In the first edition of Fall sport focus, the Blue Zone maps the trajectory of Duke men’s cross country after a dominant season-opening performance:
After starting the season ranked No. 7 in the Southeast Region, Duke men’s cross country wasted no time proving its potential with a commanding victory last Tuesday morning at the Duke reclamation pond. The Blue Devils swept their season opener against North Carolina A&T and North Carolina Central, posting a perfect score of 15 points and claiming 11 of the top 15 spots. With the win, Duke reinforced its regional standing and set the stage for a promising fall campaign under head coach Kevin Jermyn.
Guiding this new era, the coach returned to Durham in July 2024. A two-time ACC and NCAA Southeast Region Coach of the Year during his first Duke stint from 2000-2014, Jermyn brings 26 years of experience and a track record of building championship teams.
At the pond, the Blue Devils were dominant from the gun, as graduate students Beck Wittstadt, Charlie Siebert, Jack Stanley and Declan McDonnell, alongside sophomore Matt Ryan, secured the top five finishes on the 4K course. Duke’s ability to pack tightly up front highlighted the team’s depth and cohesion, leaving little doubt about the outcome.
Several of the team’s top finishes represent debuts in Blue Devil uniforms. Siebert, an Illinois native and Columbia graduate, was a consistent scorer for the Lions after an Atlantic-10 All-Rookie Team season at Davidson. McDonnell, a Monmouth transfer and CAA All-Conference performer, led the Hawks at the 2024 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional.
Beyond the frontrunners, Duke’s depth is a defining strength. Athletes like Luke Thompson and Alden Keller are essential pieces of the lineup, having been among the top Blue Devil scorers at last year’s ACC Cross Country Championships. Thompson, a sophomore from Brentwood, Tenn., ran a personal-best 23 minutes, 57.0 second 8K at the ACC Championships and has consistently finished among Duke’s top scorers, signaling strong promise early in his collegiate career. Keller set personal bests last postseason as well, running 24 minutes, 5.7 seconds in the 8K at the ACC Championships and 31 minutes, 18.2 seconds for 10K at the NCAA Southeast Regional. Together with veterans like Stanley — an NCAA East Regional qualifier — the roster offers multiple scoring options when championship season demands depth.
Last fall, the Blue Devils quietly laid the groundwork for this year’s surge with a top-10 finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional. Those results marked the program’s best regional showing in several years and provided a blueprint for advancement. With that core now bolstered by seasoned graduate transfers, this year’s roster enters the season deeper and more experienced. Duke is poised for one of its best seasons yet, with the depth and experience to challenge for a top-five finish in the ACC.
The Blue Devils now turn their focus to the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 26 in Columbia, Mo., as Duke continues its march toward the ACC Championships and NCAA Southeast Regional.