Garces, Ross-Davie Pace Blue Devils at Meadows Challenge

Saturday, September 26

Princeton, N.J.

M: 9:30 a.m./W: 10:15 a.m.

Duke University

Meadows Challenge

Victoria Graces and Finlay Ross Davies stand with arms crossed

Photo by: Duke Athletics

Garces, Ross-Davie Pace Blue Devils at Meadows Challenge

9/26/2026 11:29:00 AM | Cross Country

Final Results Final Results

PRINCETON, N.J. – Duke sophomore Victoria Garces shined for the Blue Devil women's cross country team with a second-place finish at the Meadows Challenge hosted by Princeton Saturday morning.

Racing in heavy rain and win, Garces posted a massive personal-best 6k time of 19:43.1. She beat her previous best time of 20:14 by 31 seconds. Finlay Ross-Davie led the way for the men in the 8k race, taking 22nd overall.

The men's squad took eighth of 15 teams, compiling 214 points. The top five Blue Devils all finished in the top 60. Sitting in 10th place at the 3,500-meter mark, Duke stayed steady and moved up two spots in the team standings over the second half of the race.

The women's runners, starting at the conclusion of the men's race, took fourth of 17 teams with 105 points. Freshmen Sundara Weber and Cassidy Armstrong were excellent in their collegiate debuts.

Six of the top seven men's teams competed in last year's NCAA Championships as the Blue Devils edged out NCAA Championship qualifying Iona for the eighth spot. On the women's side, Alabama took the top spot with all three teams above Duke competing in the 2025 NCAA Championships. The Blue Devils cruised past ACC foes Syracuse and Wake Forest.

Recapping the Blue Devil Men

Ross-Davie shined in his first race as a Blue Devil, leading the Duke pack with a time of 23:35.0. Crossing the first 3,500 meters in 49th place, Ross-Davie made a big move over the next 1k, climbing to 25th place. He remained with that pack and covered the final 1,600 in 5:07, moving up three spots to his final 22nd-place finish.
Aden Bandukwala and Will Purnell pulled each other along over the 8k race, crossing the line in 40th and 42nd place, respectively. Bandukwala clocked in at 23:56.1, while Purnell was half a second behind at 23:56.5. Both runners settled in midway through the race, moving up from 107th and 104th to 89th and 86th, respectively. The duo pushed their pace down the stretch, closing the final 1,600 in a respective 5:05 and 5:04.
Junior Alden Keller and freshman Braden Lofquest hit the tape in 24:08.4 and 24:10.6 for 57th and 61st, respectively. Lofquest was Duke's top freshman finisher, covering the final mile in a solid 5:16.
Rendon Kuykendall (24:18.6), Hunter Robbie (24:22.9), Zachary Parker (24:23.9), Kavi Gibson (24:35.1), Owen Pukys (24:36.2), Jeremy Kain (24:48.6) and Meshack Kuyo (24:50.3) rounded out the Duke lineup.

Blue Devil Women Turn in Strong Season Debut

Garces was in the front of the pack from the opening gun, running at 15th place after the first mile. She made her biggest jump at the halfway point, moving up from 13th to fifth at the 4,200-meter mark. Garces took over the No. 2 spot in the final mile en route to breaking the 20-minute mark for the first time in her career.
Weber turned in an outstanding collegiate debut, clocking a 6k time of 20:09 for 11th place overall. Like other Blue Devil racers, she remained steady and covered the final 1,500 in 5:25.
Armstrong also was excellent in her first collegiate race. The South Dakota native crossed the line in 20:36.3 for 22nd place overall. Hattie Reynolds just missed a personal record, hitting the tape in 28th place with a time of 20:43.0.
Senior Nimrit Ahuja rounded out the scoring contingent in 43rd with a time of 20:57.4.
Molly FitzPatrick (21:04.0), Anna Callahn (21:07.2), Ellie Maddox (21:11.1), Thais Rolly (21:12.), Sophia Szolosi (21:30.5), Caroline Hood (21:59.7), Ella Johns (22:25.8) completed the Duke contingent. Callahan's time was also a personal best for the sophomore.