Looking to build momentum as it moves closer to competing against nationally ranked competition, Duke turned in an impressive performance on Friday at the James Madison Invitational in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Blue Devils swept the seven-team meet, scoring the minimum 15 points as they placed seven runners in the top-10, including the first six runners overall.
“This was a really good early season test,” said Duke head coach Norm Ogilvie. “Our top six guys ran really under control and we feel like we could have run a lot harder if we needed to, but its still an early season meet. To be able to run as good as they did as a group, it was tremendously good to see.”
Freshman Morgan Pearson, who won last week’s duel meet at North Carolina Central University, once again took first place with a time of 25:01.50. Pearson’s early season performance is a big reason the team is confident it can overcome the loss of several important members of last season’s squad. Pierson appears to be developing into one of the best freshman runners the program has seen in decades.
“We were thrilled for [Pearson],” Ogilvie said. “He’s probably going to be one of the better distance runners Duke has ever had. The way he handled himself, he looked like a fourth-year senior out there. He started to attack with about a mile and a half to go and looked really good.”
Although Pearson’s impressive race highlighted the potential of the Blue Devils’ younger athletes, the team’s veterans also turned in noteworthy performances. Senior Stephen Clark, who missed all of last season due to injuries, returned in his first cross-country race since the NCAA championships in Nov. of 2009. Showing no rust from the layoff, Clark placed second overall with a time of 25:07:30.
“Having him back at full strength is going to be huge for us,” said Ogilvie, who added that Pearson’s performance, among other things, “gives us reason to hope we can be as good as last year’s team that went to the NCAA Championship.”
As Duke prepares for its first national level test, the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minnesota, they look forward to the return of perhaps its best runner, senior Andrew Brodeur. Brodeur missed the Invitational after accidentally stepping on a glass bottle in practice over a week ago but felt good after working out this weekend and should be ready to go in Minnesota.
His return will only further strengthen the Blue Devils, especially considering Coach Ogilvie’s belief that the only clear early season negative thus far is his team’s potential lack of depth.
“We’re probably not as deep as we were a year ago,” said Ogilvie, “but that said, our front seven is really strong. Getting him back for Minnesota will make us even stronger and deeper.”
From Pearson’s early season successes to Stephen Clark’s triumphant return, Duke has plenty to be excited about as it looks forward not only to Minnesota but also its ultimate goal of competing in the NCAA Championships in November.
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