Prebola, Tutton Win Gold; Toro Earns Silver on First Day of ACC Outdoor Championships

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Individual ACC titles from Matthew Prebola and Gemma Tutton and a silver-medal performance by Christian Toro headlined a fast start and strong day of competition for Duke track and field Thursday on the opening day of the ACC Outdoor Championships.

In addition to the three medalists, the Blue Devils totaled five All-ACC honors and had seven student-athletes qualify for the Saturday finals in their respective events.

At the conclusion of day one with four events scored, the Duke men sit in second with 27 points, while the women are tied for fourth with 15 points.

TOP PERFORMANCES:

Senior Matthew Prebola opened the conference meet with a bang, parlaying a personal best into an ACC individual title in the men's javelin – the first of his career. Prebola delivered in the clutch and produced his best mark on his final attempt of the competition – 71.01m (232-11 feet) – to secure the first-place finish. Prebola is the sixth Duke male all-time, and the first since 2018, to earn gold in the event.
Gemma Tutton notched the second individual title for the Blue Devils Thursday afternoon, with the junior winning the women's pole vault for the second time in three seasons. Tutton passed on the first three heights before clearing the next two – 4.23 meters and 4.33 meters – on her second attempt. She claimed the victory with a winning height of 4.43m (14-6.25 feet), clearing the bar on her first try. Tutton joins Amy Fryt (2009, 2010) and Jillian Schwartz (2000, 2001) as the only women in program lore to win the outdoor pole vault twice.
Junior Christian Toro was the third Blue Devil to make the podium behind a season-best performance in the men's hammer throw. Toro produced his furthest throw of the competition on his fifth attempt, launching the hammer 68.69m (225-4 feet) to secure the silver medal.
Drew Smith also had a solid showing in the men's javelin and placed fourth overall to pick up all-conference second team honors. Smith's best mark came on his first throw, with the sophomore launching the javelin a career best of 62.94m (206-6 feet).
Freshman Karl Pohlak rewrote the program record books en route to earning All-ACC Second Team accolades in the men's pole vault. Pohlak cleared all four bars he faced on the second attempt, bowing out with a personal-best mark of 5.33m (17-5.75 feet) to place fifth overall and move into a tie for fifth all-time on the Duke charts.
Seven Blue Devils also punched their tickets the Saturday finals in their respective events.
Sophomore Andres Langston, graduate student Liam O'Hara and freshman Arabella Wilson earned automatic qualifiers to the men's and women's 400-meter hurdle finals following solid performances in the prelims. Langston posted the top mark in the men's field at 50.08, while O'Hara and Wilson finished fourth on the opening round leaderboard with times of 51.42 and 57.93, respectively.
The women's 200 meters saw the trio of sophomores Braelyn Baker and Maya Collins and junior Mia Edim receive automatic bids to the next round after claiming three of the top-four finishes in the first-round race. Baker led the pack with a finish of 22.68, while Edim clocked a personal-best of 22.96 to check in at No. 3 in the standings and move into a tie for second all-time at Duke. Collins' dash of 22.99 was good for fourth in the prelims.
Graduate student Stephanie Moss turned in a solid effort in the women's 1500 meters to move on to the next round, crossing the line in 4:17.52.
Complete day one results are available HERE.

ACC MEDALISTS:

Matthew Prebola – Gold (Javelin)
Gemma Tutton – Gold (Pole Vault)
Christian Toro – Silver (Hammer Throw)

ALL-ACC HONORS:

Matthew Prebola – All-ACC First Team (Javelin)
Christian Toro – All-ACC First Team (Hammer Throw)
Gemma Tutton – All-ACC First Team (Pole Vault)
Karl Pohlak – All-ACC Second Team (Pole Vault)
Drew Smith – All-ACC Second Team (Javelin)

UP NEXT:
Decathlon and heptathlon action resumes Friday morning at 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively. Field events begin at 3:30 p.m. with the men's shot put, while the men's 110-meter hurdle prelims (5 p.m.) jumpstart the track events.

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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Prebola, Tutton Win Gold; Toro Earns Silver on First Day of ACC Outdoor Championships

Players Mentioned

Braelyn Baker

Maya Collins

Mia Edim

Andres Langston

Stephanie Moss

Liam O'Hara

Karl Pohlak

Matthew Prebola

Drew Smith

Christian Toro

Gemma Tutton

Arabella Wilson

Duke information

Prebola, Tutton Win Gold; Toro Earns Silver on First Day of ACC Outdoor Championships

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Players Mentioned

Braelyn Baker

Maya Collins

Mia Edim

Andres Langston

Stephanie Moss

Liam O'Hara

Karl Pohlak

Matthew Prebola

Drew Smith

Christian Toro

Gemma Tutton

Arabella Wilson

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Duke information