Kimel Welcomes Eleven For 2004-05 Season

Sept. 16, 2004

DURHAM, N.C. - Head coach Kerstin Kimel welcomes 11 high school standout lacrosse players to the Blue Devil squad for the 2005 season. Jess Adam (Severna Park, Md.), Regan Bosch (Annapolis, Md.), Kerry Costello (Havertown, Pa.), Caroline Cryer (Centennial, Colo.), Allie Johnson (Annapolis, Md.), Sarah Kirchhofer (Dallas, Texas), Abigail Meyer (Alexandria, Va.), Samantha Morris (Ridgewood, N.J.), Aiyana Newton (Baltimore, Md.), Kimberly Pastrana (Annapolis, Md.) and Rachel Shack (Andover, Mass.) join a program that has competed in the NCAA tournament in each of the last six seasons and is poised to make an impressive run in the upcoming season.

"I'm really excited about this incoming class of student-athletes for the 2004-05 squad," Kimel said. "They are all outstanding students and incredibly gifted athletes. Each one of them will bring something special to this team and I am confident that they will all make significant contributions on and off the playing field for Duke."

Jess Adam (Severna Park, Md./Severn School)--Midfield
High school teammate of fellow freshmen Regan Bosch ... received numerous accolades following a remarkable senior campaign at the Severn School ... honored as a US Lacrosse All-America ... named the Female Athlete of the Year and the Female Lacrosse Player of the Year by the Capital Gazette and The Washington Post ... also named All-County and All-Met Female Lacrosse Player of the Year by The Sun ... selected as a member of the All-Anne Arundel County team by all three newspapers and the All-Metro team by The Sun and Post ... was a member of the 2003 U-19 World Cup Championship team with Leigh Jester, Michelle Menser, Rachel Sanford and Kristen Waagbo ... earned spot on the 2004 high school All-Tewaarton Team ... also earned extensive recognition for field hockey and basketball accomplishments ... member of National Honor Society and Cum Laude Society at Severn School ... recipient of Severn's Rolland M. Teel Award and C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Athletic Service Award.

Kimel on Adam: Jess is one of the most versatile players to ever play at Duke. She is a tremendous athlete with great height, speed, endurance and skill. That coupled with a blue-collar work ethic and outstanding leadership ability will help her to make a major impact on our program this year.

Regan Bosch (Annapolis, Md./Severn School)--Goalie
High school teammate of fellow freshman Jess Adam ... named to the All-Anne Arundel County team ... received All-America and Academic All-America honors ... led the Severn School to a third-place finish in the IAAM A League her senior season ... started at midfield for the Severn varsity soccer team ... member of National Honor Society ... won first place in the school art show, as well as the Leonardo award for painting.

Kimel on Bosch: Regan is also a tremendous athlete with superb quickness and agility. I am confident that working with Megan Huether and our defense will help her to become a highly competitive Division I goalie.

Kerry Costello (Havertown, Pa./Haverford)--Defense
Received US Lacrosse Academic All-America honors three consecutive seasons ... lettered three times in lacrosse and twice in field hockey at Haverford ... co-captain of the lacrosse team her senior season ... honored as a first-team All-Central League selection ... named Unsung Hero of the team twice ... received numerous awards for academic accomplishments, including the National Merit Commended Scholar award, President's Award for Academic Excellence, Society of Women Engineers High Honor Award and Toggweiller Award for high academic achievement as a female.

Kimel on Costello: Kerry is steady player with excellent skills and game sense. She is the fourth engineering major to come through our program and I am excited that she has decided to accept the challenge of playing Division I lacrosse and balancing a tremendous academic load.

Caroline Cryer (Centennial, Colo./Cherry Creek)--Attack
Well-decorated three-sport athlete at Cherry Creek ... lettered in field hockey, basketball and lacrosse ... received a number of honors for lacrosse, including All-America, team MVP and state championship game MVP ... named to All-State team and the Player of the Year by both the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News ... selected as Female Athlete of the Year following her senior campaign by Cherry Creek and the Denver Post/9News ... also received Pam Bent Award, Ruby Miller scholarship, Kirby Lyle Award and a nomination for the Fred Steinmark Award, all given for outstanding accomplishments in academics and athletics.

Kimel on Cryer: Caroline is an incredibly gifted attacker. She has phenomenal game sense, passing and scoring abilities. She is highly competitive and is someone who I expect to be a major contributor within our offense this spring.

Allie Johnson (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck)--Midfield
Standout soccer and lacrosse athlete at Broadneck ... co-captain, leading scorer (62G, 29A) and team MVP lacrosse her senior lacrosse season ... named All-America and Academic All-America ... earned first-team All-County honors from the Capital Gazette, The Sun and The Washington Post ... also received All-Metro selection from The Sun and The Washington Post ... won the High School All-Tewaaraton Team Award, Kevin E. Reichardt Award and the Broadneck Booster Club Athletic Scholarship ... also named to All-County and All-State teams for soccer ... member of National Honor Society ... received President's Education Award ... candidate for Maryland State Certificate of Merit.

Kimel on Johnson: Allie is a powerful offensive threat. She has great experience having been an integral part of a state championship team at Broadneck. We are counting on both her talent and championship experience to have a positive impact on Duke Lacrosse.

Sarah Kirchhofer (Dallas, Texas/Hockaday School)--Midfield
Lettered in volleyball, basketball, tennis and lacrosse during her three years at Hockaday ... received All-America and Academic All-America honors senior year, in addition to being named to the All-State, All-Conference and All-District teams ... guided her team to the conference championship junior year and to second place in the state senior year ... made Headmistress' List and received Sudie Duncan Award for citizenship.

Kimel on Kirchhofer: Sarah is a great athlete with loads of defensive potential. She has a great attitude, is a worker and is someone who I expect to develop into a nice defensive midfielder for us.

Abigail Meyer (Alexandria, Va./St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School)--Defense
Lettered in lacrosse and swimming ... earned All-ISL, All-America and honorable mention All-Metro (The Washington Post) honors after senior season.

Kimel on Meyer: Abigail comes from a great high school program. She possesses strong fundamentals and has great instincts on defense. She is highly spirited, loves Duke and is someone who will is a great addition to our program both on and off the field.

Samantha Morris (Ridgewood, N.J./Lawrenceville School)--Defense Captained both the soccer and lacrosse teams at Lawrenceville ... name first-team All-MAPL (Mid-Atlantic Prep League), All-Bedesem Division, All-Mercer County (Trentonian), All-Area (Trenton Times) and All-State ... led team to an undefeated (16-0) season in 2004, earning the Chambers Award for athletic performance and sportsmanship along the way ... member of the Dean's List and Oval Society for community service ... winner of the National Merit Scholarship.

Kimel on Morris: Samantha is a superb athlete with raw talent and tons of potential. She is an outstanding leader, her commitment to learning is second to none and when surrounded by great players, I have no doubt that she will become an incredible Division I defender.

Aiyana Newton (Baltimore, Md./The Park School)--Midfield
Lettered four years in field hockey, basketball and lacrosse at The Park School ... conference All-Star for lacrosse following the 2002-04 seasons ... field hockey team leading scorer three consecutive years from 2000-02 ... missed 2003 field hockey season due to mononucleosis ... first-team All-Baltimore County and City and second-team All-Metro (The Sun) field hockey selection in 2002 ... winner of the 2004 C. Markland Kelley, Jr. award for outstanding accomplishments as a student-athlete.

Kimel on Newton: Yani has great speed, quickness and footwork. She has battled a good deal of sickness over the last year and we are looking forward to getting her 100% healthy and fit for her first collegiate season.

Kimberly Pastrana (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary's)--Midfield
Well-decorated lacrosse and field hockey player at St. Mary's ... named a Lax Power All-America junior year ... earned All-County honors from the Annapolis Capital, The Sun and The Washington Post over the course of her junior and senior seasons ... received All-Metro and first-team All-galaxy nods junior year ... named St. Mary's 2004 Female Athlete of the Year, Unsung Hero and C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Athletic Service Award winner ... graduated as a Parvis Scholar after earning a 4.0 throughout all four years ... member of National Honor Society ... recipient of St. Mary's Citizenship of the Community Award from 2001-03 ... named an honorable mention Distinguished Scholar of Maryland.

Kimel on Pastrana: Kimi is also an incredibly versatile player. She is strong, powerful with great games sense and stick skills. I expect Kimi to be a great addition to our midfield unit as I feel she be able to make significant contributions at both ends of the field.

Rachel Shack (Andover, Mass./Phillips Academy)--Attack
Three-sport athlete at Phillips Academy, starting on the soccer, basketball and lacrosse teams ... second on the lacrosse team in assists ... led squad to a 10th place finish in the New England preps in 2004 ... guided basketball and lacrosse teams to the finals of the 2002 Bay State Games ... captained AAU basketball team ... graduated with distinction in Spanish and a four-year honor roll recipient... named a National Merit Commended Scholar.

Kimel on Shack: I am so pleased that Rachel has decided to join our team for this season. She is a legacy and her love for Duke is so strong. Her experience as an AAU basketball player, combined with her speed and quickness will be valuable asset to our offensive unit.