Overview
As the 2024-25 indoor track season gets underway, the Blue Devils are poised for another competitive year under the leadership of Shawn Wilbourn, with renewed focus on both rebuilding and contending at the highest levels of the ACC. Duke’s distance team has undergone transformation with the addition of Kevin Jermyn, a seasoned leader who previously worked on successful programs at Elon and Duke.
“Our distance team is completely new right now. Points will be vital at ACCs, especially with the new ACC teams,” Wilbourn told The Chronicle. He noted that Jermyn’s track record of building winning programs at Elon made him an obvious choice for the position.
“In terms of recruiting and the student-athlete experience for our distance runners, it’s been as positive as I could have hoped for,” Wilbourn said.
Duke’s goals for the season are ambitious but achievable, with an eye on ACC titles and national recognition. “Every year, especially for the women’s team, we aim to win ACCs,” Willbourn said. “This year, we feel the men’s program is at a level where we can contend for an ACC title too.”
In addition to ACC success, Duke aims to have both programs finish in the top 25 at the NCAA Championships. “Our ultimate goal is to win an ACC title, with our sights set on the outdoor track and field championship,” Willbourn said.
Duke’s success has been built on maintaining a balanced program capable of scoring points across all events while fostering a strong team atmosphere. “What we’ve been doing has been working,” Willbourn said. “We’re not making huge changes; we’re continuing to focus on the things that have made us successful.”
With a talented roster and clear goals in place, the Blue Devils are set to make a strong push this indoor track season, laying the groundwork for continued success in the outdoor season. -Callan Perchinsky
Best-case scenario
In a best-case scenario, the Blue Devils finally win the Indoor ACC Championship for the women and maybe round out in the top five for the men. With two straight Outdoor ACC Championships under its belt, the women’s team certainly has the momentum it needs, especially with the return of several of its All-ACC athletes — junior Lauren Tolbert, sophomore Gemma Tutton, senior Abby Geiser. For the men, a top-5 finish at ACCs could be within reach— but it won’t be an easy feat. They finished ninth at indoor ACCs last year, and then followed it up with a seventh-place finish outdoors. And even with a deep field event roster helmed by Johnson, the men simply don’t have the talent they need on the track.
Beyond ACCs, Wilbourn likely will send a few standouts to the NCAAs. Powerhouse returners like Tolbert, Simen Guttormsen and Johnson will likely make it back to the biggest stage. Like Wilbourn has said, “The Indoor NCAA Championships is the toughest meet in the world to qualify for.” Only the top 16 in each event across the nation make it. This season, a few other Blue Devils — perhaps senior 400m star Megan McGinnis — might just have a chance. -Prithvi Kotapati
New athletes to watch: Luke Thompson and Braelyn Baker
As the track season takes off, the Blue Devils have a promising class of recruits to look forward to. On the men’s side, freshman distance runner Luke Thompson is one to watch. He closed off the cross country season as the Blue Devils’ top freshman, scoring for Duke in both the ACC Championship and the Southeast Regional. The Brentwood, Tenn., product also boasts prep personal bests of 8:50.33 in the 3200m and 4:08.11 in the 1600.
Of the women, Baker might just be what the Blue Devils need this season. The Carnation, Wash., native is a 15x All-American, 12x state champion and 5x national champion, with the fastest prep 400m hurdle time in the nation last year. After competing at the U20 World Championships for Team USA this summer, Baker is set to make quite the splash for the Blue Devils indoors. And it’s not just her skill or talent. With experience in the 100m, 200m and 400m hurdles, Baker is also versatile, capable of performing in both the short sprints and the hurdles. - Kotapati
Returning runner to watch: Lauren Tolbert
Duke boasts a mix of returning stars and promising newcomers who are expected to lead the team in scoring across multiple events. On the women’s side, junior Tolbert stands out as a key contributor. A First Team All-American last year, Tolbert looks to build on her already record-breaking 400m time.
“She's had an incredible fall of training, and we're really excited for her this year and to see what she can do coming off her last year,” Wilbourn said.
Wilbourn also suspects success from the women’s 4x400m team, which won at last year’s Outdoor ACC Championship with Tolbert as its anchor.
“The women’s 4x4 has always been strong, and we think we have one of the strongest teams assembled that we've ever had,” Wilbourn said. -Perchinsky
Worst-case scenario:
A worst-case scenario for the Blue Devils would likely entail the women’s side finishing outside of the top three in the ACC and the men’s side regressing after a more successful season last year. Particularly for the women, expectations are high after a fourth-place finish in last year’s indoor championship alongside plenty of returning talent. As such, anything short of top-level results will certainly be disappointing for Wilbourn’s squad.
For the men, there is certainly optimism after finishing ninth in the conference last season, especially with additional depth that was much needed after last season. Still, in an ACC loaded with talent, and the addition of new teams, there is a real possibility of the men finishing outside of the top six in the conference. -Vishwa Veeraswamy
Most anticipated meet: UNC Dick Taylor Challenge
As is often the case, Duke’s most coveted matchup of the season will take place against nearby North Carolina. The Tar Heels finished first in the conference last season, and are the team to beat heading into this season. Because the women have seen more success in recent seasons, there is not as much pressure to prove themselves early this year, as is the case for the men. Wilbourn believes that both teams can finish in the top 25 this year. Next weekend against the best team in the conference will be an early chance to prove so. -Veeraswamy
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