Upcoming Event: Rowing versus ACC Championships on May 15, 2026 at All Day
/
All Day
Rowing
vs ACC Championships
Duke Rowing Recruit Spotlight: Nicole Kagan
1/10/2020 2:32:00 PM | Rowing
DURHAM, N.C. – Head Coach Megan Cooke Carcagno and the Duke rowing program are pleased to announce the addition of Nicole Kagan to compete for the Blue Devils starting in the fall of the 2020-21 season.
A native of Manhattan, Kagan attends and competes for Riverdale Country School, where she was awarded the team's MVP after the first year of the program. She also races for City Island Rowing under head coach Guy Monseair and serves as a captain this year.
Kagan has put together an impressive résumé in her young career, headlined by a silver medal in the women's Lightweight 8+ at the 2019 New York State Championships. She also helped the City Island women's Lightweight 8+ and Junior 8+ squads capture gold at the 2019 Long Island Rowing Championships.
Kagan was born in New York City, and is the daughter of Douglas and Adina. She has one sister, Erica. Kagan has served as a volunteer at the Association to Benefit Children, a charitable organization supporting families in Harlem.
What has been your favorite rowing memory?
NK: One rowing memory that has always stuck in my mind comes from a morning practice before New York States my junior year of high school. My teammates and I woke up just before dawn, launched our boat, and began our warm-up piece on the water in the pitch black, foggy weather. Just as we started our first power piece, the sun began to rise and the clouds parted. As we raced the 2,000m, the sky turned from black to glowing pink and orange. After finishing the piece and catching our breath, we all turned to take in the sunrise. After a long week of difficult pieces it was the reward we all needed.
How did you get started in rowing?
NK: I started rowing on a whim after wanting to try a new sport during my freshman year of high school. My intentions of being a rower were short-lived as my size and tendency to motivate and lead quickly revealed my suitability for the coxswain role. In just three months, I was able to qualify and race at the Scholastic National Championship with my crew, win MVP of the team, and absolutely fall in love with rowing. If I could go so far in just three months, I wondered what could come from an athletic career dedicated to rowing. I wanted more, and so I joined City Island Rowing where I have been ever since. I am beyond excited by the potential at Duke to accelerate my athletic trajectory.
Why did you choose Duke?
NK: I arrived at Duke excited to find an enchanted campus, obsessed blue devil fans, and a vibrant, engaged student body. What I was thrilled to discover in addition was the groundwork for a career in journalism, the potential to contribute to a D1 varsity sports team, and the chance to foster a life-long Duke connection. In exploring Duke, I found professors so eager to engage with students that they taught class in their office, a "team family" so supportive they chanted "Go Duke" and "Yeah Girl" at the end of every piece regardless of their state of physical exhaustion, and an alumni network which made tangible the connection that Duke fosters with its students long after graduation (and allowed me to understand why my mom still wears her original Duke sweatshirt with pride, regardless of its now substandard condition). I knew I had to choose Duke because each time I left campus, the only thought on my mind was: when can I come back?
#GoDuke
A native of Manhattan, Kagan attends and competes for Riverdale Country School, where she was awarded the team's MVP after the first year of the program. She also races for City Island Rowing under head coach Guy Monseair and serves as a captain this year.
Kagan has put together an impressive résumé in her young career, headlined by a silver medal in the women's Lightweight 8+ at the 2019 New York State Championships. She also helped the City Island women's Lightweight 8+ and Junior 8+ squads capture gold at the 2019 Long Island Rowing Championships.
Kagan was born in New York City, and is the daughter of Douglas and Adina. She has one sister, Erica. Kagan has served as a volunteer at the Association to Benefit Children, a charitable organization supporting families in Harlem.
What has been your favorite rowing memory?
NK: One rowing memory that has always stuck in my mind comes from a morning practice before New York States my junior year of high school. My teammates and I woke up just before dawn, launched our boat, and began our warm-up piece on the water in the pitch black, foggy weather. Just as we started our first power piece, the sun began to rise and the clouds parted. As we raced the 2,000m, the sky turned from black to glowing pink and orange. After finishing the piece and catching our breath, we all turned to take in the sunrise. After a long week of difficult pieces it was the reward we all needed.
How did you get started in rowing?
NK: I started rowing on a whim after wanting to try a new sport during my freshman year of high school. My intentions of being a rower were short-lived as my size and tendency to motivate and lead quickly revealed my suitability for the coxswain role. In just three months, I was able to qualify and race at the Scholastic National Championship with my crew, win MVP of the team, and absolutely fall in love with rowing. If I could go so far in just three months, I wondered what could come from an athletic career dedicated to rowing. I wanted more, and so I joined City Island Rowing where I have been ever since. I am beyond excited by the potential at Duke to accelerate my athletic trajectory.
Why did you choose Duke?
NK: I arrived at Duke excited to find an enchanted campus, obsessed blue devil fans, and a vibrant, engaged student body. What I was thrilled to discover in addition was the groundwork for a career in journalism, the potential to contribute to a D1 varsity sports team, and the chance to foster a life-long Duke connection. In exploring Duke, I found professors so eager to engage with students that they taught class in their office, a "team family" so supportive they chanted "Go Duke" and "Yeah Girl" at the end of every piece regardless of their state of physical exhaustion, and an alumni network which made tangible the connection that Duke fosters with its students long after graduation (and allowed me to understand why my mom still wears her original Duke sweatshirt with pride, regardless of its now substandard condition). I knew I had to choose Duke because each time I left campus, the only thought on my mind was: when can I come back?
#GoDuke
Duke Athletics: A Tour of Campus
Saturday, October 19
Welcome to Duke
Saturday, October 19
A Century of Blue Devil Brilliance
Saturday, October 19
BDN Studios Presents: Relentless
Friday, October 11
