Duke to Take Part in VertKlasse Meeting

Friday, March 31

High Point, N.C.

All Day

Duke University

Day One at VertKlasse Meeting

Emily Sloan_Shamrock Invitational_Joel Beachum

Photo by: Joel Beachum

Duke to Take Part in VertKlasse Meeting

3/30/2023 4:12:00 PM | Track & Field

Live Results Watch (Day 1)Watch (Day 2)

DURHAM – Duke track and field keeps the outdoor season rolling as the squad heads up to High Point, N.C., this weekend to take part in the VertKlasse Meeting set for March 31-April 1 at Vert Stadium.

MEET INFO

Live Results – FlashResults
Watch (ESPN+) – Day 1 | Day 2

WHAT TO KNOW

Duke will feature 44 athletes competing across 27 track and field events.

Fresh off a pair of stellar performances during the first two meets of the outdoor campaign, the Duke track and field program earned spots in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) top-25 rankings released Monday afternoon.
The women's squad debuted at No. 4 on the charts – the highest regular-season national ranking in program lore. Duke's men checked in at No. 24 in the polls, earning its best placement in the USTFCCCA rankings since 2012. In the Southeast regional rankings, the Blue Devil women are ranked first while the men check in at fourth.
The Blue Devils are one of seven ranked teams in the top 20 from the ACC, joining No. 6 NC State, No. 7 Miami, No. 11 Florida State, No. 12 Virginia, No. 18 Notre Dame and No. 19 Clemson. Additionally, the Blue Devil women sit fourth in the southeast region. On the men's side, the Blue Devils join No. 6 Virginia, No. 14 Florida State, No. 17 Notre Dame and No. 19 Clemson in the top 25.
Duke's women's 4x400m relay squad leads the NCAA with a time of 3:31.98, which it set this past weekend at the Raleigh Relays. The Blue Devils have posted five additional top-10 national marks in the steeplechase (second), 400m (sixth), javelin (sixth), pole vault (10th) and heptathlon (10th). For the men's squad, Duke has turned in a trio of top-five national marks in the discus throw (third), high jump (fourth) and javelin (fourth).
Friday's schedule consists of field events only, beginning with the men's hammer throw and men's high jump, at 10:00 a.m.
An action-packed Saturday slate opens via the women's hammer throw at 9:00 a.m. On the track, Duke gets going at 1:10 p.m., in the 400m hurdles.

LAST TIME OUT

Duke kept the momentum going at the Raleigh Relays this past weekend as the Blue Devils tallied 14 top-five program marks.
Dana Baker turned in a personal-best performance in the women's javelin en route to a third-place finish. Baker's throw measured 53.98m (177-1 feet), improving her No. 2 all-time program mark.
In the women's shot put, Lily Lockhart improved her third-farthest throw in program lore via a seasonal-best throw of 14.73m (48-4 feet).
A week after unseating the nine-year-old program record in the discus at the Shamrock Invitational this past weekend, Robbie Otal raised the bar as he improved on his record-setting performance en route to his second straight event win.
Otal came through on his fifth attempt with a throw measuring 61.55m (201-11 feet) – currently No. 3 nationally – improving his school-record throw by nearly three feet.
Chinenye Agina picked up a win for the Blue Devils in the women's high jump, etching her name into the program records in the process behind a season-best clearance of 1.78m (5-10 feet) – tied for fourth all-time in program lore.
Abby Geiser dashed 11.50 seconds to move into third all-time at Duke in the 100m, while Lauren Tolbert slotted herself fifth in program history after clocking 52.83 seconds in the 400m.
Jide Akinjisola and Myles Schreck got the Saturday slate started with a bang with a pair of stellar performances in the men's hammer throw.
Akinjisola delivered a personal-best showing en route to inserting himself into the No. 4 spot in program lore, registering a throw of 58.58m (192-2 feet) on his third attempt.
Schreck's first throw was his farthest and also a season best, launching the hammer 57.60m (189-0 feet) to improve his fifth-farthest throw in Duke history.
On the women's side, Moorea Mitchell and Jordyn Shubrick revised the program records via strong outings of their own.
Mitchell tallied a personal best and improved her No. 3 all-time program mark behind a throw of 57.56m (188-10 feet) on her second attempt, while Shubrick carved her spot out on the program charts as she parlayed her third throw into a season-best toss of 56.99m (186-11 feet) – No. 5 in Duke lore.
Sophomore Max Forte collected a first-place finish to pick up his second event win of the outdoor season after flying out to a personal best of 7.55m (24-9.25 feet) – No. 3 all-time at Duke.
The women's long jump saw Isabel Wakefield place third via a season-best jump of 6.16m (20-2.50 feet), slotting herself fifth in program history.
Duke's women's 4x400m of Jenna Crean, Lauren Tolbert, Madison Mulder and Megan McGinnis closed out the evening with a win, clocking the fastest current time in the NCAA of 3:31.98, inserting themselves into the No. 3 position in program lore.
Full Meet Recap – Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

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