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 8-14.
Track and field
The Blue Devil women won their first-ever solo conference championship this weekend over in Raleigh, where they also broke the all-time ACC points record with 145.5 to their winning name. The Duke men wrapped up a strong effort in eighth. At the meet’s helm was sophomore Megan McGinnis’ gold medal and personal best in the 400m dash on the women’s side, while on the men’s it was all about senior Tyler Hrbek’s first-place finish and new personal record in the pole vault. The team will not break for summer yet: A number of Blue Devils look to compete in the NCAA East Regional in Jacksonville, Fla., starting May 24. -Sophie Levenson
Men’s lacrosse
It took until the third quarter for the top-seeded Blue Devils to get rolling Sunday evening, but they ultimately overcame an early deficit to down Delaware 12-11 at Koskinen Stadium. Sophomore attackman Andrew McAdorey and senior attackman Dyson Williams each put forth a hat trick to pace Duke (14-2, 5-1 in the ACC) throughout a difficult contest against a feisty Blue Hens team and secure a spot in the NCAA quarterfinals. Up next is a date with Big Ten champions Michigan in Albany, N.Y., Saturday. -Andrew Long
Men’s tennis
A historic season came to an end for No. 12-seed Duke Saturday, as the Blue Devils fell to No. 5-seed Virginia 4-0 in the NCAA Super Regionals. Duke (22-7, 11-1) relinquished the doubles point as Garrett Johns and Pedro Rodenas lost only their second match in three months. Johns, Andrew Zhang and Faris Khan all fell in singles to give the Cavaliers a clean sweep. However, the season is not over for two Blue Devils, because beginning May 22, Johns and Rodenas will compete in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships in Orlando, Fla. -Ranjan Jindal
Baseball
After an April surge that vaulted Duke to No. 9 nationally, the Blue Devils took a step back this week. First, they split a pair of competitive games against Rider, who projects to make the NCAA tournament as a mid-major. Then, when Georgia Tech came to town for a weekend series, Duke’s usually-reliable pitching faltered and cost it the series. An 8-5 loss Sunday put the Blue Devils (34-16, 15-11) half a game back of Miami and Virginia in the Coastal division entering the final week of the regular season. The Coastal division title and playoff implications are on the line next weekend, as the team travels south to face the Hurricanes starting Thursday at 7 p.m. after a midweek bout with Gardner-Webb. -Fenoglio
Softball
After a 7-1 victory against Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals and a no-hitter from freshman pitcher Cassidy Curd in the semifinals against Clemson, No. 2-seed Duke had a chance at the ACC tournament title Saturday against No. 1-seed Florida State. The Blue Devils (45-10, 19-5) went toe-to-toe with the No. 1 seed, but hope turned to heartbreak when Bethaney Keen hit a walk-off single for the Seminoles, sealing the game 2-1. Despite the loss, the Blue Devils are set to host a second-straight regional in the NCAA tournament starting noon Friday against George Mason. Curd and junior Jala Wright will anchor Duke’s pitching staff, while sophomore slugger Ana Gold and freshman D’Auna Jennings will have to step up at the plate. -Dom Fenoglio
Women’s golf
No. 25 Duke is back to the NCAA Championships. The Blue Devils punched their ticket Wednesday with a second-place finish at the Palm Beach Gardens Regional, earning a top-two position for the 17th time in program history. Andie Smith (-1) finished fourth overall while Phoebe Brinker (+2) closed strong with a four-under performance on the final day to place joint-ninth and Erica Shepherd (+3) finished in 14th. Duke kicks off NCAA Championship action starting Friday in Scottsdale, Ariz., at the Grayhawk Golf Club. -Long
Rowing
The 14th-ranked Blue Devils competed in the ACC Championships at Lake Wheeler Park in Raleigh this weekend, earning bronze behind the likes of No. 9 Virginia and No. 10 Syracuse. With an 83-point performance, Duke garnered five top-three finishes over the course of the competition, most notably from the Second Varsity Eight, Varsity Four and Second Varsity Four teams. Beyond the Blue Devils’ success, the duo of senior captains Megan Lee and Lauren Sizemore received All-ACC honors for their contribution to the Varsity Eight boat. Now, the Blue Devils await their selection show Tuesday as they prepare for the NCAA Championship starting May 26. -Sheehy
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