Blue Devils Set for Penn Relays, Charlotte Invitational

Thursday, April 23

Philadelphia, Pa.

Duke University

Penn Relays

Duke distance runners Talha Syed and Luke Thompson compete at Duke Invite

Photo by: Joseph Chapman

Blue Devils Set for Penn Relays, Charlotte Invitational

4/23/2026 2:41:00 PM | Track & Field

Live Results (Charlotte Invite)Live Results (Penn Relays)Watch (FloTrack)

DURHAM, N.C. – The Duke track and field team is back in action this weekend and will feature a split squad for the second time in as many weeks. Several Blue Devils will compete at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while others head to the Queen City for the Charlotte Invitational.

HOW TO FOLLOW:

Charlotte Invitational: Live Results
Penn Relays: Live Results | Watch (FloTrack)

WHAT TO KNOW:

Duke's women currently rank 16th in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Week 4 poll. The Blue Devils debuted at No. 3 in the first poll of the outdoor season (Mar. 31), marking the highest in-season ranking in program lore.
In the EventSquad rankings, the Blue Devil women are currently third in the 800 meters, sixth in the 400 meters and 10th in the 10,000 meters.
Duke features seven student-athletes currently ranked in the top 25 in their respective events: Braelyn Baker (6th – 400mH; 7th – 400m; 17th – 200m), Michael Bennett (15th – Decathlon), Philip Kastner (20th – decathlon), Andres Langston ( 19th – 400mH), Matthew Prebola (21st – javelin), Lauren Tolbert (1st – 800m; 14th – 400m) and Gemma Tutton (11th – pole vault)
Both Blue Devil women's relays also rank in the top 25, with the 4x400m ranked 15th and the 4x100m 20th.

LAST TIME OUT:

Duke track and field posted a solid showing during its tri-meet weekend, with the Blue Devils finishing their busy competition slate with event wins in the women's 100 meters and 400-meter hurdles, along with nine podium finishes and five top-five program marks.
Tolbert delivered her strongest showing of the season in the women's 800-meter invite en route to earning second place. The senior clocked 1:59.58, narrowly missing her own school record (1:59.39) by 0.19 seconds.
Max Forte collected a third-place finish in the men's long jump for his first podium finish of the outdoor campaign. Forte came through with his best leap on the third attempt, flying out to 7.48m (24-6.50 feet).
Duke claimed two of three podium spots in the women's 100 hurdles behind the efforts of Elise Heddens and Jill Roberts. Heddens won the event with a time of 14.29, while Roberts ran 14.38 to place third.
Johrdyn Tarpeh clocked a personal best of 58.85 en route to picking up a win in the women's 400 hurdles, shaving over a second off her previous best from a week ago.
Bennett and Kastner had strong showings in the men's decathlon, with the pair posting personal bests, while rewriting the program record books. Bennett totaled 7,616 points and improved his No. 4 all-time mark, with his best performances coming in the 1500 meters (1st), 400 meters (2nd) and 100 meters (4th). Kastner slotted himself fifth in Duke lore with 7,466 points – led by a third-place finish in the long jump.
Full recap available HERE.

UP NEXT:
Duke concludes the regular season with its second home meet of the year – the Duke Twilight – Sunday, May 3, at Morris Williams Stadium.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country and track & field, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."

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