Welcoming 19 New Blue Devils; Duke in the PLL Update

Welcome to the 19 New Blue Devils
The Blue Devils are excited to welcome 19 newcomers to Duke for the 2024-25 academic year, bringing the roster to 48 players. Among the 19, nine are graduate school transfers and 10 are incoming freshmen.

Duke's nine transfers Eric Malever (Maryland), Paul Weathington (Princeton), Tommy Drago (Syracuse), Graham Blake (Harvard), Aiden Blake (Cornell), Chris Cusolito (Providence), Pearse Glavin (Williams), Tim O'Callaghan and Luke Grayum (Richmond). All of them are enrolled in Duke's Fuqua School of Business Master of Management Studies program.

The 10 first-years hail from eight different states – California, Colorado, Indiana, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Head coach John Danowski and staff welcomes Buck Cunningham (Valor Christian), Ian Dykes (Sacred Heart Prep), Brendan Fulham (St. Sebastian's), Austin Hicks (St. Margaret's Episcopal), Liam Kershis (Shoreham Wading River), Ben McCarthy (Haverford School), Nikolas Menendez (Culver Academy), Connor Nolen (Haverford School), Jackson Spells (Green Level) and Luke Warrington (Culver Academy).

Blue Devils Shine at All-America Games
A host of Blue Devil rookies participated in All-America all-star games this summer. Ben McCarthy, Austin Hicks, Ian Dykes and Nikolas Menendez took part in the National Senior All-American Game at USA Lacrosse headquarters in late June.

Representing the Blue Devils at the Senior All-America game at Johns Hopkins in July were Liam Kershis (No. 55), McCarthy (No. 10), Menendez (No. 13) and Connor Nolen (No. 31) with Kershis leading the way with two goals and four assists. McCarthy opened the scoring in the game with a goal in the first 15 seconds and went on to score two more goals. He won seven faceoffs and picked up ground balls on six of the seven.

Buck Cunningham, Ian Dykes and Austin Hicks traveled to Frisco, Texas late in July for the Adrenaline All-America Game. Founded in 2011, the event highlights players from top western high school programs. Cunningham was outstanding between the pipes, and he provided an assist for the North squad. Hicks scored twice for the North, but a last-minute goal lifted the South roster to the win.

Heading into the Final Week of the PLL Regular Season
The PLL regular season wraps up this weekend and four teams, which includes eight former Blue Devils, securing spots in the playoffs. Among them are the first-place NY Atlas with a 7-2 record and the current leader of the western conference Denver Outlaws.

The top teams in both the East and the West earn first-round byes, while the remaining teams will be seeded based on overall record. The Outlaws, featuring five former Blue Devils, take on the Utah Archers Saturday to secure the top spot in the west. Maryland Whipsnakes and Boston Cannons are the other two squads who are guaranteed a postseason appearance.

Duke has four players in the top 30 in scoring in the league and three in the top 25.

Blue Devils in the playoffs – NY Atlas: Myles Jones and Tyler Carpenter. Denver Outlaws: JT Giles-Harris, Will Haus, Michael Manley, Brennan O'Neill and Josh Zawada. Boston Cannons: Cade van Raaphorst.

Tyler Carpenter stands on the left in NY Atlas uniform with Cade van Raaphorst in Boston Cannons uniform on the right

Carpenter Thriving for the Atlas
Carpenter is having a stellar rookie season for the New York Atlas. The longstick midfielder has helped the Atlas to a league-best 7-2 overall record and a bid to the playoffs. Carpenter, corralling 39 ground balls, is tied for the lead among non-faceoff specialists. He also has seven points to rank second among all LSMs in the league.

Blue Devils Leading Resurgence in Denver
The Denver Outlaws are back in the playoffs following a 1-9 record in 2023. The five former Blue Devils, including a pair of rookies, have spearheaded the turnaround for the club. The top pick in the 2024 PLL draft, O'Neill has not disappointed as he ranks second among all rookies in scoring with 29 points in nine games. He has 17 goals, a pair of two-pointers, and eight assists. He is seventh overall in scoring in the league and one point behind Kieran McArdle of the Whipsnakes.

Zawada is fourth on the team and fifth among PLL rookies with 15 points (6g, 9a). He has a pair of two-goal games and has at least one point in seven of his nine outings.
The tandem has helped the Outlaws to 108 goals this season through nine games, surpassing the 81 in 10 games in 2023. With O'Neill and Zawada helping to lead a resurgence on offense, the Outlaws are back in the playoffs following a 1-9 record the previous year.

Defensively, the Outlaws have a fierce close defense duo of Giles-Harris and Manley, while Haus patrols the shortstick middie unit. Giles-Harris is one of the league's top lockdown defenders and Manley continues to shine with nine caused turnovers and 19 ground balls in his 13 seasons of professional lacrosse. He has played in 119 games and needs just one more ground ball to get to 300 for his pro career.

Myles Jones Renewed in Season Nine
Playing his ninth season of professional lacrosse, Jones is having his best season in years with 17 points for the first-place NY Atlas. The 17 points are second among Atlas midfielders and tied for fifth among all PLL middies.

Coming off a 10-point season a year ago, Jones has eight goals, a pair of two-pointers and five assists. He has scored at least one goal in seven of his nine games as the Atlas lead the league with 15.4 goals per game and a 33.3 shot percentage.

Myles Jones leaps in the air with stick between his legs for a trick shot at PLL All-Star skills challenge

To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's lacrosse, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMLAX".

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, please visit 100.duke.edu

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