Duke was already bringing in a surplus of talent for next spring. But thanks to the NCAA's extra eligibility ruling this past March, the team will also be returning a majority of its upperclassmen.
The Blue Devils will welcome back 10 athletes who would have otherwise been out of eligibility, the team announced in a Twitter thread Thursday evening, including All-American defenseman JT Giles-Harris, starting goalie Turner Uppgren and second-leading scorer Joey Manown.
The other newly-announced returners include attackmen Sean Lowrie and Reilly Walsh, midfielders Terry Lindsay, Blake Leischow, Brian Smyth and Kevin Quigley as well as defenseman Walker Scaglione.
Giles-Harris, whose likely return was first reported by US Lacrosse Magazine last month, was the 2019 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and was named a First Team All-American by Inside Lacrosse following the shortened 2020 campaign. With Duke bringing in a wealth of options on the offensive end next season, Giles-Harris' ability to anchor the defense will go a long way in determining if the 2021 Blue Devils will reach their full potential.
Uppgren split time with sophomore Andrew Bonafede in goal this past year, though both will face stiff competition for playing time next season with incoming transfer Mike Adler, a 2019 All-American.
Manown finished second on the team with 14 goals in 2020, but with transfer Michael Sowers and top recruit Brennan O'Neill coming in, along with the return of an injured Joe Robertson, he will likely take a backseat scoring-wise in 2021.
With the official announcement of returning seniors and graduate students, Duke is prime to be one of the best teams in college lacrosse next season, with the program's fourth national championship certainly in the cards.
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