Duke a Favorite in NCAA Lacrosse Championship

DURHAM, N.C. — A year ago, the words “Duke lacrosse” were hardly synonymous with anything on the field, but now, the men’s program has the potential for its best-ever season.

The second-ranked Blue Devils downed Air Force 19-6 Sunday to complete the regular season with a 14-2 record.

The overall top seed in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils will now host Providence College May 12 at home.

Under the guidance of new head coach John Danowski, the team won the ACC tournament last week.

“Well, it’s certainly been unique from Day 1, but the one thing that’s been tremendously consistent has been the effort and the character of the young men I work with every day,” Danowski said Sunday.

It’s a character that was called into question when three players from last year’s team faced accusations of rape after an off-campus team party.

Amid the allegations, Duke University President Richard Brodhead suspended the lacrosse season, longtime coach Mike Pressler resigned and three players – Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligmann and David Evans – were indicted.

The spotlight was also put on the team and its behavior off the field with Brodhead commissioning a study into the team’s culture before allowing it to resume play this season.

As the criminal investigation into the allegations unfolded, ending last month with all charges against the three former players being dropped, this season’s squad has found the field as a chance for escape.

“We don’t have to worry about the media, we don’t have to worry about the (district attorney) or people asking questions or anything like that,” said Duke senior Matt Danowski. “So, it’s kind of been our safe haven where we can relax and play lacrosse.”

After not playing in last year’s NCAA tournament, Duke is now one of the favorites to win it all. It would be the program’s first national title.

“Now that you start talking about the tournament, it gets a little scary, because it’s a little storybook,” John Danowski said.

To cap the season off after everything we’ve been through the past 13, 14 months – to cap it off with a national championship would be unbelievable,” Duke junior Zack Greer said.