Duke Lacrosse
With the shroud of nightmare already lifted, the Duke Lacrosse Athletics team had to look forward to a brighter horizon, and to continue their magnificent run for the national championship games.
But despite their bid for a very successful season, no one in the Duke Lacrosse Athletics teams can ever forget the intense pressure the sensationalized scandal had on them, the eyes of the media suddenly focusing on them outside the boundaries of the sport. People began treating and talking about them differently, and the media portrayed them for something else. But all they did was to weather out and persevere it all, and they did. The team went back on track, amassing an impressive season run of 17 – 3 mirroring season 2005’s success and by reaching the highly coveted 2007 National Championship Games, losing only to another rival powerhouse John Hopkins by one goal.
It seems heroes can still by found within the Duke Lacrosse team ranks. Many have credited their prolific run to attackman Matt Danowski, who by the end of the season was awarded the Tewaaraton Trophy 2007 during a Wednesday banquet night at Washington, D.C. National Geographic Society. Matt Danowski was chosen against another 5 contenders of the title of the best, which would include highly talented players Paul Rabil of Johns Hopkins, Albany’s Frank Resetarits, Max Seibald of Cornell, and Virginia’s star Ben Rubeor.
“It’s certainly very humbling”, Matt Danowski had said with regards to being the recipient of the Tewaaraton Trophy, since he had emphasized that its his team who won the game, and he’s just one of the Duke lacrosse team. But even then, Matt Danowski had piled an ACC season stat of 96 points against 44 goals and 52 assists, leading the nation and breaking the 44-year record of 1963’s Ray Altman of Maryland. He is also the 4th player in NCAA history to produce consistent 40 goals per season and 50 assists, together with his Duke lacrosse teammate Zack Greer, another consistent scorer.
Incidentally, another star of the Duke lacrosse team share the same family name. Duke lacrosse coach John Danowski had replaced coach Mike Pressler during the height of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case, which in the end had proven to be false. After Mike Pressler left, coach John Danowski had to convalesce a media scandal stricken team back to its toes, regrouping the team after a sorry run for the 2006 national championship bid. The team has lost its chance to return to the final games of 2006 after the highly sensationalized scandal left the team in disarray. Yet, this year showed a solid performance of an even yet solid team, with coach John Danowski at the helm.
“It was unbelievable” coach John Danowski had said, on account of the pressure the team has to face, the desire to regroup and go back to the game with heads held up high. If anything, John Danowski had stated, the episode had made them all stronger. All they did was to persevere. “And they did that everyday” coach John Danowski concluded. John Danowski was awarded for his splendid job rebuilding the Duke Lacrosse team, becoming the first Duke lacrosse coach to be awarded Blue Devil of the Year, together with his son Matt Danowski.
Duke Lacrosse Case, Charges Dropped
It all started when Crystal Gail Magnum, a black stripper accused Duke lacrosse players Collin Finnerty, David Evans and Reade Seligmann of rape on March 2006 during a house party held by the team captains.
On April 2007, the court ruled out all charges to declare the lacrosse players innocent and disbarred the prosecutor for his “tragic rush to accuse” plus a symbolic one-day in jail and a $500 fine. It nevertheless made headline news all throughout United States.