Athletics Annual Report Released for 2023-24

DURHAM, N.C. -- The Duke University Department of Athletics has released its 2023-24 Annual Report, which details the storylines, moments and accomplishments of another outstanding year for the Blue Devils.

Check out some of the highlights below:

A total of 21 Duke teams were represented in NCAA Championship postseason play, including football's victory in the Birmingham Bowl, softball advancing to the Women's College World Series in its seventh season as a program and field hockey returning to the NCAA semifinals.
Duke secured 928.50 total points to finish 17th overall nationally in the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup. Highlighted by the 83 points achieved by field hockey for reaching the national semifinal game in November, Duke finished fifth among private institutions and fifth among ACC schools. The Blue Devils have finished in the top 30 all but twice in the 30 years since the Directors' Cup standings were originated in 1993-94.
Four Duke student-athletes garnered NCAA postgraduate scholarships in recognition of their excellence in their sport and in the classroom and community. Beau Allen (men's track & field), Chloe Beittel (women's fencing), Brianna Smith (women's track and field) and David Tierney (men's fencing) were among the scholarship recipients spanning across the fall, winter and spring seasons. The scholarships, worth $10,000 each, are awarded to student-athletes who intend to pursue advanced degrees in graduate or professional school.
Duke had 17 players drafted into their respective professional leagues, including a pair of No. 1 picks from men's lacrosse in Brennan O'Neill (PLL) and Dyson Williams (NLL). Five other athletes signed free agent agreements.
In just the seventh season of Duke softball, head coach Marissa Young guided a talented group of Blue Devils to the program's second ACC Championship title and the first berth in the Women's College World Series. Duke, bolstered by an outstanding group of seniors and graduate students, won a program-record 52 games, including a thrilling 6-3 win over Florida State in the ACC Championship final for the program's second ACC crown. The Blue Devils earned the No. 10 seed and cruised through NCAA Regional action in Durham before staving off elimination at No. 7 seed Missouri. The Blue Devils scored four runs in the top of the ninth and held off the Tigers' rally to advance to Oklahoma City. Duke fell to No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 14 Alabama in the College World Series, finishing the year 52-9 overall. Young was named the ACC Coach of the Year while Claire Davidson was the ACC Player of the Year, Jala Wright the ACC Pitcher of the Year. Aminah Vega rounded out the individual award winners as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
The Duke women's track and field team captured its second consecutive ACC Outdoor Track and Field title, becoming the first women's team to win back-to-back conference crowns since the league expanded to 15 teams. The Blue Devils won their third women's ACC Championship in the last four seasons, collecting six more medals and garnering 20 All-ACC honors on the final day of competition. Four of Duke's six medals were gold as sophomore Lauren Tolbert, graduate student Skyla Wilson and both the women's 4x100m and 4x400m relays registered ACC titles.
Duke field hockey turned in one of the best seasons in program history, winning 18 games, earning a share of the ACC regular season crown and advancing to the NCAA Championship semifinals. The Blue Devils finished the year ranked third nationally after entering the year ranked 20th in the preseason poll. Coming off a 7-11 season in 2022, Duke's 18 wins marked an improvement of 8.5 to rank tied for 12th in NCAA history. Head coach Pam Bustin was named the ACC Coach of the Year and sophomore Alaina McVeigh garnered the ACC Offensive Player of the Year award in her first season of collegiate field hockey. Piper Hampsch won the inaugural ACC Goalkeeper of the Year award.
In his first season at the helm, Duke fencing head coach Omar Elgeziry was named the ACC Women's Co-Coach of the Year after leading the Blue Devils to a 27-6 regular-season record and No. 5 national ranking. Five Blue Devils qualified under Elgeziry's guidance with two fencers garnering All-America accolades. He also led the women to a runner-up finish at the ACC Championships, as they fell just short to Notre Dame in the tie-breaking fence-off.
Fourteen Duke University varsity athletics programs registered a perfect 1000 score in the most recent multi-year (2019-23) Academic Progress Report (APR) data released. The 14 teams with a perfect score are the second-most by Duke in a single season. In all, Duke totaled the highest APR score among ACC institutions in 15 of the league's sports – field hockey (1000), men's cross country (1000), men's golf (1000), men's lacrosse (1000), men's soccer (1000), men's track and field (1000), wrestling (992), softball (1000), women's cross country (1000), women's fencing (1000), women's golf (1000), women's soccer (1000), women's swimming and diving (1000), women's track and field (1000) and volleyball (1000).
Statistics for the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) released by the NCAA in December indicated that 98 percent of freshmen student-athletes receiving scholarship aid, or recruited individuals participating in programs that do not offer athletic aid, graduated from Duke within six years. Nationally, Duke led all Power 5 institutions with its 98 percent GSR and tied for sixth nationally. Only Columbia, Bucknell, Harvard, Villanova and Yale were above Duke. Among Power 5 schools, the top five in GSR included Duke (98), Northwestern (98), Notre Dame (98), Boston College (98), Clemson (97), Stanford (97) and Vanderbilt (97).
Duke collected a league-high 620 student-athletes on the 68th annual ACC Honor Roll. The Blue Devils have led the conference in ACC Honor Roll selections in 36 of the past 37 years. More than 83 percent of Duke's enrolled student-athletes were named to the Honor Roll as the Blue Devils led all schools with their 620 Honor Roll student-athletes. Duke had 29 student-athletes garner the recognition for a fifth time, tied for the most with Notre Dame.
Duke's Jake Naso (men's lacrosse) and Brianna Smith (women's track & field) both earned ACC Postgraduate scholarships. They received the Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Award, earning $6,000 each toward their graduate educations.

DUKE BY THE NUMBERS IN 2023-24:
21 Teams represented in NCAA Championships
42 All-America award winners
5 ACC Scholar-Athletes of the Year
18 Teams achieved 100% GSR
620 On ACC Honor Roll (ACC record)
110 All-ACC award winners
9 Individuals selected for induction into Duke Athletics Hall of Fame
18 Blue Devils competed in Paris Olympics
3 ACC Coaches of the Year
4 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship winners
52 Record-setting number of wins by Duke softball in 2024
98% Graduation Success Rate (led all Power 5 institutions)

Duke Centennial
In 2024, Duke celebrates its Centennial, marking one hundred years since Trinity College became Duke University. Duke will use this historic milestone to deepen the understanding of its history, inspire pride and strengthen bonds and partnerships, and prepare for a second century of continued excellence and impactful leadership. To learn more, visit 100.duke.edu.

#GoDuke

Athletics Annual Report Released for 2023-24

Related Videos

Duke information