Rowbury repeats performance as Blue Devils finish up at ACC Championships

Senior Shannon Rowbury repeated her feat from two years ago, winning the mile and 3,000-meter races at the ACC Championships Saturday at Clemson.

"Our hope was that she could do the same," head coach Norm Ogilvie said. "And she did."

Rowbury ran the mile in 5:01.92 and her record-breaking 3,000-meter race in 9:16.37. Her time broke the five-year old meet record by more than three seconds.

While Rowbury asserted her dominance in middle-distance races in the conference, Ogilvie said several men's and women's athletes "came through in the clutch." The women's team came in sixth place and the men's team finished in 11th out of 12 teams.

Freshman Michael Schallmo had the third longest shot put in Duke history with a mark of 51 feet and three and a half inches. Schallmo was down to his third and final throw and Ogilvie said he "had to hit it or his season was over." Schallmo came through and exceeded his personal best to qualify for the IC4As.

Senior Debra Vento also came through in her third and last attempt to tie her personal best and Duke record with a high jump of five feet and 11 and a half inches. The jump got her second place in the meet and will likely qualify her for the NCAA championships. So far, Vento has qualified for the NCAAs every indoor and outdoor season she has been eligible to do so.

Sophomore Maddie McKeever came in third in the 5,000-meter run and provisionally qualified for the NCAAs. Senior Liz Wort anchored the first-place distance medley relay team with a time of 11:24.72 and came in third in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:25.73.