04/13/2008 - Duke Sports Information

TEMPE, Ariz., and CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Duke Outdoor Track and Field team had an outstanding overall performance at the Sun Angel Classic in Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday, with nine athletes qualifying for the postseason and three earning marks in the top-five of the Duke records. Closer to home, a slew of Blue Devils competed in a rain-soaked Tony Waldrop UNC Invitational in Chapel Hill.

Women’s: Freshmen Anne Marie Gordon (10th place) and Amy Fryt (13th place) each hit personal bests of 12’-1.5” in the pole vault on Saturday in Tempe. That tied them for the fourth-best vault in Duke history. Fryt qualified for the ECAC Championships for the second time this season, while Gordon earned her first bid.

Freshman Amy Matulewicz threw a distance of 133’-5” and placed 10th in the javelin on Saturday night at the Sun Angel Classic. That qualified her for the ECAC’s for the second time this year.

Men’s: Redshirt freshman John Austin once again improved upon his personal best and Duke record in the javelin, this time throwing the spear 221’-4” in Tempe. He finished second at the meet and earned his third bid of the season to the NCAA East Regional. Senior Mark DellaVolpe was right behind Austin in fourth place with a 209’-6” heave that gave him his second NCAA Regional qualification of 2008. Junior Robert Weinstein was a little off of his personal best but still placed eighth with a 199’-5” toss that was good for an IC4A qualifier for the third time this year.

Coming out of nowhere in the pole vault on Saturday night at the Sun Angel was sophomores Sid Palas and Patrick Tenbrink. Each vaulted to a personal best 15’-9,” and earned 15th and 18th place, respectively. The duo’s previous best vault each was 15’-1.” Their new marks qualified them for the IC4A Championships for the first time in their careers.

The 1,500m run had senior Chris Spooner not only hitting the IC4A qualifying time, but also eclipsing the NCAA regional standard by running the event in 3:46.78. That time placed him ninth and was just .45 seconds off of his personal best from 2006. 

A Look Ahead: The Duke Track & Field team will compete in the 2008 ACC Championships at the George C. Griffin Track and Field Facility in Atlanta, Ga., on April 17-19.

 

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