Blue Devil 360

While most Duke teams completed the 2024-25 campaign in their respective NCAA tournaments, we're focusing this month on two programs still alive in postseason play. Sophomore men's golfer Bryan Kim is in California May 23-26 competing as an individual in NCAA nationals, while track & field freshman sprinters Joseph Taylor and Braelyn Baker are taking aim at the NCAA East Regional May 28-31 in Jacksonville, Florida, to continue their exceptional freshman seasons. Taylor recently was one of the top scorers when the Duke men's program won the ACC outdoor team championship for the first time in program history.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the runup to Duke University's 2025 commencement exercises on May 11, we visit with two inspirational soon-to-be Blue Devil graduates. Star defensive end and Durham native VJ Anthony completed his African and African American Studies degree requirements in only three-and-a-half years and is locked in on one final college football campaign in the fall. Senior women's tennis standout Ellie Coleman, an Environmental Sciences major, enjoyed an undefeated ACC singles season this spring and helped her team to an undefeated conference record and regular season championship. She's eyeing a final run in the NCAA Tournament this month. And while both have been at the top of their games athletically, their Duke experiences have also included game-changing moments beyond the spotlight of competition.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As the Duke basketball program makes its 18th NCAA Final Four appearance, director of athletics Nina King underscores the visionary leadership displayed by head coach Jon Scheyer from the interview process through his first three seasons at the helm. One of Scheyer's former Duke teammates and classmates, Brian Zoubek, reflects on the 15th anniversary of the 2010 national title; associate head coach Chris Carrawell puts the achievement of reaching the Final Four in perspective; and radio broadcasters David Shumate and John Roth recap the road to the Final Four through some of the highlight moments of the season. Plus, a conversation with recent track & field alumna Moorea Mitchell, who will play a part in the singing of the national anthem before Saturday's games in San Antonio.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's time to meet Duke's newest NCAA champion. Simen Guttormsen, a graduate student from Norway, recently won the national title in the men's pole vault at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field meet, following up a record-setting performance to claim gold at the ACC Championships a couple weeks prior. A two-time Norwegian national champ who competed at the Paris Olympics last summer alongside his older brother, Simen began is collegiate career at Princeton before moving to Duke for grad school and winning the Blue Devils' first national track crown since Curtis Beach (heptathlon, 2012, 2104). Also, our calls of the month feature Duke's dual men's and women's ACC Tournament basketball triumphs.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Duke vice president and director of athletics Nina King makes her quarterly appearance with a candid conversation on several of the major issues facing all of intercollegiate athletics during these changing times. Also stopping by is a former member of her executive leadership team at Duke, Art Chase, who recently was named director of athletics at The Citadel. He shares highlights of his 25 years at Duke as well as some ambitions for his new position. And speaking of highlights, our calls of the month feature the fastbreak attack of Duke Basketball over an explosive couple of weeks as the regular season winds down.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you have time for some midseason reading, this episode features a pair of interesting author interviews. Former director of athletics and university vice president Dr. Kevin White talks about his new book, “The Good Sport: Reflections On A Full Life In College Sports” which was just released in January 2025, while Duke alum John Feinstein (Class of 1977) discusses the latest on his long list of titles, “Five Banners: Inside The Duke Basketball Dynasty” which was published in October by Duke University Press. Also, we visit with Emily Durham, the program director of Duke's unique Rubenstein Student-Athlete Civic Engagement endeavor, which turns 10 years old this year.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Duke Football heads to Jacksonville to take on Ole Miss in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Jan. 2, this edition of Blue Devil 360 is primed to set the stage with a conversation between Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer and football coach Manny Diaz. Radio analyst Dave Harding, who served as one of the captains for the only Blue Devil squad (so far) to win 10 games, shares his thoughts on this 9-win (so far) season, while his broadcast partner David Shumate sits down with two of Duke's very disruptive defensive ends, VJ Anthony and Wes Williams. Our Calls of the Month focus on wide receiver Eli Pancol's stunning performance on Senior Night, followed by a chat with the sixth-year Blue Devil on the evening he was presented with the ACC's 2024 Brian Piccolo Award.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From the Thanksgiving weekend holiday we feature ACC defensive player of the year Cameron Roller of the Duke women's soccer team, Cameron Indoor Stadium fan favorite Spencer Hubbard of the Duke men's basketball team, and Duke women's golf alum Leona Maguire, who will be inducted in the WGCA Hall of Fame in December. Our plays of the month come with a twist, as play-by-play voice David Shumate and football coach Manny Diaz rate some of the top moments of the season.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After an action packed weekend that included prime-time football, a charity exhibition basketball game and induction ceremonies for the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame, we feature an array of interesting guests including long-time Hall of Famer Bobby Hurley and new Hall of Famer Becca Ward. New director of player development John Battle details his role within the Duke football program, field hockey co-captain Paige Bitting shares her sisterhood story as her top-10 Blue Devils wrap up the regular season and look ahead to postseason play, and we have some exciting calls of the month.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Vice president and director of athletics Nina King makes her first quarterly appearance of 2024-25 to kick off the opening edition of Blue Devil 360 for this academic year. Guests include defensive tackle Kendy Charles, a grad transfer from Liberty who shares his interesting origin story; director of football nutrition Tori Brown, whose team handled a challenging situation in re-fueling the Blue Devils during a lengthy weather delay at Middle Tennessee; and former two-sport standout Quinton McCracken, a long-time major league baseball player who is among the nine new inductees in the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame this fall.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our vacation edition begins with a compilation of Duke highlights from 2023-24 and features VP/AD Nina King's in-depth review of the past year (note: heavy emphasis on spring sports as every Duke team competed in NCAA postseason play), along with her look ahead to next season and an overview of the rapidly changing college sports landscape. Then buckle up for a journey into the world of America's fastest-growing sport, pickleball, with expert/ambassador and co-owner of the Las Vegas pro franchise Kaitlyn Kerr, a former Duke soccer All-American now known as the Pickleball Chick.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On Saturday May 11, the Duke softball team and the Duke women's track & field team claimed impressive Atlantic Coast Conference championships to culminate three days of intense tournament competition. Take an inside look at the two titles through the eyes of standout senior catcher Kelly Torres and sophomore double gold medalist Lauren Tolbert as their programs move on to NCAA postseason play. Plus we have a baseball bonus segment with one of the Blue Devils' top hitters, AJ Gracia, who broke the Duke freshman home run record with a ninth inning blast at Georgia Tech on the same day, May. 11.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This month we focus on two accomplished student-athletes — men's lacrosse All-America faceoff specialist Jake Naso and women's track standout heptathlete Brianna Smith. They have been selected as Duke's male and female senior scholar-athletes of the year for 2023-24, and they are recipients of Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford ACC Postgraduate Scholarships. With the end of the spring semester at hand, graduation on tap and postseason competition on the immediate horizon, it's the perfect time to get to know this special duo. Also, VP/AD Nina King stops in for another of her informative quarterly visits to 360.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As the sports world focuses on this week's basketball Final Fours in Arizona and Cleveland, we connect with a Blue Devil for whom this time of year is sacred. Hall of Famer Grant Hill began attending the Final Four with his dad when he was a youngster, played in three Final Fours for Duke and has been on the national television broadcast team for the event since 2015. Blue Devil 360 joins Hill and others in reflecting on the 30th anniversary of his senior season at Duke and a special Final Four trip to Charlotte that closed out his college career in April of 1994.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In recognition of Black History Month, our leadoff guest is former Duke volleyball star and current associate head coach Kellie Catanach Johnson, who launched a Share The Mic campaign from the program's Instagram account to help shine a light on HBCU volleyball. Also, we have one former and one current Duke baseball pitcher – 2020 alum Bryce Jarvis of the Arizona Diamondbacks and 2024 preseason All-America pick Fran Oschell. Women's tennis coach Jamie Ashworth shares memories of his 28 seasons at Duke upon the occasion of having picked up his 600th career victory, plus our calls of the month and a special remembrance of Hall of Famer Lefty Driesell, a 1954 Duke grad.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Duke vice president and director of athletics Nina King makes her quarterly appearance on 360 with an overview of the university's Centennial Celebration that begins this week, along with several other topics in looking back at 2023 and ahead to 2024. Also featured is Duke's director of student-athlete development Dawn Kane to discuss a special trip to New York she arranged for Blue Devils looking to make career connections. Plus, heavyweight wrestler Connor Barket and our calls of the month from the December holiday season.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

During the overlap of so many seasons, we feature outgoing fifth-year senior DeWayne Carter from the football team, sophomore captain Tyrese Proctor of the basketball team, and two all-star goalkeepers. Senior Piper Hampsch was the ACC goalkeeper of the year in helping Duke field hockey reach the NCAA semifinals, while freshman Julian Eyestone of Duke men's soccer was an All-ACC second team selection in goal for a Blue Devil team that spent much of the season ranked in the national top 10. Plus, our calls of the month.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

University vice president and director of athletics Nina King dives into football, field hockey, ACC expansion, contract extensions and more in her fall appearance on 360. Also senior captain Nick Pariano of the Duke men's soccer team sets the stage for his team's start to postseason play and former Blue Devil Kayla (McCoy) McKenna of Duke women's soccer details her experiences with Jamaica at the FIFA Women's World Cup last summer. Plus, calls of the month!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The first Blue Devil 360 of the new season features senior Alayna Burns, a student-athlete with such a passion for activism and environmental sustainability that she's been named a finalist for a worldwide Green Sport Award. Hear about what she's doing on campus as well as in field hockey for a Top 10 team off to a red-hot start. This edition also includes conversations with two football Jakes — grad transfer Jake Hornibrook from Stanford who is holding down the right tackle position for the equally red-hot Duke football team, and former Blue Devil captain Jake Bobo who managed the difficult task of making an NFL roster (Seattle) as an undrafted free agent and this week celebrated his first pro touchdown.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Director of athletics Nina King and host John Roth recount some of the top Duke sports stories of 2022-23, with input from head coaches Jon Scheyer, Mike Elko and Chris Pollard.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With NCAA postseason play for spring sports in high gear, we get behind-the-scenes insights from Duke women's golf standout Phoebe Brinker, men's lacrosse defensive ace Tyler Carpenter and ACC men's tennis coach of the year Ramsey Smith. Plus, we unearth a bonus archived interview with one of Duke's all-time greats, charter Hall of Fame member Dick Groat, to pay tribute to his legendary career upon his recent death at age 92.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For a unique perspective on college women's tennis, Blue Devil 360 visits with one of Duke's top players this season, graduate student Cameron Morra. She followed a road rarely traveled, spending her first four college seasons as a standout for Duke's top rival, UNC, before making the move to Durham and the Fuqua School of Business for her final year. With over 100 career wins in singles and doubles, Cam is a major asset for Duke as NCAA Tournament time approaches. Also featured this month, Chris Edwards talks with freshman baseball slugger Andrew Fischer, Johnny Moore catches up with Hall of Fame women's golf coach Dan Brooks on the eve of his program's 30th consecutive trip to NCAA Regionals, and athletics director Nina King joins us for a wide-ranging conversation in her quarterly appearance on the program.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With Duke hosting the 2023 NCAA Fencing Championships March 23-26 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, we take an inside look at what nationals are like for the student-athletes through the eyes of two-time All-America Blue Devil fencer Christina Ferrari, one of the contenders in the women's foil competition. As the NCAA basketball tournament progresses toward its culmination, we visit with Duke Hall of Famer Jim Spanarkel, who is in his 25th season as a television analyst for March Madness. And we are joined by a recent All-ACC Duke football player who helped the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl last month, tight end Noah Gray.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

CB Claiborne, Duke's first black basketball player from the 1960s, reflects on his experiences as a university pioneer. Men's basketball coach Jon Scheyer interviews women's basketball coach Kara Lawson on her team's remarkable 2023 season. Heavyweight wrestler Jonah Niesenbaum, a relative newcomer to the sport, chronicles the development he's made to become a nationally-ranked performer who won all of his ACC matches this winter. And we go behind the scenes with indoor track standout Amina Maatoug, a first-year Blue Devil from The Netherlands who's been breaking hallowed records and owns the second-fastest mile time in the country.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Director of athletics Nina King makes her quarterly appearance on Blue Devil 360 with a wide-ranging discussion on NCAA modernization and Duke Athletics. The nationally-ranked women's basketball team is featured with a conversation between team play-by-play voice Chris Edwards and guard Jordyn Oliver. This year's Duke Hall of Fame series continues with visits from former basketball stars Alana Beard and Carlos Boozer. And we salute the memory of legendary track coach Al Buehler, who passed away recently, with an interview pulled from the archives during his Duke Hall of Fame induction weekend back in 2001.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Celebrate the holiday season with Duke student-athletes, present and past, who are passionate about music as well as sports. Women's soccer standout Delaney Graham's musical journey through Duke is featured, along with the origin story of her talent for singing the national anthem. Basketball walkon Stanley Borden shares the details of playing the saxophone at Countdown To Craziness and football lineman Chance Lytle goes in-depth on learning how to sing opera. And former Blue Devil Bryan Morgan, who played clarinet in the Duke Wind Symphony while captaining the football team over a decade ago, gives us a glimpse of his life today as a high school music educator.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the NCAA Tournament and the FIFA World Cup in full swing, Duke men's soccer coach John Kerr is featured as he tries to guide the Blue Devils to the pinnacle of college soccer — a peak he enjoyed in 1986 as a key figure for the university's first national championship team. Our series of interviews with incoming Duke Athletics Hall of Fame members focuses on Gail Goestenkors, the former women's basketball head coach who led the Blue Devils to four Final Fours. And as new men's basketball head coach Jon Scheyer gets his first season underway, his wife Marcelle shares insights on his drive and passion for the job. Plus, a few words from women's soccer star Michelle Cooper as her team moves on to the NCAA quarterfinals for the ninth time in the last 11 years.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Last spring as she was on her way to All-America honors in the steeplechase, Duke track standout and social media star Emily Cole was also finishing up work on a sports nutrition book. The Players' Plate was released this month and Emily shares all the details on the October edition of Blue Devil 360. Issy Carey, the top goal scorer for the field hockey team, is featured for her side hustle as a dynamic content creator in the world of painting, while former Blue Devil quarterback Anthony Dilweg discusses his career in a continuing series of interviews with members of the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2022.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new season of Blue Devil 360 kicks off with a visit from director of athletics Nina King as she begins her second year leading Duke Athletics. Senior All-America midfielder Sophie Jones of the women's soccer team is featured, along with two graduate transfers from the football team in linebacker Cam Dillon and tackle Andre Harris. The episode also includes a chat with Duke's all-time scoring leader in men's soccer, Ali Curtis, who is now a senior vice president with Major League Soccer, in the first of a series of interviews with members of the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2022.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the latest edition of Blue Devil 360, Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King joins David Shumate for a look back at a remarkable year on campus – one that featured a trip to the super regionals for softball, an ACC Title and return to the national semifinals for women's tennis, and Mike Krzyzewski capping a storied career with a record-breaking 13th trip to the final four. We'll then get King's take on some of the biggest changes in college sports regarding the implementation of NIL, the potential for new scheduling models in football, and takeaways from her first year leading Duke Athletics. Also featured in this episode are conversations with Terence Lee, who claimed the silver medal for Duke in men's saber at the NCAA Fencing Championships, and Peyton St. George – an All-American pitcher for the Blue Devil softball program. To wrap-up, we will continue our celebration of 50 years of women's varsity athletics in Durham as John Roth catches up with Candy Hannemann who helped the Blue Devil's win their first of seven national championships in women's golf in 1999.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the season debut of Blue Devil 360 Duke Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King joins David Shumate for a look at the fall sports season as she begins her 14th year on campus. Featured in this episode are conversations with Head Women's Soccer Coach Robbie Church, whose team is ranked 4th nationally as they gear up for the stretch run of ACC play, and a sit down with Duke starting quarterback Gunnar Holmberg as the Blue Devils prepare to face Georgia Tech this weekend at Wallace Wade Stadium. You'll also hear from Allison Miazga-Bedrick, the first field hockey All-American for the Blue Devils and a three-time All-ACC Player, as we continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of varsity women's athletics at Duke.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Duke Athletics hosted a virtual unity rally on Monday, January 18 for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Hosted by Troy Austin, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Internal Affairs, guest speakers for the event included President Vincent E. Price, Chandra Guinn from the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, C.G. Newsome, a triple Duke University alumnus and a former letterman as a member of the Blue Devil football team, Nolan Smith, the Director of Operations and Player Development for Duke Men’s Basketball, along with three current Duke student-athletes – Darcy Bourne from field hockey, DeWayne Carter on the football team and Felise Collins from the softball program.

The Crazies are to Cameron as peanut butter is to jelly. They just go together. But this year as we know, has been unlike any other and due to the covid-19 pandemic, winter sports at Duke will begin with no fans in attendance. So as Coach K and his staff are preparing for this upcoming season and the product on the court, there’s a girl gang behind the scenes also preparing, but for the product off the court. What will Cameron Indoor Stadium look and sound like without the Crazies?

It’s almost impossible to have a championship-caliber football team without an excellent offensive line, and Duke’s run of bowl seasons under Coach Cut proves that point. For instance, three of the starting lineman in the 2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl game are now starting on Sundays in the NFL. We’re talking about first round draft pick Laken Tomlinson, now with the 49ers, Lucas Patrick with the Packers and Matt Skura with the Baltimore Ravens. And another one of those starters in that era, Duke Football Radio Analyst and Executive Director of Blue Devil Network, Dave Harding. This week on the show, he had a chance to catch up with his old teammate to chat rehab, the best part about being the center for Lamar Jackson and how he’s also tackling fatherhood.

In a year of turbulent political and social events, having genuine and open conversations has become more important now than ever. A junior defender from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lexi Joseph is passionate about changing the narrative of black student-athletes and particularly in the sport of women’s lacrosse. With lacrosse being a predominantly white sport, Lexi opens up about teams creating safe spaces and committing to be inclusive and open. We unpack a lot this week, but a great educational conversation no matter who you are or what you look like.

Student-athletes use their voice in the NCAA through student-athlete advisory committees or SAAC, on the campus, conference and national level. At Duke, SAAC is made up of representatives from each sport to provide insight on their experience and offer input on rules, regulations and policies that affect their lives on campus. Recently, a few hot topics consistent of name, image and likeness, voting, Covid protocols and diversity and inclusion. We chat with Kincey Smith of volleyball and Terry Lindsay from the men’s lacrosse team who serve on the leadership board, to get their thoughts and opinions on these initiatives.

Each sport and each individual has had a unique perspective on the return to fall sports. We decided to get one person from each fall sport in the same space (and when we say space we mean zoom) to have an open conversation and share experiences on what the past few months has been like from them and their respective teams. Jake Marwede from football, Mia Gyau from women’s soccer, Will Pulisic from men’s soccer, Alex Springate from volleyball, Olivia Sahaydak from field hockey and CJ Ambrosio from cross country join Rebecca Fiorentino on this week’s episode.

A two-time All-Ivy League selection at Cornell, Brian McAfee had already completed a stellar college baseball career but wanted more out of his college baseball experience. He enrolled at Duke in the fall of 2016 hoping for one more great season in a college baseball uniform. He quickly emerged as one of the top arms for Chris Pollard’s club, securing 7 victories which tied him for most on the team. McAfee also helped lead Duke to its first NCAA tournament in more than 50 years. Today our national pastime still drive Brian every day, even after he finished his professional baseball career. McAfee partnered with his dad, of all people, in a continuing effort to improve the game he loves, college baseball.

Elizabeth Williams is one of the most accomplished players in Duke women’s basketball history. The 2015 National Defensive Player of the year, Duke’s first four time All-American and a four time All-ACC member plus not to mention her jersey is hung in the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium for future generations to see, including her brother Mark who is a freshmen on the men’s basketball team. Now Elizabeth is making an impact both on and off the court in the WNBA. Breaking franchise records for the Atlanta Dream while also serving on the WNBA Players Association leadership board. Today on the show she gives us an inside scoop on life inside the WNBA Bubble, how she’s using her voice to push for change and social justice, why the league united to cancel games for an importance cause and how proud she is of her brother to be playing under Coach K.

Following an impressive collegiate career at Duke and graduating in 2011, Ashley Twichell has excelled in professional open water swimming, garnering five World Championship medals and nine National Titles. After attempting to qualify for the Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2016, Ashley became one of the first Americans in any sport to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games as she earned her spot on the US Open Water team in 2019. It would have been her first Olympic games appearance but her road to Tokyo took a turn when the coronavirus pandemic hit. There’s a good chance in 2021 that she will be Team USA’s oldest rookie Olympic swimmer since 1908.

A new era of Duke women’s basketball is underway. You might have seen it on social media. It’s called #KaraEra. This week on the show we are honored to have new head coach Kara Lawson. The former Boston Celtics assistant coach chats with Chris Edwards about why Duke was the perfect fit for her, the whirlwind of a few weeks she’s had from the NBA Bubble to Durham and what it’s like taking over a program during a pandemic.

As Duke student-athletes are returning to campus how do we keep them safe while also getting them ready to play and give them an opportunity to play this season? What are the logistics of bringing our student-athletes back to campus? What’s the testing process? What will practices look like? This week on the show we chat with Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Athletic Facilities, Game Operations and Championships, Bob Weiseman on how he and his staff have been preparing the past few months to ensure safety measures are being put into place.

After four decades of service as both a coach and administrator at Duke University, Jacki Silar will retire from her position as Senior Associate Director of Athletics at the end of June. Since her arrival at Duke in 1979, Silar has served as an assistant women’s basketball coach, spent 15 seasons as the head field hockey coach then later went on to have an administrative role with 24 head coaches. Silar is also the lone Senior Woman Administrator in Duke Athletics history, holding the post since its inception in the 90s. Silar and host, Rebecca Fiorentino talk about her transition from coaching to administration, how the athletic department has evolved in the 41 years she’s been at Duke, plus advice she has for future student-athletes, coaches and administrators.

This week on the show Chris Edwards interviews 6 guys who prepared for the MLB Draft together after their baseball season came to an abrupt end due to Covid-19 concerns. Thomas Girard, Matt Mervis, Michael Rothenberg, Wil Hoyle, Joey Loperfido and Bryce Jarvis worked out, played ping-ping, Fortnite, came up with trick shots, and yes finished their class work assignments all under the same roof - for 12 weeks.

This week on the show - her transition to college was an unusual one and now her transition into the professional world is no different. With the sudden end of the 2020 season, senior golfer Ana Belac was unable to close out her Duke career the way she wanted and head back to the NCAA Championship to vie for a second straight title. Ana, who hails from Slovenia, has decided to make a dream come true and announced she is turning professional. No woman from Slovenia has ever gotten an LPGA Tour card, what would it mean to Ana to become the first?

How do student-athletes find the time to study abroad with their training requirements and responsibilities? This week on the show we’re teaming up with Stanford University to discuss a unique opportunity that a select number of both Duke and Stanford student-athletes get to participate in while in school. We’ll get the perspective from a volleyball player at Stanford and a rower at Duke who had the chance to visit Vietnam to be part of the summer service program and learn how that experience continues to impact their lives today.

Men’s Fencer Eoin Gronningsater and women’s swimmer Alyssa Marsh were named Duke’s Senior Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year. The pair joins a storied past of Duke students that have been recognized by the university for pairing athletic success with excellence in the classroom. Both share a lot in common including their major, their future plans, their ACE trip to Vietnam and both had their senior seasons cut short due to covid-19 concerns. What was the most interesting class Alyssa from San Diego, CA has ever taken at Duke? And how did Eoin the Brooklyn, NY native help raise over $30,000 dollars for the Fence For Fight Campaign.

This week on the podcast, Rebecca Fiorentino and Chris Edwards catch up with head coach of the softball team Marissa Young, and head baseball coach Chris Pollard on how they handled the news of their seasons coming to an unexpected end. Both programs were destined for a special year. With the softball team off to its best start in program history and baseball living up to the early season hype of being ranked in the preseason polls for the third consecutive season. Hear how these coaches are keeping their teams connected while being distant, what the future looks like for baseball and how they’re using this time now to improve themselves and their teams.

This week on the podcast we head to Illinois to visit with women’s basketball senior Haley Gorecki then we head south to Texas to chat with senior Diver Nathaniel Hernandez. Haley was on the verge of participating in her first NCAA Tournament game after battling back from a series of injuries and Nathaniel was set to represent Duke for his 4th time at the NCAA Championships before the season came to an abrupt end amid the COVID-10 concerns. What is their new normal and how are choosing to look at this time with a different perspective and remembering what they were able to accomplish and not what they weren’t able to do.

Duke Athletics’ Director of Behavior Health Dr. Shawn Zeplin joins Rebecca Fiorentino and Chris Edwards to discuss tips for dealing with your mental health during this time of social distancing, how can we as individuals be good neighbors and good teammates, and learning to embrace uncertainty amid the cancellations of sporting events and the larger national emergency.

We sat down with Sarah Nelson of Duke Volleyball and Peyton St. George of Duke Softball to talk about their time abroad with ACE Athletes. Nelson who traveled to South Africa and St. George who traveled to Vietnam discuss the experiences they had working and teaching kids about everything from computer science to sports to language and the opportunity to meet other student athletes from Stanford and experience other cultures together.