The bell of the Blue Zone stock exchange has just rung again, meaning it's time to take another look at who is rising and falling with their performances for Blue Devil sports teams. Each week The Blue Zone will look at whose stock is on the rise and whose stock has taken a hit in the world of Duke athletics.
Trending Up
Men’s Soccer—Head coach John Kerr has led his squad to a five-game win streak heading into the ACC tournament and after earning the No. 8 overall seed, the Blue Devils seem to be peaking at the right time. Early in the week, Duke battled Jacksonville in an overtime thriller, that ended when sophomore Brian White headed in the game winner a few minutes into the extra period. Senior night on Thursday evening also ended in victorious fashion for the Blue Devils, who defeated Virginia Tech 2-1. Senior captain Zach Mathers finished his final regular season game for Duke with a pair of assists, giving the squad a jolt heading into ACC tournament play.
Swimming and Diving—After three meets, Duke remains undefeated and is receiving much deserved national attention. The men’s team is ranked No. 19 in the country in the most recent poll and the women aren't far behind at No. 22, marking the first time in program history that both teams have received national rankings. After sweeping the men’s breaststroke in a dual-meet against Florida State and Queens University of Charlotte, junior Peter Kropp was named ACC Male Swimmer of the Week. On the women’s side, freshman diver Mackenzie Willborn earned silver at the Junior Pan American Championships in Cuba, representing the Blue Devils on a global scale. Both teams look to continue their early success against Old Dominion this weekend.
Jeremy Cash—Redshirt senior and Miami native Jeremy Cash is having himself a season for the record books. The returning All-ACC and All-American strike safety leads Duke with 15.5 tackles for loss, not to mention his 70 total tackles on the season. Cash plays an integral part in both the rush and pass defense for the Blue Devils. Against Miami, Cash tallied 12 total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, and made his presence known all across the football field. Cash is the leader of the Duke defense and is on track to be a top NFL prospect.
Trending Down
Football Officiating—The fourth quarter of Saturday evening’s football game against Miami brought a rollercoaster of events. After a poor call on a fumble by wide receiver Max McCaffrey, the referees' bad game continued when a couple of controversial pass-interference calls helped Thomas Sirk lead the Blue Devils down the field for what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Miami cornerback Corn Elder left the Blue Devils stunned after he scored on an improbable eight-lateral sequence. Officials overturned a block in the back penalty initially called on the play and determined that at no point did a Miami player’s knee hit the ground. But the next day, the NCAA ruled that the Hurricanes did actually commit a block in the back infraction on the play and ruled that Miami running back Mark Walton's knee did in fact touch the ground. The officials and replay crew were promptly suspended by the ACC. Although Duke dropped out of the AP poll with the defeat, Blue Devil fans can only hope that officiating does not decide one of their games again.
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