the day, Aveni added another Second Team All-America honor to her collection. The Geneva, Ohio native ran yet another sub-52 second time in the 400m, clocking in at 51.77 and finishing ninth overall. Aveni came into the event ranked 15th but impressed on the national stage once again and capped off a historic year. With Aveni's three separate All-America honors, she becomes the first five-time All-American in Duke women's track & field history.

Next up, several Blue Devils will be competing at the 2021 U.S Olympic Trials, also at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., beginning on June 18 and running through June 27. Aveni, Hoffman, Marsh and Rothwell are all set to compete for a chance to join the U.S. Olympic Team.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."

USTFCCCA All-America
Erin Marsh – First Team (Heptathlon)
Brittany Aveni – First Team (4x400m)
Elena Brown-Soler – First Team (4x400m)
Lauren Hoffman – First Team (4x400m)
Cha'Mia Rothwell – First Team (100m Hurdles)
Iman Sule – First Team (4x400m)
Brittany Aveni – Second Team (400m)
Brittany Aveni – Second Team (4x100m Relay)
Halle Bieber – Second Team (4x100m Relay)
Elena Brown-Soler – Second Team (4x100m Relay)
Lauren Hoffman – Second Team (400m Hurdles)
Cha'Mia Rothwell – Second Team (4x100m Relay)
Zoe Hughes – Honorable Mention (Heptathlon)

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