Blue Devils Return to Charlottesville for Virginia Challenge

Friday, April 16

Charlottesville, Va.

Duke University

Day One at Virginia Challenge

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Blue Devils Return to Charlottesville for Virginia Challenge

4/15/2021 4:22:00 PM | Track & Field

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DURHAM, N.C. – Following several program records at the first home meet in over two years, Duke track & field is back on the road, returning to Charlottesville, Va., for the Virginia Challenge. The Blue Devils return after competing in the Virginia Invitational from April 2-3.

Women's track & field is set to compete in its first meet since setting a program-best by being named the No. 17 team in the country by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Both teams will compete in a deep field made up of representatives from 47 different programs across the nation.

FIELD EVENTS
Friday:

A busy day of action starts at 11 a.m. with the women's hammer and will also feature the men's and women's javelin, men's and women's long jump and women's pole vault.
Freshman Moorea Mitchell looks to continue her rapid ascent up the Duke record books, following a throw of 52.09 meters (170-11 feet) to rank fourth in program history in the hammer.
Senior Ashleigh Rodriguez and freshman Scott Campbell are set to compete in the javelin. Rodriguez set a personal best and the fifth best throw in program history at the Tobacco Road Challenge, while Campbell is looking to build on last weekend's second place finish.
Sophomore Brynn King headlines the women's pole vault field. The Tomball, Texas native took second with an outdoor personal best of 3.95m (12-11.5 feet) at the Tobacco Road Challenge.
The deepest field event of the day is the long jump, which features several of the Blue Devils' most decorated athletes.
On the men's side, graduate students Evan Lee and Harry Lord and sophomore Ezra Mellinger will represent the Blue Devils. Lee and Lord are back in action after having their decathlon runs cut short due to weather at the Tobacco Road Challenge.
Mellinger added his name to the record books with a mark of 7.42m, ranking ninth in the ACC. The Ronks, Pa., native now holds top-five program marks in all seven individual events he's competed in during his Duke tenure.
On the women's side, graduate student Cha'Mia Rothwell (second in program history), graduate student Elena Brown-Soler (fourth in program history) and junior Nikki Merritt – who set a personal best at 5.99m last weekend, which finished just 0.01m away from fifth in program history – will all compete this weekend.
Rothwell's mark of 6.38m (20-11.25 feet), set two weeks ago at the Virginia Invitational, ranks 10th in current NCAA East Regional qualifying marks and third in the ACC.

Saturday:

Field events will conclude with the men's and women's high jump and men's and women's shot put, starting at 1:15 p.m. in the women's high jump.
Senior Rivka Arbiv and sophomore Elasia Campbell will compete in the high jump. Arbiv and Campbell both set season highs in the event in their last appearance in Charlottesville, Va., at the Virginia Invitational.
Sophomore Kinsie Huggins enters the shot put coming off her personal best of 14.03m at the Tobacco Road Challenge. That mark landed Huggins in the top-five in program history and the Cypress, Texas native now owns top-five marks in the indoor and outdoor record books.
After setting the fourth best clearance in program history two weeks ago at the Virginia Invitational, sophomore Beau Allen is looking to improve on that mark at 3:15 p.m. in the men's high jump.
Redshirt senior Ben Beatty will wrap up the field events for the day in the shot put. Beatty has earned a top-three finish in his last four shot put events.

TRACK EVENTS
Friday:

Competition begins at 3 p.m. with the women's 100m and continues throughout the evening, with the men's 10k wrapping up the day at 9:30 p.m.
Sophomore Halle Bieber and junior Kelcie Simmons are set to compete in the 100m after a strong second and third place finish in the event at the Tobacco Road Challenge, with Bieber recording a personal best time of 11.76 seconds.
Among Duke's most successful events at the Tobacco Road Challenge was the women's 400m, with graduate student Brittany Aveni, graduate student Iman Sule, sophomore Carly King and sophomore Jenna Crean finishing first, second, third and fifth respectively. All four are set to compete in the event again.
Aveni set a school record in the event at the Tobacco Road Challenge, for the best time in the ACC this season and fifth best time in NCAA East Regional qualifying, while Sule recorded the second-best time in the ACC and fourth-best in program history.
The men's 400m is full of stiff competition once again, led by senior Miles Mingo. Mingo set the fourth fastest 400m time in program history at the Tobacco Road Challenge and now sits 13th in the ACC.
In the men's and women's 1500m, the Blue Devils feature two athletes making dramatic strides. Senior Leigha Torino will be back in action for the women after a personal best in the event in the Tobacco Road Challenge. Sophomore Rory Cavan turned in a sensational personal best of his own, shaving nearly five seconds off his previous best to finish fourth with a time of 3:43.21.
For the first time this outdoor season, Duke will be competing in the men's and women's 10K.
All-ACC Cross Country senior Michaela Reinhart will headline a women's field that includes 2021 ACC Silver Medalist (5000m) Sara Platek and senior Amanda Beach, who earned All-ACC Second Team in the 10K in 2018.
On the men's side, All-ACC Cross Country senior CJ Ambrosio will compete alongside sophomore Zach Kinne in their first 10K run of the outdoor season.

Saturday:

A busy day of action starts with the women's 100m hurdles at 12 p.m. and will conclude with the men's and women's 4x400m relay at 4:40 p.m.
Rothwell is back in action in the 100m hurdles, aiming to improve on her school record and eighth best time in NCAA East Regional qualifying of 13.09 seconds.
The 400m hurdles will be chalk full of talent, as graduate student Connor Atkinson, senior Lauren Hoffman and Merritt are set to compete. Hoffman's run of 58.17 seconds ranks third in the ACC this season and 11th in NCAA East Regional Qualifying.
Torino is set to compete in the 800m for the first time since earning All-America Second Team honors in that event at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Torino got off to a strong start at the Tobacco Road Challenge, with a third-place finish and personal best in the 1500m.
The men's 800m field is set to feature several Blue Devils, including freshman Will Atkins, who impressed with a run of 1:52.09 to finish fourth at the Tobacco Road Challenge.
Rothwell will conclude her weekend in the 200m, alongside teammate and fellow 4x100m relay runner Bieber and Simmons, while sophomore Joseph Laster will represent the men in the 200m.
The final events of the day feature three 4x400m relay teams. The quartet of Sule, Brown-Soler, King and Aveni are back in action for the first time since taking first at the Virginia Invitational with a run of 3:34.81.
On the men's side, graduate student Alex Schwedt, Mellinger, freshman Alejandro Rodriguez and Mingo will make up one team, while Atkinson, freshman Job Trahan, Lee and Lord will make up the other squad.