ELON, N.C. – Duke cross country opened its 2022 campaign with strong racing as the men's squad took first and the women finished runner-up at the Elon Opener Friday night at the Elon Cross Country Course.
The Blue Devil men finished with 17 points on the 6K course, 37 more than the next-closest finisher Elon, while the women totaled 43 points on the 4K course.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Duke women had three runners finish in the top-10 of the 4K race – graduate student Karly Forker (fourth), freshman Anna Corcoran (fifth) and senior Caroline Howley (sixth), while junior Kelli Wilson (11th) and senior Naima Turbes finished among the top-20 runners in 11th place and 20th place, respectively.
- On the men's side, the Blue Devils collected five of the top-six placements on the 6K course, including a sweep of the top-three spots.
- Senior Rory Cavan took first via a run of 18:07.3, followed by graduate student James Lee (18:11.9) in second and senior Will Dixon (18:17.5).
- Senior Connor Wells and junior Jack Kovach rounded out the quintet with runs of 18:22.4 and 18:23.6, respectively, to place fifth and sixth.
- Zach Barry also finished among the top 15 in the men's field as the junior clocked 18:58.8.
OTHER MEET NOTES
- The Duke men won the Elon Opener for the second consecutive season.
- Six Blue Devil runners set personal bests on Friday – Cavan (18:07.3), Dixon (18:17.5), Howley (14:05.7), Turbes (15:07.5), Wells (18:22.4) and Wilson (14:29.3).
QUOTE
"I thought today was a great early season test for both groups. On the women's side, our returners put in a lot of work this summer and are starting significantly stronger than we did at this meet last year. Our newcomers competed very well, and I am really pleased with where their fitness is at this point of the season.
On the men's side, I was happy with how they worked together through the first half and closed it down on the second portion of the race. It was fun to have both groups out competing again and I'm really looking forward to continuing to put in some solid work these next couple of weeks as we prepare to race the entire team at UVA." – head coach
Angela Reckart
UP NEXT
- The Blue Devils are back in action on Sept. 16 with the team split into two groups.
- Several members of the squad head to Charlottesville, Va., for the Virginia Invitational, while others travel up the road to Raleigh to compete in the Adidas XC Challenge.
To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."
#GoDuke