Sportswrap: Duke softball and women's track and field win first-ever ACC Championships

Shelby Walters threw 5.0 scoreless innings in the ACC Championship game to help lead Duke to the title
Shelby Walters threw 5.0 scoreless innings in the ACC Championship game to help lead Duke to the title

Sportswrap is your one-stop shop for everything Duke athletics, where we’ll recap how each of Duke’s sports currently in competition performed over the last week and give a brief look ahead. Here’s our recap for the week of May 11-17.

Softball 

No. 3-seed Duke won its first-ever hardware, an ACC championship after just its fourth season. Peyton St. George won tournament MVP, combining with Shelby Walters to allow just six runs across each of their three one-run wins, while Kamryn Jackson drove in the winning run in each of the two final rounds. With the auto-bid, Duke earned the NCAA No. 13- seed and will play in the Athens regional. -Em Adler

Track and field 

At the ACC Outdoor Championships, the Blue Devil men finished eighth, while the women made a dramatic Saturday charge to finish as co-champions alongside Florida State. This marks the first outdoor conference title in program history, and adds an extra layer of confidence heading into the NCAA East Regional May 27. -Rego

Women’s lacrosse 

The seventh-seeded Blue Devils began their NCAA tournament campaign with a blowout win against Mount St. Mary’s and followed it up with a narrow win against defending champion Maryland. Next up is a trip to the Elite 8, where they’ll take on No. 2-seed Northwestern May 22. -Jonathan Browning

Women’s tennis 

The Blue Devils pulled off a 4-3 upset against No. 9-seed Central Florida in the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16. The victory was clinched by sophomore Chloe Beck’s three-set singles win and next, Duke will face No. 1-seed North Carolina in the Elite Eight Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. -Campbell Lawson

Men’s lacrosse 

No. 2-seed Duke took care of business Sunday in the first round of the NCAA tournament, taking down High Point 16-10 Sunday afternoon. Star transfer Michael Sowers led the way with four goals and four assists in his first career NCAA tournament appearance. The Blue Devils now move on to the quarterfinals, matching up against Loyola Maryland this upcoming Sunday. -Evan Kolin

Women’s golf

Top-seeded Duke battled tough weather to advance out of the Columbus Regional at 16-over. The Blue Devils were led by Gina Kim at +2, as well as Jaravee Boonchant and Erica Shepherd at +4. Now, Duke gets set for NCAAs in Scottsdale, Ariz., where any number of teams could find themselves hoisting the trophy once play begins May 21. -Max Rego

Rowing 

Duke rowing finished second at the ACC Championship over the weekend in Clemson, S.C. The Blue Devils placed second in the Varsity Eight, Varsity Four and Third Varsity Eight and third in the Second Varsity Eight and Second Varsity Four to narrowly edge out Syracuse in team points and trail only Virginia. -Cameron DeChurch

Baseball 

Duke opened up the weekend with an 11-6 win against Virginia Tech before the eventual Erikson Nichols walkoff single Sunday afternoon to finish its first sweep of the year. The Blue Devils have four games remaining in the regular season with their next being Tuesday against Davidson, with each game holding heavy implications for an NCAA tournament bid. -Jake Piazza

Sports that did not compete this week

Men's golf is currently in the middle of its regional play in Noblesville, Ind. 

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