Overview
2024 will mark the beginning of the Kevin Jermyn era for Duke cross country. Jermyn’s hire was announced this summer following a tenuous tenure under former head coach Angela Reckart, in which many of the team’s runners felt neglected by their coaching staff. Jermyn said that his staff will place an emphasis on athlete mental health support this year.
“I think the team is excited that I'm here,” Jermyn said. “I especially feel like I maybe have a unique skill set to help them both balance high level academic and high level athletic success.”
Along with Reckart, Dutch phenom Amina Maatoug left the program at the end of last season, transferring to Washington in a massive blow to the women’s squad. Maatoug was the only individual on either team to qualify for the National Championships last season, a race in which she recorded Duke’s first ever top-ten finish.
Maatooug’s success has certainly outshined that of her teammates in the past. While the men’s and women’s teams finished seventh at the ACC championships in October and were able to race in the Southeast Region, neither team advanced any further; the women finished in sixth place while the men finished seventh.
Jermyn said that he is not focused on replacing Maatoug individually, but trying to develop the team as a whole.
“A great team result is often a result of optimizing and maximizing the development of each and every athlete on the team, so that’s where more of the focus is,” he said.
On the men’s side, there is much anticipation for the class of 2027, highlighted by sub-four-minute miler Jackson Heidesch. He looks to make up for his missed rookie year after fractures near his ankle and feet derailed his opening campaign. While his return is certainly exciting, Jermyn will emphasize keeping Heidesch in good health.
“He’s talented, I’m sure he can be a boost to the team this year, but I’m trying not to rush along his development,” Jermyn said.
Looking ahead at the season, Jermyn is filled with promise.
“I’m excited to return to Duke, the place I spent a good portion of my life at, and to see if I can help this team have a great experience and hopefully try to execute training that leads to better health and better outcomes,” Jermyn said. “So much of my excitement is just trying to leverage my past experience here to see if I can really be a nice, positive boost to this program.” -Vishwa Veeraswamy
New runners to watch
Men: Aden Bandukwala, Luke Thompson
The men’s team is adding several strong-performing freshmen, including Aden Bandukwala and Luke Thompson.
Bandukwala, an incoming freshman from Hinsdale, Ill., was named Illinois Gatorade Runner of the Year in 2023. One of his most notable achievements includes winning the Illinois Class 3A state championships with an astounding 14:13.56 in three miles. He then backed up this incredible performance a few weeks later with a fifth-place finish at the Nike Cross Midwest Regional Championship, earning a spot in the Nike Cross Nationals Championship meet.
Thompson, a 6-foot-2 freshman from Brentwood, Tenn., recorded a consistent string of sub 15:30 performances on the cross country course this past season while also winning the TSSAA DII Large (AA) Middle Regional in both the 1600- and 3200-meter races back in the spring of 2024. With the men’s team losing five out of its top seven runners from last year, it is up to freshmen like Bandukwala and Thompson to fill the void. -Parker Miles
Women: Anna Callahan, Caroline Hood
Callahan, a Sammamish, Wash., native, had a stellar cross-country season in her senior year, capturing the state title in the WIAA State XC Championships, third at the NXR Northwest Regional Championships and 11th place at the Nike Cross Nationals. What’s more, she had a very strong high-school track career, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the 2024 Arcadia Invitational, one of the most significant track meets in the United States.
Hood reached a personal best of 17:16.37 in the 5k in fall 2023 at the Asics Invitational while also capturing a 1600m state title in the 2024 track season. Both Hood and Callahan earned Gatorade 2023-24 Player of the Year for their respective states and are set up for much more success to come. With a rather young Duke women’s team on hand, both runners have the opportunity to be a key component to the team’s success this upcoming season. -Miles
Returning runner to watch: Thais Rolly
During her freshman year, Rolly raced throughout the season, setting her personal best of 20:50.4 at the ACC championships. The McLean, Va., native also competed at the Southeast Regional for the Blue Devils.
“[Rolly] is one of the top returners on our cross country team this year. I would expect she can make a strong impact here in year number two,” Jermyn said.
With the loss of Maatoug, the women’s team will certainly be looking for runners to step up to ensure that they can still compete at a high level. While expecting one runner to fill in that gap is a lofty goal, a strong campaign from Rolly will be a major stepping stone. -Veeraswamy
Most anticipated meet: Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational
Friday marked the beginning of the Blue Devils’ season in a sweep against the North Carolina A&T Aggies. There now remain just four scheduled meets for the Blue Devils, one of which has not yet been announced, before they head to Cary for the ACC championships Nov. 1. The most exciting of these meets will take place at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, hosted by Loyola Chicago.
In previous years, Duke has frequented the Nuttycombe Invitational, a premier collegiate cross country meet hosted by Wisconsin. But last year, only the women’s team made the trip to Madison, and this year, nobody from Duke will. The Blue Devils will test their talents against elite teams from around the country in the Windy City’s north side instead. Jermyn was clear that he will be using non-ACC and regional meets as practice for the team’s championship aspirations.
“All of our primary outcome goals are going to be just in our championships,” he said. “Everything else is going to be just development and a stepping stone towards that.” -Veeraswamy
Best-case scenario:
With a different coaching regime in place, the team could potentially see a massive leap in success. On the men’s side, the team has a young nucleus, and while it might be too soon to hope for a trip to the NCAA national meet, the team has a bright future ahead of them. With no singular standout runner amongst the team, a best case scenario might entail Jermyn immediately getting the group on track and propelling them to a top-half finish at the ACC championships.
On the women’s side, Rolly could be set for a breakout sophomore year. As a freshman, she finished an impressive 37th place in the ACC championships, ninth amongst all freshmen. In an ideal world, Rolly could be set up to be the top sophomore of all ACC runners and a potential top-10 finisher at the ACC meet. Coupled with a strong incoming freshman class, the women’s side has a strong chance to once again finish in the top half of the conference. -Miles
Worst-case scenario:
In the world of cross country, the stars must align just right for a team to have success, and it doesn’t take much for a team to have an off day. A worst case scenario on the men’s side might entail a lack of star power from the four incoming freshman recruits and stagnant performances from their older teammates. While the men’s team finished in a respectable 7th position in the 2023 ACC championships, the team lost the majority of its best runners. Though highly unlikely that the team doesn’t qualify for the NCAA Southeast Regional meet, it is not out of the question.
A worst case-scenario for the women’s team might entail a plateau from Rolly or Callahan not being able to make any sort of an impact to the success of the team. Even moreso than the men’s side, the team will be driven by freshman and sophomore talent, and it will take exceptional performances week in and week out from this young group in order to be competitive in the ACC championships and beyond. Like the men’s side, it is highly unlikely, but wouldn’t be impossible for the women’s team to not make it past the ACC championships this upcoming season as Maatoug’s presence will certainly be missed. -Miles
Predictions:
Parker: Women seventh in ACC, Men eighth in ACC
Vishwa: Women seventh in ACC, Men seventh in ACC
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