Although Duke finished last out of the seven teams competing in the ACC Championships, Connor Barket’s fifth place finish was good enough for an NCAA Championship bid.
Duke (4-14, 0-6 in the ACC) dropped its final dual of the season at home against Stanford (10-4, 2-3) by a score of 37-12. Redshirt sophomore Gaetano Console earned his first career ACC win, a bright spot for head coach Glen Lanham on a difficult night for his squad.
Duke suffered a drubbing at the hands of Tobacco Road rivals North Carolina on Friday in Cameron Indoor Stadium, falling 40-3. The Blue Devils suffered nine defeats in the ten matches, including two pins, three tech falls and one major decision.
Duke sent 15 wrestlers to compete at the Southern Scuffle this weekend in Chattanooga, Tenn. Wallace, a redshirt freshman, picked up the first ranked victories of his career, advancing to the finals after going undefeated on Saturday. Twenty-ninth-ranked heavyweight Connor Barket also advanced to compete on Sunday thanks to some impressive performances over the weekend.
Duke clashed with Davidson in historic Cameron Indoor Stadium Friday night, prevailing 22-21 on the back of Wallace’s heroics. The Blue Devils improved to 3-6 on the season, including back-to-back wins for the first time in over a year.
As winter sports are underway, The Chronicle is back with our breakdown of every sport, including key rules, terminology, tournament formats and more. Here is wrestling.
During the winter season, The Chronicle is polling its readers every week via its Sportswrap newsletter to highlight one Blue Devil athlete’s outstanding performance. This week’s spotlight goes to Connor Barket of Duke wrestling.
Head coach Glen Lanham’s team showed resolve in the face of defeat, though, responding to a difficult Saturday by shining at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic Sunday. Wrestlers Connor Barket, SP O’Donnell and Peter Chacon all earned first-place finishes in their individual competitions, with numerous other wrestlers also finishing on the podium.
The Blue Devils started the year with some strong individual performances in the Battle at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., Sunday. Aidan Wallace, Vincent Lee, David Hussey and Connor Barket all finished top four in their respective weights, indicating that Duke might be in for some improvement over last season.
Last season was the first time during Lanham's tenure with the program that he did not send a wrestler to the NCAA tournament, a testament to both the challenges of the previous year and the high quality of Lanham’s coaching during his time in the Bull City. This season, it will be up to the wrestlers to show growth from last year and earn a trip to the tournament.
Duke suffered a massive blow in the ACC tournament, failing to qualify a wrestler for the NCAA Championships for the first time in 16 years. The Blue Devils only scored four total team points, finishing in last place. In total, Duke went a dismal 2-21 in matches across the board.
Duke’s losing streak continued Friday as the team fell to archrival North Carolina by a score of 41-9. The loss meant the Blue Devils finished the regular season with a 4-13 record and without a win in five conference meets.
Duke’s disappointing season continued Sunday against No. 8 N.C. State in Cameron Indoor Stadium, as the Blue Devils fell by a score of 36-9.
As soon as Console arrived in Durham for preseason workouts in the summer of 2022, coaches and teammates alike could tell that there was something different about him.
In the midst of Duke's Centennial celebration, the Blue Devils were pummeled in their ACC opener Friday evening, being shut out at home by a score of 45-0.
The Blue Devils were outmuscled by Chattanooga, losing eight of their 10 matches with a final score of 33-11. Duke lost five matches handily, with three defeats coming by way of major decision and two of them by technical fall in their first home match of the year at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
After being shutout 44-0 in their home opener against Appalachian State, the Blue Devils looked to bounce back in a big way in Boiling Springs, N.C. While Duke’s performance was definitely much stronger this time around, the team still fell by a score of 23-15.
The event was a disappointing one for Duke, who finished 14th overall with a cumulative record of 10-25. Notably, only five Blue Devils won a single match, while just four moved on to the second day.
The team scored only three individual victories against the Bulldogs, falling in the opening encounter by a score of 23-9. However, in the afternoon, Duke bounced back emphatically, trouncing the Royals in a dominant 47-0 victory.
Duke secured a big win Friday at Davidson, defeating the Wildcats by a score of 19-17. The Blue Devils responded well after their disappointing showing at the Keystone Classic several weeks ago, winning several key duels while still remaining competitive in their few defeats.
