Duke track and field 2024 season review

Overview

Duke track and field’s 2024 outdoor season was a relatively successful one. For the third time in the last four seasons, the women’s team notched a first-place finish at the ACC Championships in Raleigh. Meanwhile, the men’s squad earned a seventh-place conference finish, two spots higher than in the 2023 season. In total, the Blue Devils fielded eight runners at the NCAA championships in Eugene, Ore., earning several All-America honors in the process.

The Blue Devils’ outdoor season began in earnest at the Hurricane Collegiate Classic March 23. Despite a storm-riddled meet, Duke notched nine top-five finishes. In particular, graduate student Aimar Palma Simo broke the Blue Devils’ record in the hammer event, setting the tone for an incredible individual season.

Perhaps the best showing of the regular season came at home in the Duke Invitational. On a weekend where it felt as though Duke was winning every event, the women’s team’s 4x100 and 4x400 relays stole the spotlight with first-place finishes. In the men’s hammer, the Blue Devils swept the top-three spots for an added bonus.

Despite missing superstar distance runner Amina Maatoug for the entire season, the Blue Devils delivered several impressive performances and broke numerous school records throughout the year. This included junior Beck Wittstadt breaking a 42-year-old record in the 800-meter race at the Wake Forest Invitational Apr. 20, as well as Simo breaking his own record in the hammer event at the Duke Invitational. -Tyler Walley

Results relative to expectations

Within the ACC, the women’s team didn’t have much room for growth. They plateaued, happily, at first place in the conference with their second-consecutive solo conference title. It was arguably expected, but nonetheless impressive, especially given Maatoug’s absence at the meet due to injury.

For the most part, however, the women’s team’s steady ascent in the collegiate track and field world stopped there. At NCAA regionals, the Blue Devils’ medal-magnet relay teams faltered, failing to qualify for nationals; in fact, sophomore Lauren Tolbert was the only women’s sprinter who made the cut. She wasn’t alone in representing the Duke women — heptathlon athlete Brianna Smith made it, as did hurdler Skyla Wilson — but Tolbert might have expected more of a turnout from her other teammates.

Though multiple men’s field athletes had outstanding seasons, the postseason proved one candidate the clear choice for MVP: Guttormsen. After transferring in from Princeton last year, the Norwegian pole vaulter had a somewhat slow start to the season. However, the ACC Championships were a different story. With a vault of 5.65m, Guttormsen not only captured the ACC individual title, but also broke the school record en-route to matching his personal best and earning First-team All-ACC honors. From there, the newly-crowned ACC champion kept the fire lit, tying the highest clearance at the East Regional to place third and qualify for the national championship.

While he fell short of the national title, he did bring home the bronze thanks to a clearance of 5.52m. With the highest finish of any Blue Devil on the biggest stage this year and the highest-ever placement of any Blue Devil in the men’s pole vault at the NCAA Championships, Guttormsen is the undisputed MVP of the men’s side.  

Among the star-studded women’s team, Tolbert shined the brightest. When she was needed the most, Tolbert was there — always. After securing ten points toward the team title at the ACC Championships with a win in the 400m, the sophomore phenom was back on the track an hour later to anchor the women’s 4x400m relay to a win with a heroic last lap.

After qualifying for the National Championship in her signature event, the 800m, Tolbert had a historic go in Eugene. Already having broken the school record in the event at the East Regional, Tolbert shattered it again with a time of 2:01.79 in the prelims. In the final, Tolbert ran her heart out, finishing eighth in the country to earn First-team All-American honors, the highest-placing Blue Devil of the women. Next, Tolbert is set to make her Olympic Trials debut and see just how far her skill can take her. -Prithvi Kotapati

Accolades

Even with the numerous school records broken almost every week, Duke track and field earned a number of other accolades throughout the season. For the women, the ACC team title was hard to top, a result of many high finishes across the board. After the 4x100m relay squad brought home gold at the conference meet, freshman Gemma Tutton and graduate student Skyla Wilson followed it up with individual titles in the pole vault and 400m hurdles, respectively. 

Then, Tolbert won the ACC women’s 400m before joining her teammates to anchor the 4x400m relay to victory. A slew of silver medals came from Bieber in the 200m, freshman Julia Magliaro in the javelin and Smith in the heptathlon. In the 100m hurdles, it was Wilson again with the bronze. 

The men weren’t without their own hardware at the ACC Championships, thanks to gold medals from Guttormsen in the pole vault and Simo in the hammer throw. It was no surprise for Simo after he was tabbed ACC Men's Field Performer of the Week in April. Graduates Marten Gasparini and Johnson added on with silver medals in the javelin and hammer throw.

Among the eight Blue Devils who competed at the NCAA Championships, seven earned All-American honors. Guttormsen and Tolbert were the undisputed stars, named to the First Team thanks to their top-8 finishes in the entire country. -Kotapati

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