Women’s DMR Captures Gold Medal Behind ACC-Record Breaking Performance

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Duke track and field got off to a red hot start at the ACC Indoor Championships on Thursday, headlined by the Blue Devils’ women’s distance medley relay (DMR) team’s historic performance en route to capturing the gold medal in the event.
 
Overall, the Blue Devils established or improved upon five program records, tallied nine top-five program marks and collected six All-ACC accolades.
 
TOP PERFORMANCES

• Duke’s stoutest performance on the opening day of the conference meet came in the second to last event of the day in the women’s DMR.
• After setting the DMR program record at the Penn Relays less than a month ago, Duke’s foursome of Dalia Frias, Megan McGinnis, Lauren Tolbert and Amina Maatoug raised the bar once again as the quartet put on an incredible display of running en route to claiming the gold medal and All-ACC First Team honors.
• The group clocked a blistering time of 10:49.87 – currently No. 6 in the NCAA – that not only lowered their own school record by nearly seven seconds, but shattered the ACC, meet and North Healthcare Sports and Learning Center facility record as well.
• Brianna Smith had herself a career day in the women’s pentathlon earning the bronze medal and All-ACC First Team status via a personal best of 4,141 points – good for third among the field, in the top 15 nationally and fourth all-time in Duke lore.
• Smith’s best showing came in arguably her strongest event, the high jump, where she cemented herself atop the program charts by becoming the first Duke woman all-time to clear six feet indoors, finishing with a clearance of 1.83m (6-0 feet).
• Graduate student Jordyn Shubrick smashed the school record in the women’s weight throw on the way to garnering second-team All-ACC status.
• Shubrick tossed a personal best and school record of 19.57m (64-2.50 feet) on both her second and third attempts to leapfrog Stefani Vukajlovic’s four-year-old mark and slot herself atop the Duke list.
• The Blue Devils also earned All-ACC Second Team honors via Beau Allen, Brynn King and Chris Theodore.
• King earned the highest placement of the trio, clearing a height of 4.20m (13-9.25 feet) to place fourth in the women’s pole vault.
• Allen and Theodore each turned in fifth-place finishes in the men’s high jump and men’s 5,000m, respectively, as Allen tied a…