Washington, D.C. – Duquesne freshman sprinter Melani Schmidt earned Atlantic 10 Women's Track & Field Rookie of the Week honors after posting two first-place finishes at the CMU Invitational.

Schmidt picked up her first collegiate victories, winning the 200 meters (25.00) and 400 meters (56.59), edging the field by less than a second in both events. The North Huntingdon, Pa., native also ran the opening leg of the 4x100-meter relay that placed second in 47.76.

Her 400-meter time ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10 and leads all conference freshmen. The mark also ranks 21st in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Duquesne has now earned weekly honors in back-to-back weeks, as Schmidt follows Sylvia Kashak, who was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week last week. It marks just the second time in program history that two different Dukes have earned back-to-back outdoor Rookie of the Week honors, joining Shea McMillan and Sarah Como, who did so on March 26 and April 3, 2001.

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