Forte Garners Silver, Bennett Earns Bronze on Day Two of ACCs

Max Forte, Philip Kastner and Michael Bennett after completing men's decathlon at ACCs

Photo by: Sommer Thomas/Duke Athletics

Forte Garners Silver, Bennett Earns Bronze on Day Two of ACCs

5/15/2026 10:38:00 PM | Track & Field

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Silver and bronze medals in the men's decathlon by veterans Max Forte and Michael Bennett, respectively, highlighted another solid effort by Duke track and field on day two of the ACC Outdoor Championships.

Along with the pair of medals, Duke saw four student-athletes register spots on the All-ACC Second Team, and seven more Blue Devils advanced to the finals in their respective events.

With two days of competition now in the books, the men currently sit in second with 45 points, while the women are fourth with 30 points.

TOP PERFORMANCES:

Graduate students Michael Bennett, Max Forte and Philip Kastner closed strong in the men's decathlon, with the trio finishing among the top five of the standings. Forte spearheaded the charge and reeled in the silver medal with 7,686 points, headlined by top-three placements in seven of the 10 events.
Bennett totaled 7,528 points to earn bronze, with his decathlon performance highlighted by a pair of wins in the 400 meters and 1500 meters and two second-place outings in the 110-meter hurdles and discus. Kaster rounded out the group with a fifth-place effort of 7,361 points that featured a runner-up finish in the shot put and a third-place showing in the discus.
The sophomore duo of Olivia Hughes and Valerie Jirak collected All-ACC Second Team accolades after earning top-six placements in the women's heptathlon. Jirak totaled 5,460 points en route to taking fourth overall, with her best performances coming in the 200 meters (first) and javelin (second). Hughes took sixth with a personal best of 5,294 points, headlined by a pair of third-place showings in the high jump and shot put.
Gianna Locci earned a spot on the all-conference second team behind a monster personal best in the women's long jump. Locci turned in her furthest leap on the fifth attempt and flew out to 6.38m (20-11.25 feet). The senior's mark was good for fourth overall and moved her into a tie for third all-time on the Duke charts.
Junior Michael Scherk punched his ticket to the 110 hurdle finals with a season-best of 13.86.
Over in the women's 400-meter hurdle prelims, sophomore Braelyn Baker secured her spot in the next round via automatic qualifier after hitting the tape in 52.03 – the top time in her heat and the second-fastest overall.
Sophomore Maya Collins and junior Mia Edim sprinted their way to a spot in Saturday's 100-meter final. Edim clocked 11.11 – the top time in her heat and the second-fastest of the prelims – to notch the automatic bid, while Collins advanced on time via an 11.16 finish.
Three Blue Devils in sophomore Aden Bandukwala, graduate student Bailey Goggans and senior Lauren Tolbert punched their respective tickets to the finals of the men's and women's 800 meters. Bandukwala (1:47.87) and Tolbert (2:03.19) earned automatic qualifiers as each posted the fastest mark in their heats and the third-fastest overall time in their preliminary races. Goggans qualified on time after running 2:03.65.
Quinton Godfrey etched his name on the Duke charts as the graduate student moved into fifth all-time in program lore with a personal-best dash of 46.69 in the 400 meters.
Results through day two are available HERE.

ACC MEDALISTS:

Matthew Prebola – Gold (Javelin)
Gemma Tutton – Gold (Pole Vault)
Max Forte – Silver (Decathlon)
Christian Toro – Silver (Hammer Throw)
Michael Bennett – Bronze (Decathlon)

ALL-ACC HONORS:

Michael Bennett – All-ACC First Team (Decathlon)
Max Forte – All-ACC First Team (Decathlon)
Matthew Prebola – All-ACC First Team (Javelin)
Christian Toro – All-ACC First Team (Hammer Throw)
Gemma Tutton – All-ACC First Team (Pole Vault)
Olivia Hughes – All-ACC Second Team (Heptathlon)
Valerie Jirak – All-ACC Second Team (Heptathlon)
Philip Kastner – All-ACC Second Team (Decathlon)
Gianna Locci – All-ACC Second Team (Long Jump)
Karl Pohlak – All-ACC Second Team (Pole Vault)
Drew Smith – All-ACC Second Team (Javelin)

UP NEXT:
Championship Saturday commences with the men's discus (2 p.m.), while the men's 4x100-meter relay gets an exciting and jam-packed track slate going at 4 p.m..

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