Athletics Spring News and Updates

Dru Joyce III was named the 18th head coach in the 108-year history of the Duquesne men’s basketball program at a March 28 news conference, during which Joyce said his new role is “not transactional” but that “it’s transformational.”

The Joyce announcement capped a historic three-week stretch in which the Dukes claimed their first Atlantic 10 Championship, a subsequent automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament—the team’s first since 1977—and a first win in the Big Dance since 1969 thanks to a 71-67 victory over Brigham Young University in the first round. 

The Dukes finished with at least 20 wins in three of the last five seasons the team was under the guidance of head coach Keith Dambrot, who announced his retirement after leading the program to the A-10 crown. Duquesne finished with 25 wins during the 2023-24 season, one off the school record, and were led by the guard tandem of Jimmy Clark III and Dae Dae Grant. Combined, the duo scored 1,114 points for the Dukes in 2023-24, with Grant being named the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championship Most Outstanding Player. They were both named to the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team, while Clark III earned All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team plaudits.

The success for Duquesne basketball was twice as nice in 2023-24 with the success of the women’s program, under the guidance of head coach Dan Burt. The Dukes accumulated 21 wins and a victory in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). Led by guard Megan McConnell—who was named to the 2024 All-Atlantic 10 First Team, All-Atlantic 10 Defensive Team and All-Atlantic 10 Academic Team—the Dukes earned a home win over Monmouth in the second round of the WNIT after earning a bye to open the tournament. During the year, a total of five student-athletes eclipsed 1,000 points during their NCAA Division I careers with the Dukes, while guard Tess Myers finished the year with a career total of 279 three-pointers, which is tied for the top total in program history.

In addition to basketball, the women’s bowling program qualified for the Intercollegiate Team Championships Nationals for the fourth time and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship for the second consecutive year and third time in the last four seasons. The Dukes advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history after a monumental comeback against Maryland Eastern Shore and finished 2-2 (.500) in the Pittsburgh Regional, which was hosted by Duquesne at AMF Mt. Lebanon Lanes. 

Junior Haley Scholer highlighted the 2024 Atlantic 10 Championships in swimming & diving for Duquesne, winning the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:55.48 to earn gold and set a new school record. Scholer, who has qualified for the USA Swimming Olympic Trials in the event, just the second student-athlete in program history ever, was also a member of the Duquesne 800 freestyle relay team that earned silver with a time of 7:14.11. That time set a new program standard.