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GoDuke The Magazine 6.8 Dedicated to sharing the stories of Duke student-athletes, present and past

540 North Trade Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Phone 336-831-0769 Vol. 6, No. 8 April-May 2015 SENIOR EDITOR John Roth ‘80 ADVERTISING Patrick Streko General Manager

Johnny Moore Senior National Associate

Lane Cody Associate General Manager Ian Haynes Account Executive CIRCULATION Amanda Hobbs STAFF WRITERS Al Featherston ‘74, Leslie Gaber Barry Jacobs ‘72, Johnny Moore Jim Sumner ‘72, Lewis Bowling COVER PHOTO Jon Gardiner PRINTING RR Donnelley

Further evidence of Duke’s recent football ascension came the first week in May during the NFL’s annual new-talent procurement exercises. Two Blue Devils were chosen in the draft and seven more signed free agent contracts, giving coach David Cutcliffe’s program nine prospective NFL rookies for next season. Duke now has had players drafted in three straight years for the first time since 1998-2000, while also producing 11 undrafted free agents during this three-year span. These are many of the players who have been at the heart of Cutcliffe’s recent Blue Devil restoration. Over the past three years, Duke has enjoyed 25 victories, three consecutive bowl games and an ACC Coastal Division championship. In contrast, the program had no bowl

appearances and 25 wins over the previous 12 seasons. So the bar clearly has been raised. Offensive guard Laken Tomlinson, a consensus All-America, became Duke’s first firstround draft pick in more than two decades, going to the Detroit Lions with the 28th selection. Tomlinson attended the drafted in his adopted hometown of Chicago and delivered one of the best on-site interviews during the nationally televised coverage of the event. Wide receiver Jamison Crowder, tied for the ACC and Duke all-time pass receptions records, was the 105th selection in the draft, going in the fourth round to the Washington Redskins and becoming the first Blue Devil receiver to be drafted since Hall of Famer Clark-

Anthony Boone Quarterback Detroit Dezmond Johnson Defensive end Cincinnati

ston Hines in 1990. Duke’s previous draftees in the last three years were QB Sean Renfree in the seventh round to Atlanta in 2013 and DB Ross Cockrell in the fourth round to Buffalo in 2014. Elevating the talent level at Duke was an obvious point of emphasis for Cutcliffe when he took over in 2008. Recruiting is a never-ending priority, of course, but the influx of Blue Devils into the NFL consciousness is another measure of just how effectively that objective has been executed by Coach Cut and his staff. Here’s a look at all the potential new Blue Devil pros to keep an eye on during mini-camps and training camp for the 2015 season. All are undrafted free agents unless otherwise noted.

Laken Tomlinson Offensive line Detroit David Helton Drafted Linebacker 1st round New York Jets

GoDuke The Magazine (ISSN 10668241) is published by IMG with editorial offices at 3100 Tower Blvd., Suite 404, Durham, NC 27707. Published monthly except August for 11 issues per year. Subscription price is $29.95. Periodical postage paid at Winston-Salem, NC, and additional mailing office. Postmaster send change of address to GoDuke The Magazine, 540 North Trade Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. Advertising & Editorial Call 919-286-1498

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Issac Blakeney Wide receiver San Francisco

Josh Snead Running back Denver

Jamison Crowder Wide receiver Washington Drafted 4th round

Takoby Cofield Offensive line Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo Washington Defensive end Philadelphia

> The Numbers Game

20K

Dollars raised by the Duke baseball team in three seasons of fund-raising activities for the Vs. Cancer Foundation. This year the Blue Devils shaved their heads following the recent Virginia Tech series to generate over $6,000 in support of children battling cancer, national cancer research and Duke Children’s Hospital.

ACC individual track & field championships earned by Duke Hall of Famer Joel Shankle during his illustrious career in the 1950s, primarily in jumps and hurdles. Shankle, who died April 8 at the age of 82, won the 1955 NCAA long jump crown and claimed a bronze medal in the high hurdles at the 1956 Olympics.

Number of times a Blue Devil has claimed the ACC women’s golf individual championship, most recently by Leona Maguire (page 14). She is the eighth Duke freshman to win the ACC crown, joining Evelyn Orley, Jenny Chuasiriporn, Beth Bauer, Maria Garcia-Estrada, Virada Nirapathpongporn, Brittany Lang and Amanda Blumenherst.

3.90

Cumulative grade point average required to be chosen a Scholar of Distinction by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, an honor bestowed this year on Blue Devil sisters Lauren and Robin Blazing. The two were among 79 players recognized nationwide. Lauren was also named the ACC’s field hockey scholar-athlete of the year.

Draft pick the Detroit Lions used to select Duke’s Laken Tomlinson in the 2015 NFL Draft, making him the Blue Devils’ seventh first-round pick alltime. A four-year starter and consensus All-America guard, Tomlinson joins Dave Brown, Mike Junkin, Bob Matheson, Mike Curtis, Steve Lach and George McAfee as NFL first-rounders.

Duke men’s lacrosse players who have been chosen ACC rookie of the year, most recently Justin Guterding (pictured) this season. The freshman attackman led the ACC in goals entering NCAA play. Past ACC rookies of the year from Duke include Michael Manley (2008), Zack Greer (2005), Matt Danowski (2004) and Scott Diggs (1996).

3175

Viewing surface, in square feet, of the new LED video board to be installed at Wallace Wade Stadium, more than double the size of the previous board. The new video board will measure 75.5 feet wide by 42 feet high. The old board was removed in two segments, which were placed in Koskinen Stadium and Morris Williams Track Stadium.

National championships won by former Duke diver Abby Johnston at the recent USA Diving Synchronized Championships in Greensboro. Johnston teamed with Laura Ryan to claim the women’s 3-meter crown and with Jordan Windle to take the mixed gender 3-meters. She will now compete at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Russia.

117

Career assists dished out by Duke women’s lacrosse senior Kerrin Maurer entering the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, a new all-time school record, breaking the mark previously held by Kristen Waagbo (116). Maurer, a first-team All-ACC pick and Tewaaraton Trophy nominee, leads the team in goals, assists, points and draw controls.

> Blue Devils of the Year

Elizabeth Williams, named Duke’s senior female student-athlete of the year, did things in her sport that were rarely, if ever, done before. The 6-foot-3 center played defense at the highest level and was named the ACC defensive player of the year four straight seasons. No one else in league history ever did that. She was named to the Associated Press All-America team all four years, the first ACC women’s player ever to achieve that feat. She was a first-team All-ACC pick four times, joining fellow Duke alum Alana Beard as the only players in league history on that list. Williams blocked shots like nobody’s business, finishing ninth in NCAA Division I history. She also put enough points on the board to rank as the No. 4 scorer in Duke history. She finished 45 points shy of joining Chris Moreland as the only 2,000-points, 1,000-rebounds player in school history. She trails only Moreland on the all-time rebounding chart. Williams received one of her top honors at the conclusion of her senior season, when the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association named her the national defensive player of the year. A psychology major who intends to pursue a career in medicine, Williams also earned Academic All-America honors as a senior and received the Kay Yow Award as the ACC scholar-athlete of the year for women’s basketball. Williams plans to give pro basketball a shot before taking aim at medical school. She was the No. 4 pick in the recent WNBA Draft, selected by the Connecticut Sun.

JON GARDINER

Football linebacker David Helton was named the Blue Devils’ senior male student-athlete of the year following one of the more decorated campaigns in recent school history. A two-year starter and key contributor to three consecutive bowl seasons, Helton led the ACC in tackles during the 2014 season — his second straight year as the league’s No. 1 hit man — and earned first-team All-ACC honors. But Helton’s laurels extended well beyond the confines of Wallace Wade Stadium. In addition to making the All-ACC Academic Team for the fourth time and earning Academic All-America honors, he won the Jim Tatum Award that is presented annually to the ACC’s top senior football student-athlete. Then he picked up one of the most prestigious honors in college football, the National Football Foundation’s William V. Campbell Trophy. Nicknamed the academic Heisman, it goes to the best football scholar-athlete in the country. Helton’s 3.63 GPA, psychology major and extensive community outreach were as much a part of his Duke persona as his solos, assists and TFLs. He hopes to continue playing football and signed a free agent deal with the New York Jets after the NFL Draft. Whenever football ends, he wants to join the work force, then eventually return to school to pursue an MBA, at which point he will put to good use the $25,000 scholarship he earned from the National Football Foundation as well as a $5,000 Weaver-James-Corrigan ACC postgrad award. “You go, go, go, go, go all the time while you’re in school — I’ve got this exam, all of that,” he said after classes ended and he was preparing for graduation. “Then last week I had a realization that I’m done. I’m done with all of this whole four-year experience that I’ve had, and it was definitely a weird feeling. I’m not going to lie, it was a little sad when it hit me. I had a little mood swing. But I bounced back, and though I’m sad to be leaving, I’m very happy to have had the experience that I had.”

JON GARDINER

Scaling New Heights

High-flying pole vaulter Megan Clark keeps raising the bar By John Roth

As the daughter of a career Army officer, Megan Clark has been on the move her entire life, changing addresses about as often as most people change their oil. She attended 10 different schools during her K-12 years, including high schools in three states. When Clark completed the spring semester at Duke earlier this month, she set a new PR for academic longevity with three consecutive years at the same school. With collegiate stability as her current backdrop, Clark now does most of her moving down the runways of track and field facilities in hot pursuit of athletic PRs. She has developed into one of the top pole vaulters in the nation and is enjoying the best season of her career. With school records, an ACC championship and All-America honors among her 2015 achievements, Clark has enjoyed perhaps the best year of any female athlete at Duke — and it’s not over yet. Her junior year may be in the books academically, but her athletic season is just now reaching its zenith with all the major championship meets on tap this month and next. “I love this time of year,” Clark said just before a recovery workout during semester exams. “School is ending, so we have all the time in the day to pole vault, lift and run, which I think is fantastic. We train all year for these couple of meets, which is stressful, but at the end of the day…I approach it with that mindset that I’m doing the same thing (as usual).

The runway’s the same, the bar’s the same, I’m on the same poles, it’s the same event. “It’s not like I’m a sprinter where I have to compete with people who are standing next to me. I don’t have to strategize about an 800-meter race. I just have to go and do what I’ve been doing.” What Clark has been doing is rising to new heights in one of her sport’s most technical disciplines. Entering the ACC Outdoor Championships May 14-16 in Tallahassee, she had finished either first or second in all 12 meets she had entered this season. That includes first place at the ACC Indoor Championships and second place at NCAA Indoors, feats that led to her selection as the ACC Field Performer of the Year for indoor track. Twice this year she has vaulted 14 feet, 9 inches — her personal best — to break her own Duke indoor and outdoor records. Her first clearance at that mark came at NCAA Indoors and tied the all-time ACC mark. Outdoors it happened at the Duke Invitational, the Blue Devils’ baptismal meet for their new Morris Williams Stadium. Through the first weekend in May, her 14-9 ranked as the third best jump in the country this outdoor season. It’s interesting to note that these high-flying results have all come in the season following her self-described breakout year of 2014. There’s no question Clark set the bar higher as a sophomore by clearing 14 feet for the first time, breaking Duke’s indoor and outdoor marks, qualifying for her first NCAA meet (earning second team All-America indoors) and tying for sixth place at USATF Outdoor Nationals last summer. But it would be too simplistic to view her junior season as merely a product of natural progression and carryover from one year to the next, because there was plenty of breakdown and breakup associated with her breakout campaign. Between last season and this, she changed poles from carbon fiber to fiberglass and also rebuilt her jumping technique — two far-from-trivial factors that gave Clark pause for concern in fall practice when she couldn’t match her sophomore heights. But now that she’s had time to adopt, assimilate and adjust to a more consistent technical model for her runway approach and takeoff, a sky’sthe-limit feeling prevails whenever she plants and launches.

“She was very inconsistent with her run in high school and her first couple of years here,” said Duke associate track coach Shawn Wilbourn, who trains Clark. “So it’s been rebuilding her technique and her rhythm on the runway so she’s more consistent at the takeoff spot. “We’ve lengthened her approach so she can utilize the speed that she has. She’s generating more velocity at the takeoff than she was a year ago. When you can convert that horizontal velocity into vertical velocity, that’s how you go high.” Clark also had to dial up her mental toughness after four poles broke on her in competition last year. She had switched from fiberglass to carbon for her sophomore year to lighten the load she carried down the runway, but too many times they snapped during her swing — most traumatically at the NCAA regional meet, on the jump she needed to qualify for NCAA outdoor nationals. She was never injured on a break, but after the season she decided to minimize that risk and the accompanying mental stress by going back to fiberglass. “I broke one at ACC Indoors at Clemson — there’s a piece of that pole still in the ceiling there,” she noted, able to laugh about it a year later. “I broke one at Penn Relays and then at regionals, so we decided that was not the way to go anymore. “I’m happy now, I trust the poles. I was finding on the other poles that because they kept breaking, I wasn’t trusting them and I wasn’t inverting as well. I wasn’t swinging as well. There’s always that doubt in the back of your mind. Now there’s no doubt in my mind that I’m going to be safe.” “A lot of vaulters, their career would be done because they’d be scared to take off. They’d think the next one is going to break, too,” added Wilbourn. “She was able to overcome that. We got on a different pole brand and she has taken off since she’s overcome that.” Clark first started pole vaulting her freshman year of high school in Virginia, selecting the event at the start of track practice because the coach was handing out Popsicles. There was no fear of heights to overcome because she had become accustomed to flying through the air as a youth gymnast and competitive cheerleader. After earning all-state honors her first year in the sport, Clark’s career JON GARDINER

First In Flight

Charting the Duke women’s pole vault record

CHERYL TREWORGY

MATT BARTON

Megan Clark 2015 ACC champ 2015 All-America

Jillian Schwartz

3x ACC champ 3x All-America 2x Olympian

Indoor Record: 13-5.25 (2001) Outdoor Record: 14-2 (2001)

Amy Fryt

3x ACC champ 2x All-America

Indoor Record: 13-11.25 (2011)

Indoor: 14-5.25 (‘14) Outdoor: 14-7.25 (‘14)

14-9 (‘15) 14-9 (‘15)

began to accelerate when her family moved to New York her sophomore year and she joined the Hudson Valley Flying Circus, a specialized pole vault academy. With more technical instruction to channel her physical gifts, she won the New York state high school championship as a junior, then did the same as a senior in Georgia when her family moved again, to Fort Benning. Clark’s high school in Georgia didn’t officially offer pole vaulting, but Clark’s mother Simona had intently observed virtually all of her daughter’s practices in New York so she assumed coaching duties. Her dad, then Col. Ron Clark (he’s now a brigadier general), videotaped every performance while her older brother Matthew cheered her every clearance, thus creating Team Clark, which has continued to support Megan’s efforts at Duke. Wilbourn began recruiting Clark when she was a prep junior, worked with her in one of his summer camps and eventually offered her a scholarship even though there were other candidates with better credentials. “When I first saw her it was, wow!” Wilbourn recalled. “She was very raw technically, but she had what it takes to jump really high. I didn’t foresee her jumping this high this early. She’s really excelled and put things together. It’s been great to coach her because she’s very coachable. “She went 13 feet one time her junior year (in high school). I watched the video and it wasn’t a clean make. She hit the bar pretty good and it stayed up there. She did it one time, and typically you’re looking for them to do it more than once. But the explosiveness that Megan had and some of the things she was doing — I knew if we could clean up her run and fix her plant that she had the potential.” Now with one year of college remaining, Clark is at the point where potential meets realization, where Team Clark feels the full influence of Team Wilbourn — not just Coach Wilbourn, who has dissected every aspect of Clark’s vault and has been devoted to her athletic development, but also Dr. Makeba Wilbourn, Shawn’s wife, who is a Duke psychology professor and Clark’s academic advisor as she navigates her psychology major, her minors in biology and chemistry and her pre-med curriculum. “I love Duke,” Clark stated. “Athletically the administration couldn’t be more supportive. And on the academic side I love the fact that all of our professors are still professionals in their field so they are doing research and telling you about what gets them excited, not just teaching a course they memorized 50 years ago. I think that’s awesome.” As awesome, perhaps, as flying through the air and over a bar on the way to barrier-breaking accomplishments? “The best feeling in the world is clearing a new height, a new PR, and then falling over on the other side,” she said. “It’s basically in slow motion and you can’t believe what you just did. Pole vaulting is incredibly frustrating in that you can get a lot better technically and still not jump any higher. But those moments when you do, you are off-the-charts excited about it. “It’s one of those things that’s unpredictable and you never really know what’s going to happen — and I think that’s very exciting. Coach thinks it’s very stressful. But it’s just a phenomenal sport.” Following the ACC Outdoor Championships at Tallahassee, Clark was slated to return to Florida for the first round of NCAA competition in Jacksonville. She hopes her performance there qualifies her for a trip to Eugene, Ore., for her first NCAA outdoor national championship meet June 10-13. She has already qualified for the USATF nationals June 2428, also in Eugene.

JON GARDINER

FORT BRAGG PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Megan and her brother place the epaulets of brigadier general on their father, Col. Ronald Clark, during a recent ceremony at Fort Bragg

Coach Wilbourn congratulates Clark on another winning vault

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Double Take

Maguire sisters on course for college success

By Johnny Moore

Twin sisters Lisa (left) and Leona Maguire, freshmen golfers from Cavan, Ireland It’s not surprising that one year into their careers on the Duke women’s golf team, one of the Maguire twins from Ireland has already captured three individual titles and helped lead her Blue Devils to three team titles. It’s what the two have done basically all their lives — play winning golf. At the age of 11, in August of 2006, Leona and Lisa Maguire played at the Under-12 World Golf Championship in Pinehurst, facing 800 competitors from 30 countries. Lisa ended up winning the event, with her twin sister Leona placing in a tie for third. Ever since, they’ve been on their way to stardom as the golf prodigies from Ireland. A month later, they were honored by their country and the golfing world when they were chosen to bring the Ryder Cup to the stage during the presentation ceremony after Europe’s win at the K Club against the USA. They went on to build amazing golf resumes to be so young. Leona won 20 amateur titles, advanced to the second round of match play at the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur, was the youngest player in history to win the British Ladies’ Open stroke play in 2011 and was the first Irish golfer to win the Irish Girls Open stroke play championship in 2012, beating an international field by eight shots. Lisa won the 2011 European Ladies Amateur and Spanish Ladies Amateur, the 2009 Irish Women’s Amateur and Irish Women’s Amateur stroke play championship and the European U16 tournament. Leona and Lisa were three-time winners of the All-Ireland Schools Championship. And in 2010, the sisters became the youngest players to compete in the Curtis Cup as part of the Great Britain & Ireland team. To say they have been successful in the golfing world would be an

JON GARDINER

understatement. They have been incredibly successful — and have been on the radar of Duke coach Dan Brooks for a long time. “Everybody was hot on the Maguires early on,” explained Brooks, now in his 30th year as the Blue Devils’ head coach. “I contacted them and the response was lukewarm. It was my understanding they were leaning away from going to college, even though they are very good students and both their parents are educators and are the kind of kids that could do well at a place like Duke. But at that time, they were all about golf. “It really wasn’t until their senior year in high school that they changed their minds. The first time I really saw them play, although I had seen them on video and felt I knew all about them, was in late November in Texas in an event called the Spirit Trophy,” Brooks continued. While both showed they knew their way around a golf course, Brooks was very concerned about the intangibles of being a part of the Duke women’s golf program, one of the most successful in college golf with six national championships. “They are both real quiet and very serious about their golf,” said Brooks. “I could see they were very good golfers, but what I needed to find out was what their personality would be like on a team. That was my main concern. Are they going to be good team members? Are they going to laugh and enjoy being on a team, and is that going to lend a good thing to the chemistry of the team? Or are they going to be so devoted to work that they won’t be a lot of fun to be around? “In Texas I talked with the captain of the team and she said they come from a very hard working part of Ireland,” he added. “They are hard workers, but once you get to know them they are extremely respectful, they will enjoy being on a team and being part of a team, and we have

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Leona Maguire down the stretch • Three individual titles: Darius Rucker Intercollegiate (won in playoff) ACC Championship (won in playoff) NCAA South Regional Championship • ACC Player of the Year • ACC Rookie of the Year • Ranked No. 1 nationally (Golfweek/Sagarin)

TIM COWIE

found them to be extremely good team members of our team here at Duke. You couldn’t ask for two better team members.” Initially the twins weren’t really sure what they were going to do after high school, but finally decided with their parents Declan and Breda, both school teachers, that coming to the United States, competing on the college level and attending college would be the best thing for both of them and their golf games. “College golf has been getting stronger and stronger and many of the top LPGA players attended college, so we knew we would be playing against the best players,” explained Leona, who is the oldest by 15 minutes. “Then there is the academic part, which is great. So it was a great combination of golf and academics, along with a coach that had won six national championships.” While they were veterans when it came to playing golf all over the world, like any college freshmen there were some adjustments to be made to this new world. “Going off to college is a shock for anyone, but the first couple of weeks were quite a culture shock for us as we tried to adapt to life over here,” said Lisa, who noted that because of their strong Irish accents, they get asked all the time if they are from New Zealand or Scotland or Australia. “Back home we are from a very small town where everyone

knows everyone. Just moving to a place that has a lot more people from various backgrounds was very interesting. But we have found that it’s always nice to meet new people and experience new places.” Their hometown of Cavan is located in the northern part of the Republic of Ireland, bordering Northern Ireland, and has a population of 3,607. Duke University alone has over 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students, with the population of the city of Durham sitting at over 245,000. At one point the twins looked at possibly going to different colleges, but decided it would be better to be together. “Growing up, we did everything together, so it was natural that we both went into golf together as well,” said Lisa. “It’s nice to have someone with you when you’re practicing, but it’s quite competitive when we’re practicing. We looked at a number of colleges and thought at one time that we might split up and go to different schools, but in the end we both felt Duke was the right place.” Along with the number of people and the academics, they have had to adjust to playing against some of the top players in collegiate golf and to being members of a team. While they have been on Curtis Cup teams and other national teams in Ireland, being part of a team on an everyday basics was something different.

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“Going from junior golf to college golf is a big change,” explained Leona. “When you play against some of the top players in the country day in and day out in practice, it definitely brings on your game.” “The dynamics of playing on a team has been very interesting,” added Lisa. “To know that you have support in your matches and you aren’t out there all by yourself has been different but something we have enjoyed — a lot of fun and something we have taken time to get used to.” They have also enjoyed working with and learning from the all-time winningest coach in women’s college golf in Dan Brooks. “His strategies are tried and tested and just not guesswork. It makes it very reassuring to a player,” said Lisa. In September when Leona shot a second-round 66 and tied for second at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate, it appeared to be a coming out party for the talented Blue Devil who was playing in just her second collegiate event. Instead, it was a turning point. She played the back nine at Reunion Resort’s Watson Course in 1-over for the final round, missing out on her first collegiate title by a stroke. The runnerup showing was fantastic, but that almost-had-it feeling provided motivation. “She said after the tournament ended that she was even more motivated to win,” said Duke assistant coach Jeanne Cho. “She’s been playing really well. Knowing how close she was and yet she hadn’t had that win yet, that motivated her to seal the deal.” In the spring Leona broke through with her first individual title as she won in a playoff at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, helping to lead her Blue Devils teammates to a team title as well. “It is great,” Leona commented about getting the victory. “I was pretty close in the fall to getting a win and to especially do it the way I did it in a playoff, it was really nice.” Leona needed a birdie on the final hole at the Long Cove Club course in Hilton Head to force the playoff with LSU senior Madelene Sagstrom, a fellow European who hails from Sweden. The two returned to the 18th tee box to begin the playoff, and Leona came up with another birdie to

claim the win after just one hole. “Madelene and I had a pretty great battle down the home stretch. I played a lot of golf with her back in Europe. I knew she was a tough competitor, so to get a win like that, in that style, I definitely won’t forget that one for awhile.” “Leona’s back-to-back birdies on 18, for the individual win, were outstanding,” said Brooks. “One of the most impressive things I’ve seen as a coach.” Leona added her second title of the season, once again in a playoff, when the Blue Devils competed at the ACC Championships in late April. She carded rounds of 68-68-70 for a 10-under 206 total through 54 holes at Sedgefield in Greensboro, tying her with Virginia senior Briana Mao. Leona birdied the second playoff hole to become Duke’s latest ACC individual champ — the eighth Blue Devil freshman to win the conference’s top honor. “It is as pretty much as dramatic as it gets,” Leona said. “Me and Briana had a great battle all day today. It was tied right up to the very end. To come out on top, after such a long tournament…is just great. “I’ve been playing pretty solid all year,” she added. “It feels really good to get the win. To get an ACC title, it doesn’t really get much better than that.” Shortly thereafter, Leona was named the ACC player of the year as well as the ACC rookie of the year, a double that has been achieved just three other times in conference history — by Duke alums Lindy Duncan (2010), Amanda Blumenherst (2006) and Beth Bauer (1999). Duke finished second in the ACC team chase, then turned its attention to NCAA play – the Maguire sisters very much a part of the lineup for the climactic events of the college golf season. Leona was the top-rated golfer in the national Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, teammate Celine Boutier stood 10th and the Blue Devils sixth as a team when the six-time NCAA championship program teed off at regionals. Maguire and Boutier placed first and second individually and paced Duke to the regional team championship, propelling the Blue Devils on to nationals May 2227 at Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla.

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How Duke quickly put together another blockbuster recruiting class By Al Featherston Luke Kennard led USA Basketball’s Junior National Select Team with 22 points in the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit at Portland It was hard to worry about the future on that glorious Monday night in Indianapolis as Duke cut down the nets after winning the 2015 NCAA men’s basketball championship. The Blue Devils had reached the pinnacle of college basketball — again. But they did it with a senior and three potential one-and-done freshmen in the starting lineup. It was hard not to think about Kentucky three years earlier. The Wildcats won the 2012 NCAA title with a very similar team to the Duke squad that beat Wisconsin in Indy. It also featured three one-and-done freshmen in the starting lineup. A year later, Kentucky was playing in the NIT, losing to Robert Morris in the first round. That’s the blessing and the curse of the one-and-done era. It’s now possible to win big with freshman-dominated teams, but there’s always the specter of reloading a year later. For Duke, the outlook for 2015-16 began to look bleak in the days following the championship and the wild celebration in Cameron upon the team’s return. All-America freshman Jahlil Okafor, long assumed to be a one-and-done prospect, confirmed that he was leaving for the NBA on April 9, just three days after the title win in Indianapolis. Five days later, forward Justise Winslow, whose strong play down the stretch marked him as a likely one-and-done candidate, followed Okafor out the door. That left point guard Tyus Jones, the Most Outstanding Player of

the Final Four. Unlike Okafor and Winslow, both projected to be top 10 picks in the draft, Jones was usually relegated to the back end of the first round. Some Duke fans held out hope that Jones — who was also an excellent student who made the Academic All-ACC team — would return for his sophomore year. Instead, Jones announced on April 15th that he, too, was declaring for the draft. The triple defections, along with the impending graduation of senior guard Quinn Cook, left coach Mike Krzyzewski with a massive rebuilding job to do if Duke was going to avoid Kentucky’s post-championship fate. It took him 12 days to reload the Duke roster and turn the Blue Devils into a national contender again. While it may be a bit optimistic to suggest that next year’s team will have the same kind of postseason success as this past Blue Devil squad, it’s now certain that Duke will be projected as a preseason top 10 team and one that will start the season in the national championship hunt. That wasn’t the case in the hours following Jones’ departure to the NBA. At that point, Coach K had some very nice pieces, but also a very limited roster. He had just seven scholarship players left. He lacked a point guard and a wing forward. He had four solid post players, but none of them seemed suited to play on the wing for any extended period. That

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meant that his three combo guards — Matt Jones, Grayson Allen and newcomer Luke Kennard — would basically need to average 40 minutes a game to fill the three perimeter spots … while one of them turned himself into a point guard. Is it any wonder that the NIT looked like a distinct possibility at that point? Of course, Krzyzewski recognized the problem and he was working to correct it. He had long pursued Brandon Ingram, a slender 6-9 wing forward from Kinston, N.C., whose stock was skyrocketing in the class of 2015. During the practices for the McDonald’s All-American Game in Chicago, Ingram was cited as one of the most impressive players on the floor. A week later, at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, he won similar accolades for his work in practice, although he was overshadowed in the game by Kennard, the Duke recruit who led the U.S. team in scoring. Duke had long been considered in good shape for Ingram, despite competition from North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas. In fact, one rumor that gained credence midway during the season was that Ingram, who grew up a Blue Devil fan, was just waiting to make sure Winslow was turning pro before committing to Duke. He wanted to make sure the chance to win the starting small forward spot was going to be there in Durham. But the departure of Jones may have changed that. Ingram also wanted to play for a team that had a chance to compete for the national title and the loss of Duke’s point guard (and his 2015 backup, Cook) left the young forward uncertain. “Seeing Tyus leave kind of shocked me,” Ingram told WRAL-TV. Krzyzewski had not recruited a point guard in the class of 2015. The supposition was always that he expected Jones to stay two years … or maybe he just didn’t like the looks of any 2015 point guards. It was a

weak class for the position, while the class of 2016 is loaded with point guards. At any rate, Jones’ spectacular play this season vaulted him out the door after one year. That’s another curse of the one-and-done era — if your star freshman has a disappointing first year you might keep him longer, but if he excels (as Jones did) it increases the chances that he goes pro after one year. Krzyzewski was heavily involved with two Class of 2016 point guards — Dennis Smith Jr. of Fayetteville, N.C., and Derryck Thornton of Findlay Prep in Las Vegas. Thornton was a guest at the Duke-UNC game in Cameron on February 18 and after the game, the Blue Devil coaches talked to Thornton about reclassifying. He was originally a member of the Class of 2015 and had already reclassified once in the other direction. He could graduate from high school this spring and enroll at Duke next year. While Thornton considered his options, Krzyzewski looked at some alternate scenarios. One of them involved another standout from the Hoop Summit game. Canadian combo guard Jamal Murray, another 2016 prospect who might reclassify, was the outstanding player for the winning International team. Duke looked into his situation. Krzyzewski also reportedly explored the interest of Villanova combo guard Dylan Ennis (the older brother of former Syracuse star Tyler Ennis) who could have transferred and been eligible immediately. While that drama was going on behind the scenes, Krzyzewski added his first new piece to his 2015 recruiting class, landing 6-11, 270-poind Antonio Vrankovic, the son of former NBA big man Stojko Vrankovic. The young big man is not likely to have much impact next season. He’s more of a developmental prospect. But his size and strength could come in handy in two years, after Duke loses center Marshall Plumlee and power forward Amile Jefferson to graduation.

During the practices for the McDonald’s All-American Game in Chicago, Ingram was cited as one of the most impressive players on the floor

Brandon Ingram scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting at the McDonald’s All-American Game, then had 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting at the Nike Hoop Summit

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Vrankovic still didn’t answer Duke’s glaring hole in the backcourt, but that was filled on April 21, just six days after Jones’ announcement, when Thornton committed to Duke. “Once Tyus declared, Duke came after me hard,” Thornton said. “Coach K and Jeff Capel came in for the visit and they told me how much confidence they have in me to be their point guard next year. They were very prepared about my game and their plan for me. “They told me they could have gone after fifth-year transfers but wanted me instead.” Thornton’s announcement apparently soothed Ingram’s concerns and helped him decide to play for the Blue Devils. “I was talking to Derryck Thornton a little bit and we wanted to play together at Duke next year,” Ingram explained to WRAL-TV after making his announcement on April 27 — just 12 days after Jones’ departure had made Duke’s immediate future look so bleak. Now Duke will welcome the nation’s top-rated recruiting class for the second straight year. That dangerously slim seven-man roster now includes 10 scholarship players, five in the post and five on the perimeter. Krzyzewski will have a lot of options next season. In the post, he can mix and match seniors Jefferson and Plumlee with Rice transfer Sean Obi — a proven rebounder (he led Conference USA in rebounding as a freshman) — and freshman Chase Jeter, a slender, long-armed prep All-America who runs the court well, possesses an effective jump hook and is developing as a shot blocker. That quartet has the potential to be better defensively and on the boards next season than what Duke got in 2015, although there isn’t likely to be the same offensive threat that Okafor provided. Ingram, a painfully thin 6-9, 200-pound forward, could also play some at the 4-spot — as Justise Winslow did last season — or he could slide in at small forward, while his combination of outside shooting skill and slashing ability could make him a potent offensive force. But Coach K has a lot of options on the wing. Rising sophomore Grayson Allen showed off his star potential in the national title game. Rising junior Matt Jones started in the NCAA Tournament and emerged as a defensive force. Kennard showed off his immense offensive skills in the Hoop Summit. Of course, a lot will depend on how Thornton performs at the point. He’s more physically gifted than Jones, but isn’t at the same level as an instinctive playmaker. He has great skill, however, and should be able

to develop into a quality college point guard. Certainly over the last two seasons, Tyler Ennis at Syracuse and Tyus Jones at Duke have proven that a freshman point guard can quarterback a top 10 team. It will be another very young Duke team. It’s too early to guess how the pieces fit together, but few teams have as many promising pieces. Duke appears to be in very good shape going into next season. After the April exodus of talent, that’s almost as remarkable an achievement as winning the 2015 national title with four freshmen playing major roles. CAMERON BROWNE/USA BASKETBALL

Before playing in the Nike Hoop Summit and the McDonald’s All-American Game, Chase Jeter helped his Bishop Gorman High School team win a fourth consecutive state championship in Nevada, averaging 23.6 points and 12.4 rebounds per game in the playoffs

Grayson Allen and Marshall Plumlee are two of the four regulars returning from the 2015 NCAA champs

JON GARDINER

Precedent vs. Prescience? Five things to look for next basketball season By Barry Jacobs

You can almost see the future from here, and without a crystal ball. Of course any look farther ahead than the tips of your fingers is written on air. Fortune and misfortune, that most mercurial of married couples, have a way of interfering with what you think is bound to happen. Who could imagine, for instance, a 10-member squad would be whittled down to eight by a transfer and a player’s dismissal from the program, and the team, with four freshmen, would go on to win the national championship? Or that preseason back surgery undergone by the head coach could throw an entire program into a tailspin on the heels of seven Final Four visits in nine years? Still, when it comes to Duke men’s basketball, it’s safe to say you can almost see some things before they happen. This is less prescience than precedent. True enough, the known will dissolve sooner or later, transformed from norm to pleasant memory. It’s also true neither performance nor effort can be taken for granted. Yet for now there’s every chance we know a few essentials about a 2015-16 Duke squad that has yet to practice a day together:

• Regardless of schedule, injuries, or other vicissitudes of the game, the Blue Devils will win around 30 games. Over the 32 years since a Mike Krzyzewski club first made the NCAA Tournament, Duke has averaged 28.5 victories. Set aside the 1995 season, when an ailing Krzyzewski was present for only 12 of 31 games, and 1996, the so-called “bridge” season in which the program scraped and clawed to an 18-13 record, and the Devils have averaged better than 29 victories year since Krzyzewski got established. As a matter of fact, Duke has won at least 30 games in 14 seasons under Krzyzewski, including 35 in 2015. That total of 30-win marks is the most by any coach in Division I history. The Devils have won 30 or more games in 11 of the last 18 seasons, five of the past seven. You might say they’ve hit a stride. • Duke will surmount a personnel challenge similar to one it previously confronted, and handled adroitly. In 2000 Krzyzewski had to compensate for three Blue Devils leaving early to start pro careers — post player Elton Brand, forward Corey

JON GARDINER

Matt Jones (left) and Amile Jefferson (right) will join Marshall Plumlee as captains of the 2015-16 Blue Devils Maggette and playmaker William Avery. That was the first time Duke was affected by early departures, a trend which had afflicted other prominent programs (think UNC) with some regularity for nearly two decades. The ’99 exodus mirrors the adjustment looming in 2016, when Duke must move forward without post player Jahlil Okafor, forward Justise Winslow and playmaker Tyus Jones. This is the first time the Blue Devils lost multiple freshmen in the same draft, but that’s little surprise given current conditions in basketball. Back in 1999, combination guard Trajan Langdon, a senior, was the fourth key player to go, earning a degree following a season that ended in the national championship game. But the squad retained Chris Carrawell, the surprise ACC player of the year in 2000, sophomore Shane Battier, and redshirt junior Nate James. A highly-touted group of freshmen featuring Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer and Mike Dunleavy also came aboard. This go-round, the invaluable, versatile senior guard was Quinn Cook, and Duke not only reached the title contest, but won it. Four regulars return — Grayson Allen, Amile Jefferson, Matt Jones, Marshall Plumlee. They’re bolstered by perhaps the nation’s top recruiting class in center Antonio Vrankovic, forwards Chase Jeter and Brandon Ingram, wing Luke Kennard, and point guard Derryck Thornton. As for that 2000 squad, despite the unexpected personnel losses, it managed to win 29 games, losing just five. Right on Krzyzewski’s stride. The following year, with everyone back except Carrawell, Duke won the NCAA championship. • Duke will reach the NCAA Tournament, and Mike Krzyzewski will set more records. All good streaks must come to an end. Take last season’s January loss against Miami, the Blue Devils’ first defeat at Cameron in three years. They were thumped by a Hurricanes squad that picked them apart behind the dribble penetration of its guards, setting up Krzyzewski’s liberal resort to a season-saving zone in the following game at Louisville. The Miami defeat ended Duke’s 41-game home winning streak, at the time the longest in the nation and tied for third-longest in ACC history. But other streaks endure, none more remarkable than the regularity

with which Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils visit the NCAA Tournament. Last year Duke made its 20th straight trip to the NCAAs, tied for the most ever. That pushed Krzyzewski’s squads to 31 NCAA appearances, also tied for the most ever. In other words, while there is no such creature as a sure thing this side of mortality, Duke making it to the NCAAs comes close. The last time the Devils didn’t make it was 1995, when Krzyzewski was absent from the bench. Put him there, and they’re going again in 2016, breaking records for appearances along the way. • A top-four finish in the 15-member ACC is a near-certainty. Duke has finished lower than fourth in the ACC only twice since 1984. Once was 1995. The other time was 2007, when a young team dropped eight of its last dozen games, twice enduring four-game losing streaks. The Blue Devils haven’t lost more than two in a row in the eight seasons since. Last year’s NCAA championship squad finished second in the ACC, the 22nd time in the past 30 seasons Duke ended the league race among the top two finishers. Such consistent excellence in a competitive conference reflects many aspects of Krzyzewski’s program, among them an unflagging resolve to prepare thoroughly for every contest. Rarely does a Duke team lose to an opponent it should beat. • There will be a Plumlee on Duke’s roster for the eighth straight year. Plumlees hustling in the paint to various effect have become a Duke staple. First there was Miles. Then there were Miles and Mason. Then it was Mason and Marshall. Since 2014 it’s been just Marshall. In 2015, operating largely as a complement to Okafor, 7-foot Marshall Plumlee appeared in the most games for the most minutes of his career. No one expects the aggressive fifth-year senior, redshirted in 2012, to step into the starting lineup. But he has grown from awkward to adequate, and sometimes more, in short bursts of action. The last of the Plumlee brothers will end his career as co-captain of a team needing experience, steady leadership, and the continuity that defines Duke’s program and continues to produce predictably pleasant results.

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Growing Pains

Excessive injuries leave Duke baseball looking forward to a healthier 2016 By Jim Sumner

Senior righthander Andrew Istler emerged as the heartbeat of the Blue Devils’ depleted pitching staff Duke baseball coach Chris Pollard, pitching coach Andrew See and recruiting coordinator Jason Jordan scour the nation looking for the kind of power arms necessary to compete in the ACC. The results have been encouraging. Last year’s staff was good enough to get Duke to the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2009. Duke’s team ERA was 3.14, the program’s lowest since 1971, when wooden bats were still being used. Duke was second in the ACC in strikeouts at almost one per inning. Duke augmented this pitching with solid defense and timely hitting from a veteran squad. But after the season, starter Drew Van Orden and closer Robert Huber were drafted and began their professional careers, while much of the offense graduated. Duke hoped to continue its upward trajectory this season with a blend of returning pitching and freshman position players. But that was before losing their weekend rotation to injury. Lefty Trent Swart, the ACC’s ERA leader last season (1.76), underwent season-ending elbow surgery last December. Swart joined highly-regarded redshirt sophomore James Marvel, who sat out this season after elbow surgery. Both are expected back next season. It got worse after the season began. Junior right-hander Michael Matuella, considered a likely top-five pick in this June’s draft, was lost for the season in late March with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Matuella had compiled a 1.08 earned run average in 25 innings before his season ended. Pollard still expects Matuella to be a first-round pick in June. Duke also lost sophomore reliever Nick Hendrix to a head injury. With so many injuries, Duke has had to cobble together a pitching staff and the results have been mixed. Andrew Istler has been the one constant. The senior doesn’t fit the power-arm mold. A modest 5-11, 180 pounds, Istler wins by inducing one ground ball after another, enough to beat then No. 5 Louisville 2-1 in mid-April and take a 5-4 record with a 3.11 ERA into the final weekend of the season. “He takes the ball whenever you ask him to and does whatever you

ask him to do,” Pollard says. “He can work on short rest and is a tough competitor. I don’t know where we’d be without him.” See adds that Istler is the “heartbeat of the staff. He’s quiet but he’s a leader by example. He’s a bulldog on the mound. He’s a grinder.” Istler does all this without actually throwing a sinker. “My fastball and change have a natural sink,” he says. “I have adrenalin going early. I lose some off my fastball as the game progresses, but I also get more sink. Strikeouts are great, but I try to get early contact, try to get the defense going. I trust our defense.” Bailey Clark, a 6-5 sophomore from Asheville, pitched well enough early to be named ACC Pitcher of the Week after a 1-0 win over Iona in February and shut down North Carolina in March. But Bailey has been bothered by tendinitis in his arm and has struggled to replicate that early success. Kenny Koplove, Duke’s Swiss Army Knife, has seized the closer role. A very good prep pitcher in Philadelphia, Koplove pitched two innings for Duke in 2013, allowing five runs. He’s played in the field since then and remains Duke’s starting shortstop. But he came to Pollard in the offseason and asked if he could give pitching another try. Pollard agreed and says Koplove has “been terrific after not pitching for two seasons.” He posted a school record 11 saves in his first 19 relief appearances this year, with a 1.99 ERA. But the bullpen too often comes in with Duke behind. Overall the pitching has been decent but not dominant, and decent hasn’t always been good enough. Plus, 14 Duke players are freshmen and Pollard has had as many as seven of them on the field at the same time. The class was ranked 16th nationally by Perfect Game but the ACC is a tough place to play sink-or-swim. Duke lost three one-run games — all ACC contests — in a one-week span in late March and early April, a sure sign of growing pains. Pollard says Duke needs to take the step from being good enough to compete to good enough to win. While a few of the freshmen have had their confidence shaken, rookie Pete Zyla seems to have figured it out. One of three freshmen from the fertile Atlanta prep circuit, Zyla owned a team-best .327 batting average entering the season’s final week.

JON GARDINER

Atlanta products Mitch Stallings (P) and Peter Zyla (RF) have been big-impact freshmen for a young Blue Devil roster

“My best tool is hitting for average,” Zyla says. “I just have to take advantage of that.” Zyla primarily has played right field but figures to be in the mix to replace catcher Mike Rosenfeld next season. Seniors Istler, Rosenfeld, second baseman Andy Perez and reliever Sarkis Ohanian have all had solid seasons and Pollard says they’d all earned the right to stay on the field as the season wound down. Perez is one of the ACC’s leading base-stealers, the only Duke player near the top in any offensive category. What about freshman pitchers? Most ACC-level pitchers show up expecting to strike out everyone and See has to change that perspective. “Pitch low in the zone, pitch to contact, trust your defense,” he notes. “When you pitch to contact, you get ahead in the count. Once you’re ahead in the count, batters chase pitches and you get strikeouts.” Freshman Mitch Stallings, another Atlanta product, has embraced See’s emphasis on efficiency. Stallings was deemed Duke’s most efficient pitcher last fall. Pollard also says that Stallings rivals Istler as the team’s most competitive player. “I’m a huge competitor,” Stallings agrees. “In my mind, in a big moment, I want the ball. I want to go in and make an impact.” Other freshmen have begun to carve out roles. Jack Labosky has effectively pitched and played infield. Pollard says Labosky will continue to be a position player but may not be needed on the mound next season, especially if the injured arms get healthy and freshmen like Chris McGrath — the third Atlanta product — Luke Whitten and Ryan Day continue to develop. Development is the magic word, individually and as a team. Most of the Blue Devils will play in the wooden-bat summer leagues, which Pollard considers especially important for his young position players. Duke also expects to bring in more nationally-ranked recruiting classes. Pollard credits the “sweat equity” of his coaching staff and the athletic-academic combination that makes Duke what he calls “an easy sale.” Zyla and Stallings both cited Duke’s academics in their decisions to come to Durham — not a unique insight but a crucial one for Duke’s recruiting efforts. Stallings says that his class has key “pieces to the puzzle,” while Zyla sees an NCAA Tournament in his Duke future. “Coach Pollard has been able to turn around programs,” Zyla says. “We’ve had growing pains but I see a lot of positives in this class. With some experience, we have a great opportunity to build this program.” Duke had a 28-21 overall record and 8-18 ACC mark entering the last week of the season.

Compliance

Quiz

The Duke Compliance Office is responsible for education and enforcement of NCAA rules. NCAA rules are vast and complex, and we hope you read the information below as an introduction to a few of the issues that could arise as you root for the Blue Devils. If you have any questions about NCAA rules, please contact the Compliance Office at 919613-6214. We truly appreciate your continued support of Duke University and Duke Athletics. Always remember to ask before you act. Question: A local booster would like to invite the Duke men’s lacrosse team to a meal to celebrate the team’s academic success during the fall semester. The meal would be IMPERMISSIBLE if: (A) It was provided on campus. (B) It was provided at the booster’s home. (C) It was provided at the booster’s favorite restaurant. (D) The booster offered standard transportation from campus to the location of the meal. (E) Any of the above. It is impermissible for a booster to provide a meal to the team at any time/location. Answer: C. On special occasions, a booster may provide a team or members of a team with an occasional meal, provided the meal is held at the booster’s home or on campus. If the meal is hosted at the booster’s home, it is permissible for him/her to provide reasonable local transportation to attend the meal. Finally, all meals of this type must be approved in advance by the Duke Athletics Compliance Office.

Duke Compliance 919-613-6214 33

> The Final Round

Wrestling: “This is going to be a thing from now on” By Leslie Gaber When Duke All-America Conner Hartmann headed to St. Louis in March to compete at the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships, he was happy to be joined by a whole group of Blue Devil teammates. The team sent a program-record five wrestlers to the national meet, with freshman Mitch Finesilver (133 pounds), redshirt junior Marcus Cain (149), sophomore Jacob Kasper (184) and Hartmann (197) all garnering automatic bids and redshirt senior Immanuel Kerr-Brown (157) capturing an at-large berth. “There are a lot of teams out there who expect to send lots of people to nationals,” Hartmann said. “That’s something that I’ve expected and it’s something that’s finally come to fruition. It’s really nice to have my teammates outnumbering the coaches. That’s a great feeling.” The Blue Devils’ five NCAA qualifiers point to a shift that has the program trending upward under the direction of head coach Glen Lanham and assistants Will Rowe and Ben Wissel. Lanham has seen nine individuals qualify for the national meet in his three seasons, two more than Duke had combined in the eight years prior to his taking over the reins in 2012. Those bids came on the heels of a historic regular season that saw the squad defeat a pair of Big Ten opponents in Maryland and Michigan State and post 11 dual meet victories, the most for the program since the 2004-05 campaign. In addition, the Blue Devils turned in a fourth-place showing at the 2015 ACC Championships, marking their highest finish since 2004. It was the Blue Devils’ performances at ACCs that solidified Duke’s St. Louis-bound contingent. For first-time qualifiers Finesilver, Cain and Kasper, the presence of their teammates eased anxieties about making their debuts on the national stage. “You’re going with half your team, so it’s not like you’re going by yourself, for sure,” Kasper said. “Guys are cutting weight, they know what you’re feeling like. You’ve got guys that you can go to and talk to, no matter if you’re at the highest high or the lowest low. And you definitely get them in this sport. So to have guys that you can lean on like that, it’s definitely important.” Kasper and Finesilver, the youngest grapplers of the five, both gained valuable experience despite bowing out of the NCAAs after two matches. Kasper concluded the season with a 24-12 ledger while Finesilver wrapped up an impressive rookie campaign after facing the No. 2 seed in the 133-pound division in his opening match. Upperclassmen Cain, Kerr-Brown and Hartmann all moved on to the second day of the meet, marking the first time Duke had advanced more than two wrestlers past the opening day of competition. At 149 pounds, Cain rebounded from a first-round loss to the No. 5 seed to pin Chattanooga’s Shawn Greevy in just 36 seconds, marking the fastest fall of his career. Cain was then pitted against Garrett Schaner of Stanford in the consolation second round, and put up a hard-fought effort before falling in a narrow 7-6 decision. Duke captain Kerr-Brown opened action in St. Louis with a thrilling match against Maryland’s Louis Mascola at 157 pounds. After Mascola jumped out to a 6-1 advantage, Kerr-Brown was able to close the gap in the second and third periods but ultimately fell, 11-10. The redshirt senior from Rome, Ga., who also advanced to day two at the 2014 NCAA meet, quickly put that match behind him, breezing

through the consolation pigtail match with a major decision and hanging on for a 4-2 victory over Brooks Martino of Penn. In the consolation second round, Kerr-Brown scored a 5-3 upset of No. 8 seed John Boyle of American in a match that required overtime, before seeing his run cut short with a 4-3 loss to Ohio’s Spartak Chino. Although Kerr-Brown and Cain saw their Duke careers come to an end on day two of the NCAA meet, both are proud of what they accomplished during their time in Durham and the direction the program is headed. “I feel really privileged to be a part of this team and the change we’ve made here,” Kerr-Brown said. “This is going to be a thing from now on, what we’re doing here. We’re sending guys that want to make noise, that want to do something big at nationals. I’m just excited to be a part of it.” The most experienced of Duke’s five NCAA selections, Hartmann made his third appearance at nationals, having earned All-America honors last year with a fifth-place finish in the 197-pound division. He became the first Blue Devil to win an ACC title at that weight this year and was seeded 10th entering nationals despite being ranked seventh for much of the season. That seeding provided a little extra motivation for Hartmann, who says the coaches often encourage him to “wrestle with a chip on my shoulder.” After rolling through his opening match in St. Louis, Hartmann was matched up with seventh-seeded Abram Ayala of Princeton. Outstanding all the way through, he capitalized with nearly two minutes of riding time to earn a 5-2 victory. The decision gave him a spot in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. Hartmann’s run continued when he outlasted No. 2 seed Morgan McIntosh of Penn State in an exciting 3-2 match. He secured All-America accolades in the process, joining former Blue Devil Konrad Dudziak as the second two-time All-America in Duke history. In the semifinals, he faced a three-time All-America in No. 3 seed Kyven Gadson of Iowa State. Trailing 2-0 after an early takedown, Hartmann was unable to overcome Gadson in a 4-1 loss — just his third of the entire season. The Blue Devil standout went on to finish sixth in the division for a spot on the podium, concluding his 2014-15 campaign with an overall record of 29-5. Duke’s 14 points accumulated as a team during the NCAA Championship marked the most for the program since 2009. Perhaps less tangible but equally as significant was the exposure gained with five Duke singlets taking to the mats at the Scottrade Center. The 2015 edition of the national meet drew an NCAA-record 113,013 fans over the three days, while all six sessions were broadcast either on ESPN or ESPNU. For the Blue Devils, next year’s NCAA Championships in Madison Square Garden may now seem a long ways off, but the future remains bright for the returning squad and its dedicated coaching staff. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the coaches,” Kasper said. “They pitched the idea of buying into a program that is turning around and being part of a change and becoming a key factor and building something special. But more importantly, they bought into who I was and believed in me. When I told them my goals, they told me they full-heartedly believed I could accomplish them here, and that they would do anything possible to see me achieve them.”