Duke enters the 2007 season looking to build off of an IC4A championship in 2005 and fourth-place finish at the IC4As last year.
Senior Chris Spooner and junior Kevin McDermott will accompany a talented class of incoming freshmen that includes McDermott's younger brother, Ryan. Ryan comes to Duke as the reigning national high school champion in the 2,000-meter steeplechase and USATF Junior Champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. He and six other freshmen make up what head coach Norm Ogilvie said was "probably the best recruiting class we've ever brought in here."
The freshmen will try to fill the gap left by the departure of ten graduating seniors.
"I feel really good about this team, despite its youth," Ogilvie said. "It's really exciting because we don't know how good this team can be."
The composition of the seven-member team that will score points for Duke will likely change as the season progresses and the freshmen adjust to collegiate running.
"It would probably be accurate projecting four of those seven freshmen to be in our top seven come November," Ogilvie said.
One big question for the team will be the status of junior Geary Gubbins, who is recovering from a stress fracture and may not be ready in time to compete this season.
The men hope to compete with the best teams in the ACC, which include N.C. State, Florida State, and Virginia. Duke finished fourth behind these teams in last year's ACC championship.
The team begins its season at the Wake Forest Cross Country Relay next Friday in Winston-Salem, N.C. After that they will compete at the Lou Onesty Invitational September 8 in Charlottesville, Va. and the Bill Dellinger Invitational September 29 in Eugene, Ore.
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