As 2024 comes to a close, The Chronicle’s sports department is reviewing the biggest moments from this year in Duke athletics. This landing page has an excerpt from every article, but click each heading to read the full stories:
No. 10: Duke women’s golf captures team and individual titles at Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational
In Chapel Hill, the Blue Devils found their groove. First, it was junior Andie Smith. She alone led the field in birdies and finished the tournament five strokes ahead of her competitors. Then, as the rest of the team got hot, Duke’s scores went low. The Blue Devils catapulted to first in a come-from-behind victory. -Ryan Kilgallen
No. 9: Cooper Flagg commits to Duke men's basketball
The 17-year-old who caught the attention of Lebron James himself became a Blue Devil Oct. 30, 2023. Head coach Jon Scheyer had done it again — adding another No. 1 recruit to Duke’s powerhouse as Cooper Flagg found a home inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. -Lucy Glynn
No. 8: Duke athletes perform at Paris Games and U.S. Olympic Trials
This summer, the City of Light was filled with Blue Devils of the past and present as Duke athletes represented 12 different countries across nine different sports in the 2024 Olympics. Twenty-one Blue Devils were in Paris this past August, and perhaps even more impressive, Duke athletes clinched three medals on the international stage — two golds and a silver. -Kate Reiniche
No. 7: Duke women’s basketball records comeback victory against Ohio State, advances to Sweet 16
But whatever head coach Kara Lawson said to her squad in the huddle before the second quarter worked. The visitors chipped away at the lead, closing it to just four points by the halftime buzzer. Duke outscored the Buckeyes 19-14 in the third period to take the lead by just a single point then closed out strong in the fourth quarter to walk off the floor with a massive upset victory and a ticket punched to the Sweet 16 in Portland, Ore. -Martin Heintzelman
No. 6: Duke women’s track and field wins second straight outdoor ACC Championship
In May, the Blue Devil women cemented themselves as the most fearsome competitors in the world of ACC track and field. For the second year in a row, Duke stood atop the podium at the conference championship meet thanks to a relentless effort from its sprinters. -Sophie Levenson
No. 5: Duke baseball wins ACC Tournament with epic run
That offensive momentum carried over to the title fight in a major way, as the Blue Devils completely decimated No. 5-seed Florida State 16-4 en route to its second ACC Championship in program history. After a strong outing against the Hokies, James Tallon made his first career start, going three innings to help rest other exhausted arms. -Caleb Dudley
No. 4: Duke football wins Victory Bell against North Carolina en route to 9-win season
Duke then faced its toughest test yet, a matchup against archrival North Carolina for control of the Victory Bell. The Blue Devils hadn’t beaten the Tar Heels since 2018, and for two and a half quarters, things looked eerily the same. Murphy could not move the ball effectively on offense, and two touchdown passes by North Carolina quarterback Jacolby Criswell granted the Tar Heels a 20-0 lead late in the third. To secure any chance at an improbable victory, Duke would need three touchdowns — and three stops. -Tyler Walley
No. 3: Duke men’s basketball advances to Elite Eight after upsetting Houston
Durham’s team stepped up to the defensive challenge, and the contest proved scrappy and low-scoring on both ends. Houston jumped to a quick 6-0 lead, but graduate center Ryan Young recorded a +12 plus/minus on the half to put the Blue Devils back on track. Filipowski also emerged as an offensive firecracker in the second to keep his team narrowly ahead. It all came down to Duke needing a stop in the final 15 seconds — and Proctor delivered to seal a 54-51 win. -Abby DiSalvo
No. 2: Duke softball wins NCAA Super Regional, advances to first World Series
For a moment, it seemed like the home team would be the ones to answer the challenge. The first two runners reached base and caused Young to substitute Lillie Walker in for Curd. Then, freshman Abby Hay caught a hold of one for a massive home run to bring Missouri back within one. Rather than stick with Walker, Young opted to bring Curd back in and trust the southpaw to get it done. The final moments of the game weren’t without their theatrics, but Curd got the job done and Duke won 4-3. -Elle Chavis
No. 1: Duke women’s soccer advances to College Cup in head coach Robbie Church’s final season
The Blue Devils went on a blistering run following their rivalry win, going undefeated for the rest of the regular season with four statement victories over top-25 sides. They beat No. 2 Wake Forest and surged to the top of the national rankings. A 3-3 tie against a later No. 7 Wake Forest team was its sole blemish, but after taking down the Tar Heels once again 3-2 in its last tilt of the regular season, Duke entered the postseason still the top team in the country. -Myles Powicki
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