Blue Devil 360

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. 

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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? 

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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. 

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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.  

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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. 

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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. 

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