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 Jan. 23-29.
Men’s basketball
Another week, another roller coaster for Duke, which rebounded from a 78-75 loss Monday night at Virginia Tech to double up Georgia Tech 86-43 Saturday in Atlanta. Seven-foot freshman Kyle Filipowski once again led the charge for the Blue Devils (15-6, 6-4 in the ACC), averaging 23.5 points and 8.5 rebounds across the two matchups after posting a career-high 29 points in his team’s narrow defeat in Blacksburg, Va., a loss made worse by the additional loss of freshman forward Dariq Whitehead to injury. Freshman guard Tyrese Proctor (eight assists, zero turnovers) stood out as the Blue Devils rolled the Yellow Jackets, helping Duke head into its Tuesday matchup against Wake Forest—and looming Saturday battle with North Carolina—with some wind in its sails. -Jonathan Levitan
Women’s basketball
The Blue Devils started their week with a bang but ended it with a whimper. On Thursday evening, No. 12 Virginia Tech was ushered out of Cameron Indoor Stadium after a heavy loss to the 16th-ranked Blue Devils (18-3, 8-2), who proved their talent by taking down the visitors 66-55. Three days and 650 miles were enough to disrupt the Blue Devil flow, however, as Duke took an emphatic 70-57 loss at Florida State Sunday afternoon. Head coach Kara Lawson will look to bring her team back to the top of the ACC standings Thursday at home against Pittsburgh. -Sophie Levenson
Track and field
Head coach Shawn Wilbourn is feeling pretty good about Duke’s prospects, especially after this weekend. The Blue Devils traveled Friday to State College, Pa., where they competed in an assortment of events at the Penn State National Open through Saturday evening. While a handful of the men stood out, the women’s team dominated, even going so far as to break the standing school record in the distance medley relay. By the weekend’s close, the Blue Devils headed back to Durham with five first-place accolades to their name, set on an upward trajectory for their upcoming meet Friday in Winston-Salem, N.C. -Levenson
Wrestling
Duke had another difficult week, dropping both duals on the road against talented ranked opponents. On Tuesday, the Blue Devils (3-8, 0-2) lost to No. 19 Appalachian State 42-3, and Friday they fell to N.C. State 46-3. Senior heavyweight Jonah Niesenbaum was the only Duke grappler to win an individual match this week, going 2-0. The captain defeated Triston Norris of Appalachian State 3-2 and Tyrie Houghton of NC State 5-4. The Blue Devils will hope to improve with two home duals against ACC rival Virginia Tech and Campbell at Cameron Indoor Stadium Friday and Sunday, respectively. -Luke Jovanovic
Fencing
The Blue Devils were back in action Sunday as they traveled to Cambridge, Mass., for the Eric Sollee Invitational. With a 10-2 overall performance, head coach Alex Beguinet earned his 800th career victory. The No. 10 women’s squad went undefeated at 6-0, led by a masterful 14-0 performance from junior foil specialist Christina Ferrari. Meanwhile, the No. 7 men’s team struggled a bit more on the day, going 4-2 with losses to Boston College and MIT. Once more, Duke was bolstered by the talent of senior Finn Hossfeld, who went 12-4, along with a strong showing from sophomore Allen Marakov. The Blue Devils will now have two weeks to prepare for battle as they host the final meet of their regular season Feb. 11. -Mackenzie Sheehy
Women’s tennis
Ticket punched: On Sunday, No. 5 Duke cruised past Wisconsin 4-1 to secure a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship during ITA Kickoff Weekend in Durham. En route to their championship match, the Blue Devils (5-0) took down No. 4-seed VCU Saturday with an impressive 4-0 victory. With high hopes for the season ahead, Duke will prepare for its matchup against Harvard Saturday at Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center. -Brent Yoo
Men’s tennis
Duke traveled to Winston-Salem, N.C., for ITA Kickoff Weekend, falling Friday to Middle Tennessee 4-2 after the Blue Raiders started out strong with the doubles points. It was Middle Tennessee's first win against Duke (4-2) in their series history. The 19th-ranked Blue Devils then defeated No. 23 Auburn 4-0 in Saturday’s consolation match for their first win against a top-25 team this season. They had a better doubles performance Saturday, led by senior Garrett Johns and freshman Pedro Rodenas. Next, Duke returns home Friday to face Illinois at 6 p.m. -Suresh Kannoth
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