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 April 8-14:
Baseball
It was an up-and-down week for No. 6 Duke, which left Pittsburgh with a series victory but still feeling like it could have gotten more. First, the Blue Devils (26-10, 11-7 in the ACC) dropped a game in the midweek to William and Mary — the first loss out of ACC play since March 12. Then, after winning both games of a Saturday doubleheader against the Panthers, they could not hold on to a five-run lead in the third game of the series. Senior catcher Alex Stone, who has struggled at points throughout the year, put forth a four-hit outing in game one against Pittsburgh, and junior center fielder Devin Obee smashed two home runs in game three. Next up for Duke is a Wednesday game against Gardner Webb and a weekend trip to Blacksburg, Va., to take on No. 20 Virginia Tech. -Dom Fenoglio
Softball
Despite dropping a midweek game to Campbell Wednesday, the third-ranked Blue Devils still had a productive week on the diamond, going 4-1 total. Duke (37-4, 16-2) began its week dominating East Carolina on the road, cruising to a 10-1 victory where Ana Gold set the program home run record. After the narrow 3-2 loss to the Fighting Camels, the sweep was on down in South Carolina, as the Blue Devils slugged their way to a 13-9 victory behind eight combined RBIs from Kelly Torres and Aminah Vega Friday. After a Jala Wright gem Saturday, Cassidy Curd did her thing Sunday, holding the Tigers scoreless through four frames and letting a four-run ninth carry Duke to a 6-1 win before taking on UNC Greensboro Tuesday in a doubleheader and hosting Virginia this weekend. -Caleb Dudley
Men’s lacrosse
A week after dropping a home rematch of the 2023 national title game to No. 1 Notre Dame, the fourth-ranked Blue Devils got another try at a top-three win Sunday afternoon at Koskinen Stadium against No. 2 Virginia. Spearheaded by a heroic performance in goal by freshman Patrick Jameison and hat tricks from Dyson Williams, Josh Zawada and Brennan O’Neill, Duke (11-3, 1-2) made it 19 consecutive wins against the Cavaliers in the regular season dating back to 2005 with an 18-12 victory. The win was made even more significant given senior FOGO Jake Naso’s on-off play due to a first-quarter injury and deficits in both total shots and ground balls. The Blue Devils have a long two weeks to get healthy and plan for their regular-season finale at North Carolina in two weeks before postseason play begins in May. -Andrew Long
Women’s lacrosse
In its final go-around of 2024 in Koskinen Stadium, No. 25 Duke topped Louisville 14-11 in a back-and-forth nailbiter. The Blue Devils (10-6, 4-4) trailed for the entire first half, but midfielder Maddie McCorkle made the most of her senior day, earning Duke its first lead of the day in the third quarter with a stunning cross-goal shot and putting the game away with a fourth-quarter hat trick. Redshirt sophomore goalie Kennedy Everson had a standout day between the pipes with six strong saves, limiting a Cardinal offense that was coming off a 22-goal showing against Ohio State. Senior star attacker Katie DeSimone came out after a collision at the end of the third period and did not return — she is being evaluated, and her future status is uncertain. With the win, the Blue Devils claimed their spot in the ACC tournament quarterfinals next week, but they first have to get through No. 16 North Carolina in Chapel Hill Thursday afternoon. -Rachael Kaplan
Men’s tennis
No. 14 Duke concluded its 2023-24 regular season by splitting a pair of away matches against ranked ACC opponents this past weekend. The Blue Devils (17-8, 9-3) started off strong Friday with a dominant 4-1 victory against No. 7 Wake Forest, before falling to No. 16 NC State by a score of 4-2 Sunday. The loss to the Demon Deacons snapped a six-match winning streak for head coach Ramsey Smith’s squad, which finished its regular season with a strong 17-8 record overall and 9-3 in ACC play. After a long and grueling, but ultimately successful, regular season, the Blue Devils will now set their sights on the ACC tournament in Cary, N.C., beginning Thursday. -Rodrigo Amare
Women’s tennis
No. 21 Duke ended its 2023-24 regular season strong, with a 4-0 sweep against Louisville. This came after a tough loss against Notre Dame in which the Blue Devils (14-8, 7-6) gave away multiple match points in doubles play before losing three close singles matches in a 4-2 defeat. The Blue Devils will finish the regular season at 14-8, and 7-6 in ACC play. Head coach Jamie Ashworth’s squad now looks ahead to the ACC tournament in Cary, N.C., this upcoming week, where they will play Wake Forest Thursday. -Anna Newberry
Track and field
During this past weekend, Duke continued its strong season with a dynamic set of performances at the Duke Invitational. In total, the Blue Devils won 13 events while setting many meet records and personal-bests. The women’s 4x100m relay team of Mia Edim, Abby Geiser, Halle Bieber and Maddy Doane proved particularly dominant, earning a school-record time of 43.97 seconds. Graduate student Ezra Mellinger had a versatile meet, winning the long jump and placing fourth in the 100-meter dash. Fellow graduate Aimar Palma Simo continued his dominant throwing season, breaking his own school record in the hammer in a first-place finish. The Blue Devils next travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., to take on the Wake Forest Invitational Friday. -Tyler Walley
Men’s golf
The Blue Devils wrapped up their regular season this week at the Stitch Intercollegiate in Raleigh, taking a 12-over final day en route to a third-place finish. Duke was paced by a second-overall showing from junior Luke Sample, who shot 3-over across the event, and a top-10 finish by William Love, plus a ninth-place individual performance from Daniel Choi. The Blue Devils now eye the postseason, beginning Friday in Charlotte. -Long
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.