The Olympics are coming to Duke this weekend. Well, not exactly.
There will be plenty of Olympic hopefuls competing on the track of Wallace Wade Stadium today and Saturday, though, as the men's and women's track teams host the Duke Invitational. More than 1,600 athletes from 75 teams will participate in Duke's annual track meet, which is sponsored by Delco Electronics and Saturn.
The Duke Invitational is also the only chance for the Blue Devils' men's and women's track teams to compete at home during the season. Consequently, the Duke teams are anxious to perform well in front of their family and friends.
"We've been looking toward this meet since the beginning of the season," women's assistant coach Scott Yakola said. "We know it's our place and our track. In a way, it's become sort of a parents' weekend in the spring. Thats definitely heightened the excitement for our team."
Antonio Pettigrew, the 1991 world champion in the 400 meters who now competes with Reebok Enclave, will be one of the biggest stars at this weekend's meet. Pettigrew, who is one of the world's best sprinters, will compete in the 200 meters at the Duke Invitational. The preliminary heats for that event begin at 11:45 on Saturday morning, and the finals are at 3:25 p.m.
Immediately before the 200 meter finals, Steve Holman, Rich Kennah and Terrance Herrington will lead a strong field in the 800 meters. Kennah and Holman, both of whom compete for Reebok Enclave, were the top two finishers in the event last year. Herrington, a former Clemson All-American, who is now a member of Team New Balance, was the U.S. champion in the 1,500 meters in 1993. All three are hoping to earn spots on the Olympic team, and Holman is America's best miler.
Duke senior Doug Kling will join these top runners in the fast heat of the 800 meters at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Kling, who has been one of the Blue Devils' best and most consistent runners for the past few seasons, should benefit from the fast field. While his main goal in the meet is to run 1:51.90 in order to qualify for the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) meet, Kling would also like to use the fast pace to run a personal-best time.
"This is Doug's best chance to run in a fast 800," men's assistant coach Norm Ogilvie said. "Doug had a super practice after breaking two meet records at the Lynchburg Invitational [last weekend]. We really feel he's ready to go under 1:50."
Another Blue Devil star, senior Miles Hall, will compete in the 1,500 meters at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday. Four Georgetown runners and Bill Burke from the Reebok Enclave will be among Hall's competitors in the race.
"The whole 1,500 meter field is capable of running around four minutes [in the mile]," Ogilvie said.
Duke freshman Jesse Allen will battle a pair of Olympic hopefuls in the 400-meter hurdles at 3:35 on Saturday afternoon. Ryan Hayden and Torrance Zellner, both of whom train locally with Comptrack International, highlight the men's field in that event.
The women's 800 meters, which begins at 2:35 p.m. on Saturday, will feature a pair of Olympic hopefuls in Debbie Marshall and Julie Henner. Duke seniors Betsy Keever and Liz Hanly will also compete in the event.
Another potential Olympian, Fran Ten-Bensel of Team New Balance, will race in the 3,000 meters at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday. Team New Balance's Kristine Seabury is the top competitor in the women's 1,500 meters. Duke senior Jenny Bischoff will also participate in the 12:55 p.m. event on Saturday.
"The fields in the 1,500 and 800 look really strong, and the sprints are usually strong," Yakola said. "It looks good overall. It should be a very exciting weekend at Wallace Wade."
Several other Duke athletes will be competing in the meet. Both the men's and women's teams are entering squads in the distance medley relay, which begins at 6:30 on Friday night, and the 4x400-meter relay, which is the meet's final event, starting at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday.
Three of the Duke men's top distance runners will also have a chance to show off their talents before the home crowd. On Friday night, juniors Darin Mellinger and Brett Marcus will compete in the 5,000 meters. Then, on Saturday at 4:45 p.m., junior Matt Haywood will contend with barriers, water and fast competition while running in his second-ever steeplechase. Haywood qualified for the IC4A meet the first time he ran the 3,000 meter event.
Senior Megan Mitchell will compete in the discus throw beginning at 9:45 on Saturday morning and the shot put, starting at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Admission to the Duke Invitational, which begins at 4 p.m. on Friday and 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, is free.
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