Completed Event: Women's Lacrosse versus #1 North Carolina on April 22, 2026 , Loss , 11, to, 15
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Final
Women's Lacrosse
11
vs #1 North Carolina
15
Mackler Blog #1: The Start of the School Year
9/11/2011 5:41:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Duke senior Mollie Mackler will keep a weekly blog for the 2011-12 season, giving Duke fans an inside look at life on the Blue Devil women's lacrosse team.
Look for Mollie's blog every week during the year on GoDuke.com
Welcome back Duke Lacrosse Fans! Mollie Mackler here, reporting from my sunny Durham home away from home. I'm aiming to deliver blogs that will keep you coming back like Christie Kaestner's did (Kaes, I will try to make you proud). What a week it has been, ladies and gents. We laughed, we cried, we ran and we finally picked up our sticks after a short period of acclimation to the fast-paced and fantastic world of Duke.
We have been happy to welcome our new freshmen to the team in a variety of ways. After they got settled into their new dorms they attended a barbeque at Kerstin's house (all completely peachy with NCAA rules, of course). Interestingly, 2/3 of our terrific new tensome all live in Randolph, a dorm known for air conditioning (which not all can say), excellence and of course being the freshman dorm of yours truly. Shortly thereafter, the entirety of the team made an effort to get together off-campus at the apartment complex where 11 upperclassmen live, which was a lot of fun. Then, with a slight change of pace, we woke them up at 6 a.m. for an ROTC style run/canoe at camp Butner, a little more than 30 minutes from campus. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Tribus greeted us with an all too familiar grin as we stepped off the bus. He couldn't wait to lead us through another unforgettable challenge.
Makenzie Hommel, whose fashion sense is acutely tuned in no matter what the circumstance, noted that Mark was wearing what appeared to be Teva water shoes and wondered if there were any relevant implications (i.e. whether or not we were about to bond through physical hardship or not due to a lack of the usual combat boots). There were not, although following a however-mile-long footrace over some pretty topographically rich terrain, we took a pit stop where a number of canoes were lined up next to Lake Butner. After socks and shoes were frantically ripped off and strewn aside, we quickly boarded the canoes and raced across the Lake Butner in teams of three. A few boats capsized in the frenzy but every boat found a way to make it across the Lake. Sophia Sourlis, Maddie Salamone and myself reached the shore 2nd, edged by the likes of Kat Thomas, Angel Thompson and Molly Quirke (is anyone surprised?). If this didn't take us back to the Native American roots of our sport, I'm not sure what possibly could have. We left Camp Butner exhausted yet satisfied, with a day full of bonding ahead of us. LTC Mark Tribus lead us through an intimate day of goal setting, team alignment and getting to know each other. I'll leave it at that though, because what happened there stays there, as they say.
Once we all got onto the same page, it was time for testing week. Allow me to outline the day of the first test, the mile.
Tuesday:
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Players go about their days wearing rain jackets, rain boots and holding umbrellas, wondering if any aquatic wildlife could sustain itself in the puddles on the track.
12:21 p.m. - A casual DukeALERT text reads, "Officials are monitoring weather, including the potential of tornados." Kerstin Kimel is not one to back down from a challenge, especially not one from the elements. Knowing that we are likely to have run testing regardless of any weather factors, we resume in our normal routine.
1:15 p.m. - Many players convene in the training room to heat, stretch and get treatment before the run test.
1:40 p.m. - Rolls around as do torrential downpours - and a text from Ker postponing the run until 2:15
2:00 p.m. - DukeALERT text, "A tornado has been identified in northern Durham. Move to shelter immediately." ... good thing we were in the locker room? Needless to say, mile postponed until 2:30.
2:30 p.m. - "Tornados? NBD," says Duke Lax, and the team successfully runs the mile test, never fretting about sloshing through occasional puddles on the track. I always love the deliriously oxygen deprived memories of the fourth lap, complete with blurred visions of teammates yelling, "KEEP GOING, YOU LOOK GOOD!" and Kerstin at the finish line urging, "COME ON, FINISH, LET'S GO!" on the last sprint. The other run tests throughout the week went well. We couldn't be happier that Jeff Howser, our revered, loved and trusted running coach (Daddy Howser), was proud. The most important thing though, is that tests were officially over as of Thursday! Now the real fun can commence.
We have a lot to look forward to in the next week! Between dodgeball warmups, assignment to intersquad competition (blue or white) teams, and actually getting to play, the early fall is one of my favorite times of the year. After summers of financial services, advertising, architecture, research, coaching camps, just relaxing or even saying goodbye to high school friends, everyone is completely ready to finally just do what we love with our best friends. Big things are on the way, people. From what this team has shown me so far this year, I can promise that much. Remember to check back next week and thanks for reading!
Duke lax love,
Mollie Mackler, #25
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/ Women's LacrosseAndie Smith, Duke | Interview | CGN
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Friday, May 09
Kerstin Kimel Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
Kerry Nease Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
