Maatoug Places Fourth, Frias Tapped ACC Freshman of the Year

EARLYSVILLE, Va. – Sophomore Amina Maatoug turned in a fourth-place finish and freshman Dalia Frias garnered ACC Freshman of the Year honors to headline a solid morning of racing for Duke cross country at the 2022 ACC Cross Country Championships Friday at the Panorama Farms course.
 
Maatoug positioned herself among the front of the women’s field from the jump and never looked back as she raced to a fourth-place finish via a blistering 6K time of 19:41.8, earning All-ACC honors in the process. Frias kept her stellar freshman season going as she claimed the league’s top-freshman honor, after posting the fastest time of all true women’s freshmen for the fourth time in as many meets. The Hermosa Beach, Calif., product clocked 20:28.4 to place 31st overall.
 
The fourth-place finish by Maatoug was the highest by a Blue Devil runner since 2020, while Frias was the first Duke woman to take home Freshman of the Year honors since 2017. Both feats were achieved by former Duke distance standout and current volunteer assistant coach Michaela Reinhart.
 
Overall, the Blue Devils competed well among a men’s and women’s field that featured a combined 12 teams ranked in the USTFCCCA Coaches Poll. Both squads finished seventh in the team standings, with the 29th-ranked Duke men totaling 181 points in the 8K race while the women’s squad finished the 6K with 195 points.
 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Duke’s formidable 1-2 punch of Maatoug and Frias once again led the charge for the Blue Devil women, as the pair posted the top-two finishes for Duke for the fourth time in as many meets.
• Maatoug collected All-ACC honors and picked up her third top-five finish of the season, notching a sub-20 minute 6K time of 19:41.8 to finish fourth among the field.
• Frias was the next to cross the finish line, checking in in 31st place via a time of 20:28.4. Her time was the fastest of all true freshmen on the women’s side, crowning her the ACC Freshman of the Year.  
• Ashlyn Ramos (20:40.3), Katie Hamilton (21:07.6) and Karly Forker (21:09.1) rounded out the top-five finishers for the Blue Devils women, as the trio placed 44th, 60th and 61st, respectively.
• The Duke…