Five Blue Devils traveled across the country to compete in the national championships, but only one returned home with hardware.
Duke wrapped up its season at the NCAA outdoor national championships Saturday after four days at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. Redshirt junior Thomas Lang kicked off the championships for Duke Wednesday in the javelin in what would prove to be the team’s top overall performance. Lang set a school record with a 72.5 meter throw that immediately gave him a spot in the finals, where he was unable to surpass the distance from his original throw.
The Royersford, Pa., native ended up with a sixth-place finish, earning first team All-America honors in the process—the second straight year Lang was named an All-American after he garnered second-team accolades in 2014.
Teddi Maslowski also competed Wednesday, partaking in the first four events of the women’s heptathlon. The redshirt junior finished the day in 11th place, but was unable to climb higher than that as she failed to complete the heptathlon in the ensuing days.
In the women’s pole vault, the promising duo of Megan Clark and Madison Heath fell short, as neither one was able to clear the opening height. Clark—who had already collected a silver medal at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March and a 14 foot, 9 inch jump at the Duke Invitational April 10—was considered one of the top vaulters in the event and a contender to take home medal honors.
On the final day of the championships, graduate student Erica Brand finished 21st in the women’s discuss. Brand had qualified for the NCAA outdoors as a sophomore in 2012, and earned a spot in her final season with a school record throw in the NCAA East Regional meet.
The Shawnee, Kan., native fouled on her first attempt before rebounding with a 165 foot, 11 inch throw on her second try. Brand failed to eclipse that mark on her third heave, which left her sitting on the outside looking in as the top 10 individuals moved on to the finals.
Oregon—the host school—captured both the men's and women's team titles. Saturday marked the official end of the collegiate season, but qualified athletes will return to Hayward Field in a few weeks for the USA Track and Field Championships June 25-28.
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