Life At Duke: Athletics: Varsity Sports

If you think you've got what it takes to be a part of one of Duke's varsity teams—13 women's sports and 13 men's sports—and you would like more information about our sports programs, we encourage you to learn more about Duke Athletics. There you will find detailed information on our coaches and programs, as well as information on our athletic scholarships and recruiting programs.

Baseball

Under the direction of head coach and Duke alumnus Sean McNally (’94), the Duke baseball program is on the rise. The Blue Devils just wrapped up one of the most successful seasons in school history after finishing with a 37-18-1 overall record in 2008 that included upsets over No. 2 North Carolina, No. 17 Georgia Tech and No. 16 Virginia in addition to wins over several NCAA Regional teams. Several of Duke’s players have gone on to play in the professional ranks, including current MLB pitchers Chris Capuano and Scott Schoeneweis and six others are currently working their way through the minor leagues.

Women's Basketball

Consistently a top contender among the nation's basketball powers, the women Blue Devils are led by second-year head coach Joanne P. McCallie. The Blue Devils have registered four NCAA Final Four berths to go along with 15 NCAA Tournament appearances.  Their 11-straight NCAA Regional appearances currently ranks as the third-best streak nationally.  Duke has also produced two out of the last five National Player of the Year selections.

Men's Basketball

Men's basketball is perhaps Duke's best-known team. Their accomplishments are impressive: 32 NCAA appearances, including 14 Final Four berths—10 of which have been under the leadership of Mike Krzyzewski, known universally as Coach K. Under Coach K, the team has brought home three national championships. Coach K has been named Coach of the Year 12 times and has had eight national players of the year.

Fencing

Under the leadership of head coach Alex Beguinet, members of the men’s and women’s fencing programs have consistently reached the NCAA Championships with the most recent trip producing three top-10 finish and three All-America awards. In addition to competing in several competitive tournaments around the country, the team also hosts the annual Duke Invitational each year in Card Gym on Duke’s West Campus. Becca Ward '12, won bronze medals in the team and individual sabre events at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Field Hockey

In five years at Duke, head coach Beth Bozman has turned the field hockey program into a top tier unit, as the Blue Devils have been a consistent presence in the national rankings and have advanced to four consecutive Final Fours (2003-06), finishing as the national runner-up on three occasions (2003-05). The 2008 season saw Duke go 11-9 (1-4 ACC) and earn an NCAA Tournament bid for the sixth straight season. Laura Suchoski became the second Duke player to earn first team All-America honors for two consecutive campaigns and was joined by Marian Dickinson and Caitlin Williams, who earned second team honors, and Lauren Miller, who earned third team accolades, as All-America selections.

Football

Eighty-six Blue Devils have gone on to play in the NFL since 1937. Even more impressively, the football program has graduated over 90 percent of its scholarship players since 1988 and has led the nation a record 12 times in graduation percentage. A new era for Duke football began in 2008 with David Cutcliffe as the new head coach of the Blue Devils. During his coaching career, Cutcliffe enjoyed tremendous success at both Tennessee and Ole Miss, and mentored the likes of Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning.

Men's and Women's Golf

The men’s golf team, led by first-year coach Jamie Green, remains one of the top programs in the country. The Blue Devils have made 18 NCAA Championship appearances and won 19 league championships (six in the ACC, 13 Southern Conference titles). Women's Coach Dan Brooks, an inductee into the National Golf Coaches Hall of Fame and the all-time winningest coach in Division I history, has led the Blue Devils to 19 NCAA appearances in his 24 years at Duke—including five NCAA titles and three NCAA individual national championships. The Blue Devils have won the last 13 consecutive ACC Championships dating back to the 1993 campaign.

Men's Lacrosse

Lacrosse is the oldest sport in North America. A game of the Iroquois confederacy, it is rooted in religious belief and was often played to resolve conflicts, heal the sick and develop strength. Now under the leadership of Coach John Danowski, the men’s lacrosse team has won three ACC Championships and advanced to a pair of national championship games in the past four seasons.

Women's Lacrosse

Another powerhouse team, the Blue Devils have reached the NCAA tournament every year since 1998, advancing to the Final Four five times. In fact, the Blue Devils have advanced to the Final Four in four consecutive years and won the 2005 ACC Championship. Head Coach Kerstin Kimel, five times named ACC Coach of the Year, has led the highly ranked lacrosse team since the program began in 1996.

Women's Rowing

Started in 1999 by current head coach Robyn Horner, Duke women’s rowing has quickly ascended from upstart program to ACC Championship contender. With a run of seven straight top-three finishes at the conference final, the Blue Devils have had numerous student-athletes recognized with All-America and All-Region honors while several others have tried out for and competed with national rowing teams.

Men's Soccer

With one of the best programs in the country, the Blue Devils have won the ACC title five times and made 21 trips to the NCAA Tournament. Those 21 trips have included five Final Fours and the 1986 National Championship, Duke's first in any sport. Coach John Rennie stepped down after 29 years at the helm after the 2007 season, making way for 1987 Duke alum John Kerr to take over the program.

Women's Soccer

Since coming to Duke in 2001, head Coach Robbie Church has led his team to an NCAA Tournament bid on six occasions and is coming off an Elite Eight appearance in 2008. Duke’s players, who consistently receive academic and regional honors, also benefit from the leadership of Assistant Coach Carla Overbeck, who was captain of the gold medal 1996 U.S. Olympic Team and the silver medal 2000 team. The assistant coach was recently inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Swimming and Diving

The Duke swimming and diving squads have been on the rise since the arrival of head coach Dan Colella in 2005 and with the addition of nationally recognized diving coach Drew Johansen the Blue Devils have become a force to reckon with. In 2008, Ashley Twichell broke four individual school records and was a member of two school-record setting relay squads on her way to becoming the first Duke swimmer to be sent to the NCAA Championships since 2004. Twichell went on to earn All-America recognition and had previously earned All-ACC honors, along with diver Julie Brummond. On the men's side, Andrew Clark became the first men’s swimmer to garner ACC Performer of the Week honors in six years when he received the accolade in 2006.

Men's Tennis

Since 1990 the Duke men’s tennis program has flourished as one of the top programs in the country. They have been to the NCAA Tournament in 17 consecutive seasons with six trips to the round of eight. They have claimed 11 of their 12 ACC Championships since 1990 and have been ranked in the top-10 of the ITA rankings in 17 of the last 18 seasons. There have been 29 All-America selections, 57 All-ACC honors, two ACC Players of the Year and three ACC Rookies of the Year.

Women's Tennis

2009 National Champions!

Over the last 12 years, head coach Jamie Ashworth has led the Duke women's tennis team to a 261-65 overall record, including a mark of 90-16 in ACC play. Over his tenure, the Blue Devils have reached the Final Four five times while securing ACC Tournament Championships on six occasions. The 2008 campaign saw Duke compile a ledger of 20-5 (9-2 ACC) on its way to a runner-up finish in the conference tournament and the NCAA Tournament Round of 16. Three Blue Devils earned All-America honors as Reka Zsilinszka reached the Round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championships and the Duke duo of Melissa Mang and Amanda Granson advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Doubles Championships. In addition, Ellah Nze earned ACC Freshman of the Year and ITA Southeast Region Rookie of the Year honors and Ashworth was named the region's Coach of the Year.

Track & Field and Cross-Country

The men's and women's track and field and cross country teams are overseen by Coach Norm Ogilvie. The women's cross country team, led by Coach Kevin Jermyn, has made it to the NCAA Championship in eight of the last nine years, finishing as high as second in 2004. In track & field, the Blue Devils recent strengths have been in the javelin, the pole vault, middle distance and long distance. John Austin in the javelin and Maddie McKeever in the indoor 5,000m and in cross country were All-Americas for the Blue Devils in 2007-08.

Men's Wrestling

Coach Clar Anderson has been at the helm the last 10 years, leading 12 Blue Devils to NCAA Tournament appearances.  The team has had the highest GPA in the nation among all wrestling programs the last two seasons and tied a team record with 12 wins in 2007-08.

Women's Volleyball

The Duke volleyball team has emerged as one of the top programs on the east coast after making its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2008. Led by 11-year head coach Jolene Nagel, the Blue Devils are the cream of the crop in the ACC, stringing together a 72-14 conference record since 2005 along with twelve All-ACC awards and two ACC Player of the Year selections during that span. Duke has also had two or more All-Americans in each of the past five seasons.