DURHAM, N.C. -- The 2013 season provided a variety of team and individual highlights for the Duke men's cross country team. The Blue Devils concluded the season with an eighth-place showing at the Southeast Region Championship in Charlottesville, Va.
Freshman Shines
Freshman Stephen Shine contributed in a big way for the Blue Devils in 2013. The Briarcliff, N.Y., native scored for the Blue Devils in four of his six appearances. Shine opened his collegiate career in impressive fashion, winning the Bull City Classic in a 6,000-meter time of 19:11. The rookie followed the victory with a strong showing at the Furman XC Challenge, where Shine placed 16th in an 8,000m personal-best time of 24:31.7. Battling illness, Shine raced to a 73rd-place finish at the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational. The Blue Devil freshman returned to true form at the Royal Cross Country Challenge, rounding out a Duke sweep by placing third and clocking 25:10.3. In his penultimate appearance, and first conference championship, Shine raced to an 82nd-place finish, before closing his first cross country season as a Blue Devil just as he opened it, with a win at the Three Stripe Invitational.
Atkinson Provides Consistency for Blue Devils
Senior Brian Atkinson proved to be a stalwart member of Duke's top three in 2013. In all five of his appearances, Atkinson maintained a sub-five minute per mile pace, including a pace of 4:48 per mile over 10,000m at the Southeast Regional Championship. In his first two meets of the season, Atkinson ran near-identical times of 24:08.6 at the Furman XC Challenge and 24:08.1 at the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational. The Melbourne Beach, Fla., native, in the final conference championship of his collegiate career, garnered all-conference honors for his 20th-place finish. Keeping with his consistent trend, Atkinson placed in the top-25 at the ACC meet each of the last three years.
Thompson Remains Strong as a Junior
Shaun Thompson showed continued growth during his junior campaign, building on a solid sophomore season. Thompson opened 2013 with a personal-record time of 23:57.1 for 8,000m. Alongside graduate student Mike Moverman, Thompson helped lead Duke to a fourth-place finish at the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational. The highlight of Thompson's season occurred at the conference championship, where the Baldwinville, N.Y., native made a strong move at the 3,000m mark. Seeing how the race would unfold if he didn't take the risk, Thompson put on a surge that opened a 10-meter gap between himself and the rest of the field. The move paid off, leading to a fourth-place finish for Thompson, and the first All-ACC honor of his career.
Britto Concludes Collegiate Career with Exceptional Race
For senior Christian Britto, the Southeast Regional Championship marked his final cross country race in a Duke singlet, a fitting time to run possibly the best race of his collegiate career. Britto made evident progress throughout the 2013 season, starting his senior campaign as Duke's sixth runner and concluding the season as Duke's third finisher. The Orinda, Calif., native closed his Duke cross country career with a personal-best time of 30:16.4 for 10,000m, good for a 38th-place finish overall.
McKelvey Returns to Competition
Senior Clint McKelvey returned to the Blue Devil lineup after a two-year hiatus due to injury. In his return at the Royal Cross Country Challenge Oct. 11, McKelvey placed eighth overall, helping the Blue Devils win the team title at the event. As the season progressed, McKelvey rounded into form, placing fifth on the Blue Devil squad and 59th overall at the ACC Championship, clocking a 25:24.4. McKelvey closed the season with a personal-record time of 31.39.7 at the Southeast Regional Championship 10,000m race.
Blue Devils End Season Positive in Win Column
The Duke men's head cross country coach Norm Ogilvie led the Blue Devils to an overall record of 97-31 and an ACC ledger of 19-11 in 2013. In his 14th season at the helm of Duke's men's cross country team, Ogilvie guided the program to an overall mark of 1269-447-2, a .740 winning percentage for the Blue Devils. The Blue Devils earned a win over 10 of the 13 conference teams, including an undefeated season against Georgia Tech, Clemson, Florida State, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Boston College and Maryland.
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