Duke Posts Solid Showing at Virginia Tech Challenge

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Duke track and field capped the indoor regular season with a solid showing at the Virginia Tech Challenge on Friday, posting one top-five program mark, one event win and three personal bests.
 
TOP PERFORMANCES

• The Blue Devils notched a top-five program mark and a pair of top-five placements in the men’s and women’s seeded pole vault via personal-best performances from graduate student Tyler Hrbek and sophomore Paige Sommers.
• Hrbek recorded the fourth-highest clearance in program lore, clearing the first bar on the second vault and the subsequent two heights on his first attempt. He finished with a final clearance of 5.25m (17-2.75 feet), good for fourth among the field.
• Sommers also posted a fourth-place finish on the women’s side with the best vault of her career. After clearing the first three heights on her initial try, Sommers surpassed the fourth bar on the second attempt, concluding competition with a final vault of 4.22m (13-10 feet).  
• Graduate student Emily Sloan tallied a win for the Blue Devils in the women’s 60m hurdles. After qualifying for the final with a time of 8.77 seconds – the fastest of the prelims, Sloan backed her performance up by posting the top time in the finals as she clocked a personal best of 8.56 seconds to finish atop the field.
• Freshman Falon Spearman also competed in the final of the 60m hurdles, running in 9.08 seconds to finish just outside the top five in sixth place.
• The complete results are available here.

 
 
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils turn their attention to the postseason, beginning with the ACC Indoor Championships, hosted by Louisville, set for Feb. 23-25 at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Center in Louisville, Ky.
 

To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching “DukeTFXC.”
 
#GoDuke