Compared to last year, the Blue Devils recorded an improved team performance this weekend at the ACC Championships in Coral Gables, Fla.
On an individual level, Duke did even better.
Three Blue Devils became ACC champions, and a school-record eight had All-ACC performances. Sophomore Amy Fryt won the pole vault at a career-best 13 feet-3.5 inches. It was the first time Fryt had topped 13 feet, and it gave her the second-best jump in Duke history.
Senior Patricia Loughlin earned All-ACC honors as well, taking third place in the steeplechase with a time of 10:23.74. Molly Lehman and Christy Adamyk were also All-ACC with strong performances in the 1500m and 10K, respectively.
On the men's side, sophomore Ryan McDermott won the steeplechase and senior Jade Ellis won the long jump. McDermott won the 3000-meter steeple by over three seconds, clocking in at 8:56.45-good for second-best in program history. Ellis, meanwhile, jumped a personal-best and Duke-record 25-6.
In addition to his victory in the long jump, Ellis finished second in the triple jump, leaping 51-11.75 Sunday to top his previous season best by over two feet. It also broke his own school record by nine inches.
Tyler Clarke and John Austin earned All-ACC honors in the decathlon and javelin, respectively. Clarke finished third with a program-best 7,326 points, and Austin beat his previous season best by nearly 10 feet, coming in third with a toss of 219-9.
In large part thanks to those strong individual performances, Duke had a much better team showing than last season. The women finished 11th, but they tripled their point total from 11 in 2008 to 33 this year. The men notched 61 points, their most in the ACC Championships since 1963.
They finished seventh, two spots better than last season.
Florida State won the women's title, and the Seminoles and Virginia tied for the men's championship.
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