For the time first time in history, a Duke wrestler finished on the podium at the prestigious Cliff Keen Open.
The Blue Devils will look to close out the calendar year strong as they return to the Cliff Keen Open for the first time in seven years.
Coming off an All-American season last year, redshirt senior Jacob Kasper picked up where he left off in Duke's first event of the season.
The fourth-seeded heavyweight finished sixth to become Duke's third All-American in program history and highlight the team's 32nd-place showing with 9.5 points at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Although the Blue Devils had a disappointing regular season, a trio of competitors rallied Saturday to punch tickets to the NCAA championship.
No. 24 Pittsburgh used two early pins and a major heavyweight upset to dominate the Blue Devils 28-9 at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh.
In what was expected to be a tight meet, Duke found itself searching for answers at the end of another frustrating night on the mat.
The Cavaliers overcame a 10-9 deficit heading into intermission by winning four of the last five bouts on their way to a decisive 23-14 win at Card Gym Sunday afternoon.
Last year, Gardner-Webb pulled ahead in the last bout to beat the Blue Devils 19-18, with Boyce Cornwell defeating Duke’s Brendan Walsh, but the Bulldogs dug a little too deep of a hole this time.
After coming back from a 16-6 deficit Thursday against Old Dominion, Duke couldn’t scrap together enough late magic to finish a second straight comeback bid, falling 26-13 to No. 5 Virginia Tech after dropping the final four bouts.
Redshirt junior heavyweight Jacob Kasper flipped the momentum with a 57-second pin, sparking an improbable Blue Devil comeback that stopped Duke's season from going further off the rails.
Unfortunately for Duke, not even a major decision from their nationally-ranked heavyweight could salvage a victory at Navy.
The No. 20 Mountaineers defeated Duke 25-11 at Card Gymnasium in one of the Blue Devils’ four home matches of the season.
Seeking their third straight win at N.C. State, the Blue Devils got off to a fast 6-0 start on the No. 10 team in the nation. But the Wolfpack responded by winning the night's final eight bouts to leave no doubt in a second straight rout against Duke.
After opening their 2017 dual season in convincing fashion Sunday, the Blue Devils now hope to carry that momentum into ACC action.
In the early days of the new year, the Blue Devils have already left their mark by making history with their first individual Southern Scuffle title in program history.
Duke's wrestling, men's basketball, field hockey and football teams all had notable wins against North Carolina in 2016.
Coming off of a loss against Oregon State in its season opener, the Duke wrestling team endured another nail-biting 25-17 loss against No. 18 Wisconsin on Friday in spite of a determined comeback effort.
After falling to the Beavers 22-20 in Boone, N.C., Saturday, Duke will host No. 18 Wisconsin Friday.
Duke will open its dual schedule Saturday at the Mountaineer Duals, hosted by Appalachian State, with bouts against No. 15 Oregon State and Belmont Abbey.
