Guttormsen and Palma Simo Win Gold, Four Medal on First Day of ACC Outdoor Championships

ATLANTA, Ga.  – Headlined by ACC titles won by Simen Guttormsen in the pole vault and Almar Palma Simo in the hammer throw, Duke track and field got off to a rapid start at the ACC Outdoor Championships on Thursday. The Blue Devils finished day one with four medals and seven All-ACC honors.
 
In addition to gold medals by Guttormsen and Palma Simo, the Blue Devils also tallied silver medals in the men’s hammer throw and women’s javelin, respectively, behind the efforts of Christian Johnson and Julia Magliaro. Six more Duke athletes – Halle Bieber, Zubeir Dagane, Ezra Mellinger, Meredith Sims, Ryan Wilson and Skyla Wilson — secured their spot in the finals of their respective events following strong showings in the prelims.
 
 
TOP PERFORMANCES

• Graduate student Aimar Palma Simo made history for the Blue Devils Thursday evening as he became the first Duke athlete, man or woman, to capture the ACC Outdoor Championship in the hammer throw.
• Palma Simo parlayed his third attempt into the furthest throw of the competition, with the toss checking in at 69.78m (228-11) to lock up the gold medal and a nod to the All-ACC First Team.
• Making his ACC Outdoor Championship debut and taking part in the men’s pole vault, Simen Guttormsen made sure his presence was felt, delivering a dominant performance culminating in a program record, ACC gold and first-team all-conference honors.
• After passing on the first four heights, the graduate student cleared the bar set at 5.18m on his first attempt. Guttormsen passed on the next height, then took on the ensuing bars at 5.38m, 5.48m, 5.58m and 5.65m, respectively – the middle two heights cleared on the first attempt.
• Not only did Guttormsen’s final mark of 5.65m (18-6.50 feet), which matched his personal best, catapult him to the top spot on the Duke charts, but it also made him the second Duke man in the last three seasons and just the fourth all-time, to win the ACC title in the outdoor pole vault.
• Duke wasn’t finished yet in the men’s hammer throw though, as the Blue Devils also claimed silver via the efforts of classmate Christian Johnson, who earned the runner-up finish behind a mark of 68.50m (224-9 feet) registered on his second throw of the competition.
• Julia Magliaro made her first ACC Outdoor Championships one to remember as the freshman claimed…