Which Duke athletes will be the Blue Devils’ best in 2024?
A new year has arrived, and it’s time to look at some athletes who could thrive for the Duke Blue Devils in 2024.
Duke saw several teams win ACC championships, including the Blue Devils’ men’s basketball squad in Jon Scheyer’s first season as head coach. The Duke men’s lacrosse team provided another highlight by advancing to the NCAA championship game.
Representing six sports, here’s a look at 11 Duke standouts who are primed to make headlines in 2024 as the top Blue Devils on campus.
Hannah Bebar, Duke soccer
An All-American at Harvard, Bebar is primed to become an instant contributor in her first season with the Blue Devils as one of the top midfielders in the nation. She started 45 of 47 matches and logged 59 points in three seasons with the Crimson, leading the program to its first Ivy League Tournament championship in 2023.
Kyle Filipowski, Duke basketball
Filipowski didn’t waste any time becoming the Blue Devils’ latest freshman star last season on his way to earning ACC Tournament MVP. The 7-footer likely would have been a first-round pick in the NBA Draft, but he returned for his second year with hopes of winning a national championship. He’s averaging 16.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
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Tre Freeman, Duke football
The Blue Devils’ sophomore linebacker had one of most underrated seasons in the ACC this year. After recording 22 tackles in his first two seasons, Freeman had 106 in 2023 as an All-ACC performer.
Alaina McVeigh, Duke field hockey
McVeigh made an instant impact in her debut season for the Blue Devils, scoring an ACC-best 17 goals en route to earning co-offensive player of the year honors. Her 37 points, the 25th-best single season in program history, helped Duke earn a share of the ACC regular-season title and advance to the Final Four.
Maalik Murphy, Duke football
First-year coach Manny Diaz made a splash by adding Texas transfer Maalik Murphy to the mix ahead of the 2024 season. A 6-foot-5, 238-pound quarterback, Murphy played sparingly in two seasons with the Longhorns. He has the chance to become a star in Durham.
Brennan O’Neill, Duke lacrosse
O’Neill was the star for a Duke squad that won the 2023 ACC championship and advanced to the national title game. The fastest to reach 100 goals in program history, O’Neill won several national awards last season. He led all Division I players with 97 points from 55 goals and 42 assists. He was the lone Division I player to rank in the top 20 in goals (2.89), assists (2.21) and points (5.11) per game as a junior.
Fran Oschell III, Duke baseball
A junior right-handed pitcher, Oschell helped the Blue Devils advance to the 2023 NCAA Super Regional round with a 6-0 record out of the bullpen. In his 22 appearances, he finished the year with a 0.69 ERA, allowing three earned runs. Oschell had 66 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .133 batting average.
Reigan Richardson, Duke basketball
The Charlotte native is on track for the best season of her career. After averaging 6.3 points per game in her first two seasons, Richardson is averaging 11.5 points in her second year with the Blue Devils.
Jeremy Roach, Duke basketball
A senior captain, Roach has seen it all during his time with the Blue Devils. The COVID-19 pandemic cut short his freshman season before he helped the team advance to the 2022 Final Four and win the 2023 ACC Tournament. Roach is on track for his best season yet, averaging 14.8 points on 51.5% shooting and 3.1 assists per game.
James Tallon, Duke baseball
An All-American as a freshman pitcher, Tallon had a single-season record 12 saves last season. In 33 innings, he had 54 strikeouts and 11 walks, holding opponents to a .185 batting average. The left-handed hurler was the seventh player in program history to earn a spot on the All-ACC freshman team.
Dyson Williams, Duke lacrosse
A captain as a graduate student, Williams is one of the top returners for a team with national title aspirations. In an All-American campaign last year, Williams had 60 goals to rank seventh on the program’s single-season list. He is on track to become the 16th Blue Devil to reach 200 points in his career and the third to score 200 career goals.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Jeremy Roach, other Duke athletes to watch in 2024
