Duke wins first distance medley relay at Penn Relays
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By Dan Gelston Associated Press - Published: April 29, 2005
PHILADELPHIA — This fantastic finish between Duke and North Carolina had nothing to do with basketball.
The Blue Devils completed a surprising worst-to-first finish in the women's distance medley relay Thursday, edging the Tar Heels by pulling away late for their first career win at the Penn Relays.
Shannon Rowbury took over on the anchor leg and led Duke to a winning time of 11 minutes, 10.18 seconds. North Carolina finished in 11:11.48, and Villanova was third in 11:12.76.
Defending champion Tennessee finished seventh.
"It's pretty amazing," Duke's Lauren Matic said. "I remember two years ago, we watched Carolina win the distance medley ... and I think it made us hungry. I think it's awesome to finally have those tables turned a little bit."
Duke finished last in 11:41.12 a year ago. This time around the Blue Devils needed Rowbury to take over right before the final bell.
Rowbury chased Arkansas and finally passed Dacia Barr with about 500 meters left.
Rowbury had enough energy to take the lead right away, but she knew her coaches wanted her to pace herself before going for the win. With North Carolina's Erin Donohue nipping at her heels, Rowbury got the green light to go.
"I figured we were going at a slower pace, that's why it was a little nerve-racking when I knew there were a whole big pack of people right behind me," Rowbury said. "I was trying to stay relaxed and not think about it too much."
Meaghan Leon started off for Duke at 3:24.5, Lindsay Owen ran at 56.1, Matic at 2:06.5 and Rowbury finished in 4:43.4.
"Once I was halfway through the final stretch, I started to get pretty excited," Rowbury said. "I just kept looking for that finish line."
Donohue ran the final leg in a faster time (4:39.8) than Rowbury. The two battled down the backstretch last week when Rowbury won the 1,500-meter race at the ACC championships, adding track to an already heated-rivalry between the schools.
Arkansas faded by the final bell and finished fourth.
The win was especially satisfying for Matic, a grad student who had surgery last summer on both feet. She didn't even start running again until December and predicted during her time off that Duke could win a Penn Relays title.
"This speaks to the power of how big the Penn Relays are," associate head coach Kevin Jermyn said. "This was a big, big reason why she came back, the possibility of standing in front of you guys right now."
North Carolina won the distance medley title three straight years from 2001-04, and Arkansas won in 2000. Duke had never really been in contention for the title.
"We've always dreamed of this day," Duke coach Norm Ogilvie said.
With the four runners and two coaches sitting at a table, another teammate asked for a camera. Rowbury delivered again, pulling one out for a brief snapshot.
Talk about a photo finish!
"We knew we had a good shot, but nothing's ever in the bag until you go out and do it," Rowbury said.
Unlike the cold and rainy opening days of the past few years, competitors enjoyed warm, clear conditions. There was brief rain late in the day, but it cleared by the time the distance medley started.
The shower didn't deter fans at Franklin Field on the University of Pennsylvania's usually quiet campus, which hosted the famed track and field meet for the 111th time.
The Relays kicked off with a meet record in the 400-meter hurdles, when Nicole Leach of Philly's West Catholic High School won in 57.44 seconds, breaking the mark of 57.84 she set last year. Leach, who will attend UCLA, also anchored the winning 1,600-meter relay team.
With the city skyline serving as a backdrop for the field events, there was a big upset in the hammer when two-time defending champ Candice Scott of Florida fouled out. That allowed Colorado State's Lorrie Smith to win with a throw of 206 feet, 8 inches.
"I'm a little disappointed that Candice fouled out," Smith said.
Tiffany Ross-Williams won the college women's 400-meter hurdles in 55.70, the second-fastest time in the meet's history. Ross-Williams beat out Shevon Stoddart, last year's winner and her South Carolina teammate, who was second in 57.82.
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