Football
Pat Higgins | Asst. Sports Editor
After starting the 2012 season 5-2 and dropping their final four games to finish 5-6, the Dukes enter the 2013 campaign with nine returning starters (five offensive, four defensive) and are slated to finish second in the NEC, according to the league’s preseason poll released by the conference’s head coaches on Aug. 12. With 12 starters returning for coach Jerry Schmitt’s ninth year at the helm of the program, First Team All-NEC picks Dorian Bell and Gianni Carter will look to help the Dukes transition into a new era after losing seniors quarterback Sean Patterson and running back Larry McCoy. Senior Marty Mitchell and redshirt freshman Dillon Buechel have been competing to win the replacement spot of Patterson, while sophomore James Madison transfer Michael LoPresti will be thrown into the mix as well. The three quarterbacks combine for exactly zero starts at the Division I level. Sean Brady will also add more depth to the wide receiver position behind Carter, who was the team’s best wideout last season. They will kick things off this season on Aug. 31 against Albany at Rooney Field.
Volleyball
Pat Higgins | Asst. Sports Editor
The women’s volleyball team enters the 2013 season with heightened expectations after a vote among the A-10’s nine head coaches predicted the Dukes to finish second in the conference. After going 9-5 in league play last season, the Dukes head into this season looking to compete against A-10 favorite Dayton, which looks to capture their fifth straight A-10 title. The Dukes will rely on All-Conference honorees Arielle Love and Allison Foschia and All-Rookie selections Mary Henry and Taylor Lockett, all who helped to guide the team to a 22-11 record overall last season. The team will get things started in the new season in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the IPFW Invitational on Aug. 30 & 31. They face Central Michigan in their home opener at the AJ Palumbo Center in the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational on September 6. Their conference schedule begins at home on September 27 against Saint Louis.
Men’s soccer
Addie Smith | Sports Editor
After a late season push into the Atlantic-10 Tournament, the Duquesne men’s soccer team is looking to return with new head coach Chase Brooks. The Dukes lost MLS draftees forward Joshua Patterson and defenseman Adam Clements in a graduating class of six seniors that helped the team ultimately clinch their post-season berth. However, the Dukes still have bright spots with senior forward Simon Gomez, junior forward Karter Sell (above) and sophomore goalie Sam Frymier, who was named All-Tournament goalie in last year’s A-10s. The Dukes also added former Duquesne basketball player Kadeem Pantophlet after his scholarship was cut by men’s basketball coach Jim Ferry. A new core group of forwards and strong goaltending could lead the men’s team back to the A-10 tournament or it could be a season of transition on the Bluff. The men’s team lost their first game 3-2 against Carnegie Mellon on Tuesday.
Men’s and women’s cross country
Addie Smith | Sports Editor
The Duquesne men’s and women’s cross country teams look to continue their successes from last season into this season, but this time without former runner Jim Spisak, who competed in the 2012 NCAA Championships for Duquesne and finished 59th out of 245 runners. The men’s team will be led by junior Alex Woodrow and senior Chuck Lockwood, while the women’s team will be led by senior Amber Valimont (above)O and graduate student Carly Seymour. Carly’s little sister, Kendall Seymour, will be returning for her third year on the team. The men’s team added seven new runners over the summer; the women added eight. Overall, the two teams will be competitive throughout the A-10 as well as their respective regional brackets, the ECAC for the women’s team and the IC4A for the men’s team.
Women’s soccer
Saúl Berríos-Thomas | Layout Editor
The Duquesne women’s soccer team will return with a strong young core for the 2013 season. In his second season as head coach Al Alvine has added Dave Gray to his coaching staff. Gray, who was the head coach at Upper St. Clair high school for the last nine seasons, comes to the Bluff with a proven track record for winning (he went 126-48-11 overall). The Dukes lost two of their top four scorers last year in Morgan Herbert and Paige Maroney, but hope to fill those roles with a passionate freshman class. The Dukes hope to surprise some in the conference – they were picked to finish 12th. The Dukes also return junior goalie Devon Tabata (above) who will provide leadership and experience in the net. Youth and talent could translate to a strong season, or correlate with some growing pains along the way. The women play their first game this Friday against St. Francis at Rooney Field.
