TF2K23

On day one of the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships, action started with the pentathlon.

Thirteen competitors began the competition in Louisville, Kentucky, this morning. Three athletes from Duke included Brianna Smith, Sara Absten and Haley Rizek, a transfer from Penn, are tied with Notre Dame as the deepest programs in the competition. Notre Dame's Reese Sanders, Alaina Brady and Jadin O'Brien are the trio that represented the Irish.

Pitt had two competitors in Lydia Bottelier and Ilse Steigenga. Wake Forest also had two participants as Anna Bush and Addison Berry joined the field. Virginia's Alix Still, Florida State's Ella Madson and North Carolina State's Timara Chapman were the lone athletes repersenting their schools in the contest.

O'Brien entered the competition with the season's best score of 4,283 points. She won the ACC gold in 2022 after taking a silver medal in 2021.

Still kicked off the competition with the best 60-meter hurdles time of 8.41 seconds. O'Brien followed with a time of 8.53 seconds as Bush rounded up the top three with 8.53 finishing 10ths of seconds behind the runner-up.

After recording the 8th best time of 8.71 in the 60-meter hurdles, Duke's Smith put on a brilliant show during the high jump portion of the pentathlon. She jumped a career best 1.83 meters, missing just twice between her start of 1.62 and her final mark. O'Brien stayed afloat with a second-place mark in the high jump at 1.71 meters. After the first two events Smith was ahead with 1,987 points, while O'Brien had 1,877 points.

The defending champ snatched the lead as she was the only athlete to top 13 meters in the shot put. O'Brien's top throw landed at 13.68. Smith lost her lead with a seventh best throw of 11.61. She trailed O'Brien 2650-2622 after three events. Pitt's Steigenga had a leading mark of 6.25 in the long jump. Still placed second at 5.97 which gave her a slight edge above Smith who dipped to third place with a fourth best jump of 5.86. O'Brien maintained control finishing between Still and Smith in the long jump at 5.90 giving her 3,469 points going into the final event.

O'Brien finished the competition in strong fashion with a win in the 800 meters at 2:13.95. She scored 4,377 overall points. Still was third at 2:19.28 giving her second in the pentathlon with 4,177 points. This was her second time on the podium at the ACC indoor meet as she finished third in the pentathlon in 2021.

Smith earned the third-place medal as she finished ninth in the 800 meters at 2:28.50. Prior to this season Smith's best finish was 11th after tries in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Smith edged out Notre Dame's Brady who was fourth with 4,103 total points.

Pentathlon Total Scores

Jadin O'Brien, Notre Dame, 4377

Alix Still, Virginia, 4,177

Brianna Smith, Duke, 4,141

Alaina Brady, Notre Dame, 4,103

Ilse Steigenga Pitt, 4,068

Addison Berry, Wake Forest, 4,015

Sara Absten, Duke, 3,906

Reese Sanders, Notre Dame, 3,654

Haley Rizek, Duke, 3,650

Ella Madson, Florida State, 3,568

Anna Bush, Wake Forest, DNF

Timara Chapman, North Carolina State, DNF

Lydia Bottelier, Pitt, DNF

*Did not finish

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