The Duke lacrosse program is coming off a pretty solid 2024. It definitely did not end with the hardware they were hoping for, but it was a strong year, to say the least. It’s unfortunate that the Blue Devils have caught the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the midst of their strongest run ever, and it was clear that was a hump no one could truly get over. It is still uncertain if Notre Dame has returned back to Earth this year or if they are going to continue their powerhouse run. Despite this, the Duke lacrosse program has always held itself to the highest standard, and that standard is a national championship.
The team has only three NCAA National Championships under their belt, coming in 2010, 2013, and 2014. Since their most recent national championship, they have been the runner-up in 2018 and, most recently, in 2023. While the team has always had high aspirations, they have certainly struggled to get to the top of the mountain consistently. Last year was probably the best chance the team has had in quite some time to make a run at a national championship. A powerhouse trio of Brennan O’Neill, Josh Zawada, and Dyson Williams should have been enough to secure some hardware, especially for Duke. With these three stars moving on to the professional game, that left 383 points off the board for the Blue Devils heading into 2025. These are some heavy shoes to fill, and it has been interesting so far to see how Duke is attempting to make up for these lost points.
Looking at how the season has gone for the Duke lacrosse program so far, I’m not completely sold that this team can compete for a national championship, let alone a conference championship. A dominant win against Bellarmine is always a nice way to start the year, but it doesn’t really tell us much about who this Duke team truly is. A solid 14-9 win over Jacksonville felt good in the moment, but the Dolphins have since played a close game with Marist and blew out Hampton—nothing that really moves the needle in proving that the Jacksonville win was a quality RPI victory. Duke followed this up with a scrappy victory against St. Joseph’s, who has been a tough opponent in recent years, but not tough enough to justify a two-goal victory if the Blue Devils are truly looking to make some noise this year.
That leads us to this past weekend, which featured an 8-7 overtime victory against Michigan. Common ACC opponent North Carolina dominated Michigan in a 15-6 affair just a few weeks prior. Duke was very close to losing this game, and there were many opportunities that Michigan did not capitalize on. Even though the record says 4-0 for the Duke lacrosse program, I’m not fully convinced this team can reach the heights it is expecting this year. The next few weeks, along with ACC play, will be telling.
This upcoming weekend will be a battle, featuring a game against Princeton on Friday and Penn on Sunday. This is a quick turnaround for two solid Ivy League opponents and will really solidify where Duke stands among the rest of Division 1 lacrosse this year. Conference play will always work itself out, but this year feels different than most. The main difference is that North Carolina appears to be back in contention, rising out of the mediocrity they’ve been stuck in for the past few years. Notre Dame could still be on their dynasty run, Syracuse has the talent to be good, and Virginia remains a powerhouse.
If there is one thing I struggle to bet against, it is Coach Danowski. That man has a way of getting his squad ready for May, no matter how the beginning of the year goes. The team has shown flashes of greatness but has not been consistent enough to make me feel confident that they can contend for any hardware this year. However, Danowski is a wizard and one of the best of all time, and he will certainly adjust to any issues the team is currently facing. This weekend’s Ivy League slate will certainly show how true that statement is as we head into March.
