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Duke Track and Field Preparing for NCAA Outdoor Championships

By Chris Brown

Jun 12, 2015; Eugene, OR, USA; General view of the NCAA Championship team trophy at the 2015 NCAA Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 12, 2015; Eugene, OR, USA; General view of the NCAA Championship team trophy at the 2015 NCAA Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nine student-athletes from the Duke men’s and women’s track & field teams will be competing in the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships this week.

After closing out the regular season and ACC Championships, nine Blue Devils were able to advance to the national tournament and will represent Duke in the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The championships will be hosted by the University of Oregon from June 8-11.

Only one member of the men’s track and field program will compete in the national tournament, with graduate student distance runner Shaun Thompson competing in the men’s 10,000 meter race. This season Thompson broke the school record and was named the ACC Performer of the Week after dominating at the Raleigh Relays in late March.

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Senior distance runners Madison Granger and Anima Banks will represent the Duke women’s track team in national long distance races, with Heath competing in the women’s 1500 m and Banks running in the women’s 800 m. This will be Granger’s first NCAA appearance while Banks finished 17th in 2013 as a freshman and earned the silver medal this postseason in the ACC Championships.

Redshirt senior Teddi Maslowski will be returning to the NCAA Championships to compete in the women’s heptathlon which includes 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin, and an 800-meter run. Maslowski will also be competing for Duke in the women’s 4 x 400 with sprinters Madeline Kopp, MacKenzie Kerr, and Maddy Price.

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Lastly, two Blue Devils will participate in the women’s high jump with both Megan Clark and Madison Heath qualifying from Duke Track and Field. Clark has had a historic collegiate career with the Blue Devils and was named the 2016 Women’s Field Athlete of the Year for the Southeast region after a dominant performance this year breaking the ACC record, along with high jump coach Shawn Wilborn earning Assistant Coach of the Year. Madison Heath is a sophomore making her second straight NCAA appearance.

The Duke Women’s Track and Field program will head into the NCAA Championships ranked 24th in the nation in the pre-championship poll. Additionally, two seniors Anima Banks and Megan Clark have also already received automatic bids to tryout in the U.S. Olympic Trials this July to compete for a chance to participate in the Rio Olympics this summer. Best of luck to the Blue Devils competing in the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships this week and go Duke!

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