Marsh Wins Heptathlon, Duffy Crowned Pole Vault Champion on Day Two

Friday, May 13

Durham, N.C.

All Day

Duke University

Day Two at ACC Outdoor Championships

Photo by: ACC Photography

Marsh Wins Heptathlon, Duffy Crowned Pole Vault Champion on Day Two

5/13/2022 11:03:00 PM | Track & Field

DAY TWO RESULTS (PDF)SATURDAY STARTLISTS (PDF)

DURHAM – Graduate students Erick Duffy and Erin Marsh headlined a strong day of competition for Duke track and field as the pair was crowned ACC Champions following wins in the men's pole vault and women's heptathlon, respectively, Friday at Morris Williams Stadium.

With nine of 21 events scored on both sides at the conclusion of day two, the Duke women sit atop the field with 49.5 points, while the men are tied for fourth with 36 points.

Marsh finished off her outstanding performance in the women's heptathlon and captured her first outdoor title in record-breaking fashion. The Buford, Ga., native raised the bar once again, totaling a personal-best 5,946 points to win the event, garner All-ACC First Team honors and become the first Duke woman in program history to win an ACC heptathlon title. Marsh's point total smashed her own Morris Williams Stadium and school record by 22 points and currently ranks second in the NCAA.

After finishing as runner-up at the ACC Indoor Championships, Duffy claimed the pole vault crown Saturday afternoon with a record-setting performance of his own. Less than a month after setting the school record in the event, the North Andover, Mass., native upended his previous-best mark by seven centimeters as he cleared a height of 5.43m (17-9.75 feet) to become the first Duke men's outdoor pole vault champion since Clint Brown in 1967.

Along with Duffy and Marsh's event titles, junior Emily Cole took silver in the women's 3,000m steeplechase and graduate student Liam Kahn collected the bronze medal in the men's javelin thanks to spectacular performances of their own.

In just her second 3,000m steeplechase of the season, Cole delivered an incredibly gutsy performance in Friday evening's race. The junior collected All-ACC First Team honors as she clocked a career-best 9:48.20 to finish as the runner-up and, shattering Liz Wort's 15-year-old school record, while shaving 27 seconds off her previous best.

The men's javelin saw the Blue Devils notch two more all-conference honors via Kahn and Chris Shanahan. Kahn took the bronze medal and earned the nod to the All-ACC First Team, after notching the farthest throw of his collegiate career – 71.33m (234 feet). His mark surpassed his previous best by a whopping 27 feet and moved him into No. 2 all-time in program lore. Shanahan earned second-team honors with a throw of 68.10m (223-5 feet), good for fifth among the field.

Zoe Hughes and Brianna Smith combined to add six more points to the Duke women's heptathlon total, giving them 16 total points in the event. Hughes earned second team honors after tallying a personal-best 5,597 points to finish fourth among the field, improving her No. 4 all-time program mark by 56 points. Smith matched her career best in the event with 5,211 points.

Continuing their steady seasons in the pole vault, Michael Fairbanks and Cole Rowan earned nods to the second team following fourth and fifth-place finishes. Fairbanks leapt 5.13m (16-10 feet), while Rowan cleared 5.03m (16-6 feet) to achieve All-ACC status and collect nine points for the Duke men.

Additionally, five more Blue Devils secured a spot in the finals of their respective events. Jenna Crean, Megan McGinnis and Miles Mingo advanced to Saturday's women's and men's 400m final after each registered personal-best runs in the preliminaries. Crean dashed 53.70 seconds and McGinnis clocked 53.83 seconds, while Mingo produced a run of 46.45 seconds to improve his No. 2 all-time Duke mark.

Marsh and freshman Chyler Turner were the final two to punch their ticket to their event finals – this one the 100m hurdles. Marsh finished in 13.55 seconds and Turner ran a personal-best 13.59 seconds, while slotting herself into the No. 5 spot in program history.

The Blue Devils also registered a pair of top-five program marks behind the efforts of junior Halle Bieber and graduate student Michael Ungvarsky. Bieber set a new PR of 11.48 seconds in the 100m dash and leapfrogged three spots into No. 2 all-time at Duke.

Ungvarsky closed out the evening adding two more points to the Duke men's total. The Cinnaminson, N.J., native sliced seven seconds off his previous best for a new PR of 8:46.14, which improves his Duke mark that ranks as the fifth-fastest time in program lore.

To see the full results from day two, click HERE.

Up Next:
Duke heads into the final day of the ACC Outdoor Championships with several points still up for grabs. The Blue Devils are slated to compete in a pair of field events, the men's (3 p.m.) and women's (6 p.m.) high jump, along with the finals of several track events beginning with the women's 4x100m relay at 5 p.m.

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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