Tag: ACC Track and Field

Duke’s Shawn Wilbourn named ACC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year

After the Blue Devils won their second consecutive ACC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field title, Shawn Wilbourn took home more hardware.

For the third time in four years, Duke’s Shawn Wilbourn was named the ACC Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year.

Wilbourn, who also won the honor in 2021 and 2023, led the Blue Devils to a second straight conference crown in early May. No ACC women’s outdoor team had won the title in consecutive seasons during the 15-team era.

Lauren Tolbert, one of his track stars, earned First Team All-American honors in the 800-meter race this month as well.

Wilbourn joined the Blue Devils coaching staff back in 2008 but spent more than a decade as the school’s associate head coach. After Norm Ogilvie stepped down as the Director of Track & Field back in the summer of 2020, Wilbourn stepped in as the interim coach before taking the position full-time the following year.

No other Duke track and field coach in school history has earned ACC Coach of the Year honors.

Duke’s Amina Maatoug wins gold at the ACC Indoor Championships in the women’s mile

Amina Maatoug became the second Blue Devil to win gold at the ACC Indoor Championships after her victorious performance in the women’s mile.

Duke junior Amina Maatoug took home a gold medal on Saturday at the ACC Indoor Championships after her winning performance in the women’s mile.

Maatoug needed just 4 minutes and 38.16 seconds to complete the mile run, winning by more than a full second over Florida State sophomore Suus Altorf and Virginia junior Anna Workman.

The time was the fourth-fastest mile in program history, and the Dutch runner was named First Team All-ACC after her victory.

Maatoug, who also competes for the Blue Devils’ cross-country team, also posted the fastest time in the preliminary qualifying run at 4:39.38.

She becomes the second Blue Devil to win gold at the ACC Indoors after Christian Johnson won the men’s weight throw on Thursday.

Duke’s Brianna Smith takes bronze in women’s pentathlon at ACC Indoor Championships

Duke senior Brianna Smith finished with 4,132 points in the women’s pentathlon and podiumed at the ACC Indoor Championships, earning First Team All-ACC honors.

Duke senior Brianna Smith earned First Team All-ACC honors after she finished third in the women’s pentathlon at the ACC Indoor Championships on Thursday.

The pentathlon is made up of five events: 60-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump, and an 800m run.

Smith compiled 4,132 points across the five events, her best mark of the season, and finished behind Notre Dame’s Jadin O’Brien and Alaina Brady to claim the bronze medal.

The Blue Devil led the event in the high jump (1.79m), and she finished third in both the hurdles (8.74 seconds) and the shot put (12.35m). Smith finished fifth in the long jump and 10th in the 800m race.

The stellar performance resulted in top all-conference marks, the second Duke athlete to earn the honor after Christian Johnson won gold in the men’s weight throw the same day.

The ACC Indoor Championships continue in Boston through Saturday.

Duke’s Christian Johnson wins gold in men’s weight throw at ACC Indoor Championships

Blue Devils graduate student Christian Johnson beat out Clemson’s Daniel Cope by 0.02 meters for the gold medal at the ACC Indoor Championships.

The Blue Devils’ track and field squad are in Boston this week for the ACC Indoor Championships, and one Duke athlete carved out a name for himself on the opening night.

Graduate student Christian Johnson earned the gold medal in men’s weight throw on Thursday night after a 21.73-meter throw.

He narrowly beat out Daniel Cope of Clemson, who finished at 21.71m. Two other Blue Devils finished inside the top seven in the event, including Aimar Palma Simo (fifth, 21.06m) and freshman Christian Toro (seventh, 20.27m).

Johnson’s winning effort also earned him First Team All-ACC honors, as the school shared on social media.

Palma Simo made the Second Team after his fifth-place finish.

The ACC Indoor Championships continue until Saturday.