On May 28, I sat in the front row of the press room at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. after Duke's heartbreaking 12-11 title-game loss to Johns Hopkins. Watching senior Matt Danowski try to fight back his tears on the dais was one of the most difficult moments of my brief journalistic career. Sometimes when you're watching Duke athletes on a field, it's easy to forget that they are your peers. But then they share their stories--they get up in front of a room of reporters after a devastating loss-and the student part of the student- athlete takes the stage.
When trying to generate an idea for the focal story of this, the first issue of the 25th volume of Sportswrap, I reflected back on that moment. "Portraits of the Players" is The Chronicle's attempt to give you a glimpse of what some of the most prominent Blue Devils are like on and off the field. In doing so, I hope that the sports department has set a precedent for what I hope will be our continued dedication to presenting our readership with stories you can't find anywhere else.
As writers for a student newspaper, the members of The Chronicle sports staff are in a unique position to report not only on some of the top teams in all of college sports, but also on the student-athletes behind their successes.
With that, I officially welcome you to the 103rd volume of The Chronicle and look forward to sharing an exciting year in sports.
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