Upcoming Event: Cross Country at Gans Creek Classic on September 26, 2025 at All Day
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All Day
Cross Country
at Gans Creek Classic
Friday, September 3
Elon, N.C.
8:15 P.M.
Duke University
at
Elon Opener
Photo by: Duke Athletics
Blue Devils Begin Season at Elon Opener
9/2/2021 4:06:00 PM | Cross Country
DURHAM – Coming off an adjusted 2020 schedule that concluded in March at the NCAA Championship, Duke cross country will return to action on Friday, Sept. 3, when the Blue Devils travel down the road to Elon for the Elon Opener. Women's cross country will begin at 8:15 p.m., while No. 23 men's cross country will race at 8:45 p.m. on the Elon Cross Country Course.
Duke will be joined in the field by host Elon, Campbell, Davidson, East Carolina, Guilford, Gardner-Webb, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Wilmington, and Winthrop.
Both teams are returning to Elon for the first time since 2019, when the men's team won the 12-team event, while the women placed fourth. The men's team returns three of the top-6 finishers in 2019 to this year's race, as senior Matt Politis, junior Zach Kinne and senior Chris Theodore, who finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, will run again on Friday.
Who's Competing
To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."
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#GoDuke
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Duke will be joined in the field by host Elon, Campbell, Davidson, East Carolina, Guilford, Gardner-Webb, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, UNC-Greensboro, UNC-Wilmington, and Winthrop.
Both teams are returning to Elon for the first time since 2019, when the men's team won the 12-team event, while the women placed fourth. The men's team returns three of the top-6 finishers in 2019 to this year's race, as senior Matt Politis, junior Zach Kinne and senior Chris Theodore, who finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, will run again on Friday.
Who's Competing
- On the men's side, several will compete. Graduate students Nick Dahl, Josh Romine and Michael Ungvarsky, seniors Devin Connell, Will Dixon, Politis and Theodore, juniors Theo Burba, Rory Cavan, Kinne, Owen MacKenzie, Sam Rivera, Luke Spurrier, Ryan Thompson and Lucas Wiley and sophomores Ben Armentrout, Will Atkins, Zach Barry, Jack Kovach and Jared Kreis will represent the Blue Devils.
- The women will be represented by graduate student Michaela Reinhart, seniors Elizabeth Reneau and Clara Savchik, juniors Caroline Howley and Naima Turbes, sophomores Francesca Cetta, Charlotte Tomkinson and Kelli Wilson and freshmen Katie Hamilton and Hope Frost.
- Friday's meet will be the first under head coach Angela Reckart and assistant coach Adam Cooke. Reckart is aiming to bring her success at Penn State to the Duke distance program in her first year as a head coach.
- Headlining the event is Reinhart, who returns as a graduate student following huge seasons in cross country and track & field. Reinhart was an All-ACC honoree in cross country, leading all Blue Devil women at the ACC Championship (fourth place) and NCAA Championship (112th place).
- The Blue Devil men took 11 of the top-12 spots at the 2019 event and return with a deep unit this season.
- Men's cross country was named as the No. 23 team in the USTFCCCA Preseason Poll on Tuesday. It marks the team's highest preseason ranking in 11 years. The team will also be the only nationally ranked group in the field, with several other schools coming in with regional rankings.
- Several are making their Blue Devils debut, headlined by graduate transfer Dahl. Dahl comes to Durham via Yale, where he was the Ivy League champion in the mile in 2020. The Philadelphia, Pa., brings plenty of national experience, having competed in the NCAA Northeast Regional in 2019.
- Freshmen Hamilton and Frost will also make their debuts on Friday. Both enter with strong distance pedigrees in their respective high school careers in New Jersey and Virginia.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."
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#GoDuke
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