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3 Things Duke Fans Should Be Thankful For This Thanksgiving

By Christian Candeloro

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 21: Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski during their game against the California Golden Bears at Madison Square Garden on November 21, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 21: Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski during their game against the California Golden Bears at Madison Square Garden on November 21, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /
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No. 3: Overall Program Excellence

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 22: Cassius Stanley #2 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after a basket in the second half of their game against the Georgetown Hoyas at Madison Square Garden on November 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 22: Cassius Stanley #2 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts after a basket in the second half of their game against the Georgetown Hoyas at Madison Square Garden on November 22, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

It’s rare to find an athletic program that can match Duke’s excellence. In fact, there are only eight athletic departments ranked better than Duke across all sports. Duke finished ninth in the IMG Learfield Director’s Cup standings for the 2018-19 season.

Duke won the women’s golf National Championship and has several teams poised to make noise in the NCAA Championships this year. Duke has 12 ranked teams, including:

  • Men’s Swimming: No. 15
  • Men’s Lacrosse: No. 7
  • Men’s Golf: No. 12
  • Men’s Basketball: No. 1
  • Baseball: No. 16
  • Women’s Soccer: No. 12
  • Women’s Tennis: No. 3
  • Women’s Swimming: No. 11
  • Rowing: No. 17
  • Women’s Lacrosse: No. 15
  • Women’s Golf: No. 11
  • Field Hockey: No. 5

That’s an impressive slate of teams and it’s a testament to the athletic department’s leadership and the coaching staffs that lead them to success, even in spite of tough academic standards. Probably most impressive, Duke has been able to avoid scandals in recent years, including many of the basketball violations that have plagued other schools.

This year, be thankful for the continued excellence of the entirety of the athletic program.

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