Seven members of the indoor track teams competed in Blacksburg, Va., this weekend at the Virginia Tech Last Chance Meet. One competitor, sophomore pole vaulter Jeff Buttaccio, earned himself another chance. Buttaccio will compete at IC4A Championships in Boston in March, along with 12 other members of the men's indoor track team.
"[The meet] is just what it says," men's head coach Norm Ogilvie said. "It's one last opportunity to qualify runners to run in Boston who hadn't done it yet this season."
Buttaccio's ECAC qualifying mark came on the strength of a 15'11" vault. The tally was the best of Buttaccio's career, and the fourth-best mark of any Blue Devil.
"Jeff nearly cleared 16'5", too," Ogilvie said. "On his third try, he cleared the bar, but it fell anyway. It was tantalizing, but I know he can do it again."
The other four members of the men's team who ventured to Blacksburg did not qualify for IC4As, but senior Marc Winniford narrowly earned a personal best by four tenths of a second, clocking in at 22.69 in the 200 meter dash.
Two members of the women's team made the trip to Virginia Tech, but only one was trying to qualify. Junior pole vaulter Kristie Howard was simply trying to get in some more practice on a new pole before ECAC Championships. Howard had already qualified, but her 11'5.75" vault in Blacksburg also eclipsed the qualifying threshold.
The postseason meets begin for Duke over spring break at the ECAC and IC4A Championships, where the men's team will field 13 qualifiers and the women's team will send 14 competitors.
"This is the biggest group the women have ever had," women's head coach Jan Ogilvie said of her qualifying squad.
The Blue Devils hope to become a factor in the indoor track postseason, as their recent teams have been perennially unsuccessful.
"This is the best team we've ever taken up there," Norm Ogilvie said.
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