Upcoming Event: Women's Lacrosse at High Point on February 6, 2026 at 4 PM
/
4 PM
Women's Lacrosse
at High Point
Kimel Announces 2022 Signing Class
2/3/2022 3:28:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
DURHAM - Duke women's lacrosse head coach Kerstin Kimel and the coaching staff has announced the 2022 signing class.
The class features seven signees - Madison Beale, Ava Biancardi, Maddie Debring, Maddie Holden, Kaylie Mackiewicz, Eva Pronti and Sydney Smith.
"I am excited to officially welcome our 2022 recruiting class to the Duke women's lacrosse family," Kimel said. "They are an outstanding group of talented and hard-working players who have continued to grow and develop since committing to Duke. All seven players hail from incredibly strong high school and club programs who are accustomed to competing with success at the highest levels. Having a disrupted high school experience and the most unusual recruiting process, I know that each one of them is anxious to finish their senior year on a high note before arriving in Durham this August. I am confident that once here, they will take full advantage of the academic opportunities that Duke has to offer while being excellent stewards of the greater university community."
Madison Beale
Midfield/Defense | Ellicott City, Md. | St. Paul's School for Girls
Madison Beale comes to Durham from Ellicott City, Md., where she attended St. Paul's School for Girls. As a midfielder/defender, Beale lettered all four years despite her sophomore year being impacted by COVID-19. During her junior season, she helped lead her team to a 2021 Inside Lacrosse Women's National Indoor Championship title and a 2021 IAAM A Conference Lacrosse Championship. Her high school was also ranked the No. 1 team in the nation. Her club team, Skywalkers, led the country in 2019 by capturing the Nike G8 Championship. Outside of lacrosse, Beale lettered four years in basketball and soccer. Beale was the Black Awareness Club President and the class representative for the Student Government Association.
Why did you choose Duke?
"I chose Duke not only for its challenging academics and athletics, but because Coach Kimel, Williams and Griffin really made me feel wanted and that I would be a valuable player at Duke. After getting to join some of the players on Zoom calls and seeing the team connection through social media, I found out how family oriented the team was which made my decision to go to Duke clear."
Ava Biancardi
Midfield/Attack | East Northport, N.Y. | Saint Anthony's High School
A product of East Northport, N.Y., Ava Biancardi comes to Duke from Saint Anthony's High School where she was a midfielder/attacker. During her junior campaign, she registered 36 goals and 17 assists for 53 points. She was ranked in the class of 2022 top 50 girls lacrosse players by ILWomen. A two-time Under Armour tournament finalist, Biancardi was also ranked in the top 100 players on Long Island by her hometown newspaper. A three-year letterwinner, Biancardi was also named a 2021 NSCHSAA All-League honoree.
Why did you choose Duke?
"Duke offers not only amazing athletics but rigorous academics as well. The opportunities at Duke are endless."
Maddie Drebing
Goalkeeper | Eau Claire, Michigan | Marist High School
Maddie Drebing comes to Durham from Eau Claire, Michigan, where she attends Marist High School. As a three-year letterwinner at goalkeeper, she has collected 260 saves despite the COVID-19 season. Last year, Drebing notched 115 saves and a .528 save percentage between the pipes. Under the direction of high school coach José Colón, Drebing was named Defensive Player of the Year and captain as a junior. Additionally, she was named to the Northwestern University and Tampa University All-Star Teams, an Under Armour 150 Champion, an Under Armour 150 Least GA and to the Under Armour All-American Midwest Team.
Why did you choose Duke?
"With Duke's astounding academics and legendary athletics, it was a no brainer. I know Duke will help me grow and bring me closer to my greatest goals."
Maddie Holden
Midfield | Greenwich, Conn. | Greenwich Academy
Maddie Holden, who hails from Greenwich, Conn., has Duke in her blood as her parents, aunt and grandmother are all graduates and her father, Blake, played lacrosse at Duke. Holden is currently a senior at Greenwich Academy where she lettered four years playing lacrosse. During her sophomore campaign, she received a preseason ranking of 25 by Inside Lacrosse and was named a captain for her senior year. On the club scene with the CT Grizzlies, they were ranked ninth in the 2020 preseason poll by U.S. Club Lacrosse. She also saw great success in the freestyle event during swimming for five years.
Why did you choose Duke?
"Attending Duke has always been my dream since it is the perfect mix of top academics with top athletics."
Kaylie Mackiewicz
Attack | Northport, N.Y. | Northport High School
Kaylie Mackiewicz comes to Duke from Northport, N.Y., as a standout attacker from Northport High School. Mackiewicz owns 136 points to her name from 111 goals and 25 assists and was selected an All-American as a junior when she was ranked the No. 2 player on Long Island. She is on the 2022 Long Island Yellow Jackets team that won a national championship on the club scene and has been named to multiple watch lists throughout her young career. Most recently during her junior season, she was named an academic All-American, Newsday's All-Long Island girls lacrosse team and was named the team MVP as an attacker.
Why did you choose Duke?
"Choosing Duke was a life-long dream because of its reputation, academics and the lifelong friendships that will be made."
Eva Pronti
Attack | Victor, N.Y. | Victor Senior High School
We welcome Eva Pronti to Duke from Victor, N.Y., where she is currently a senior at Victor Senior High School. Despite her sophomore year being cut short due to COVID-19, Pronti has tallied 91 assists and 46 goals. As a junior, Pronti was the New York Section 5 lacrosse points leader with 119 and the assist leader with 77. An All-League first team honoree by Monroe County, she was a national championship finalist with her high school, named to the All-American Select 2022 team, on multiple Under Armour All-American squads and was named one of the top 2022 attackers in the nation by Lacrosse Magazine. She also lettered four years in basketball as a guard.
Why did you choose Duke?
"I chose Duke because of the balance that it has between academics and athletics. Being a student-athlete, it was very important that I found a school that can excel in both aspects, and Duke does. I also choose Duke because of the beautiful campus and the amazing lacrosse team and coaching staff."
Sydney Smith
Defense | Mt. Airy, Md. | McDonogh School
Sydney Smith comes to Duke from Mt. Airy, Md., where she attends the McDonogh School and was coached under Taylor Cummings, the first three-time Tewaaraton Award winner and 2016 Maryland graduate. A four-year lacrosse letterwinner, Smith is a 2019 IAAM Champion and earned the 2020 coaches award. She was selected to the Nation United Lax team and lettered in cross country and track & field.
Why did you choose Duke?
"I chose Duke because of a number of things. Duke offers high level lacrosse and high-level academics - it's the perfect balance. Team culture is something very important to me, and after talking with a few of the girls on the team during my recruiting process, it was evident that DWL's culture is nothing short of a family."
For more information on Duke women's lacrosse, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "DukeWLAX.
#GoDuke
The class features seven signees - Madison Beale, Ava Biancardi, Maddie Debring, Maddie Holden, Kaylie Mackiewicz, Eva Pronti and Sydney Smith.
"I am excited to officially welcome our 2022 recruiting class to the Duke women's lacrosse family," Kimel said. "They are an outstanding group of talented and hard-working players who have continued to grow and develop since committing to Duke. All seven players hail from incredibly strong high school and club programs who are accustomed to competing with success at the highest levels. Having a disrupted high school experience and the most unusual recruiting process, I know that each one of them is anxious to finish their senior year on a high note before arriving in Durham this August. I am confident that once here, they will take full advantage of the academic opportunities that Duke has to offer while being excellent stewards of the greater university community."
Madison Beale
Midfield/Defense | Ellicott City, Md. | St. Paul's School for Girls
Madison Beale comes to Durham from Ellicott City, Md., where she attended St. Paul's School for Girls. As a midfielder/defender, Beale lettered all four years despite her sophomore year being impacted by COVID-19. During her junior season, she helped lead her team to a 2021 Inside Lacrosse Women's National Indoor Championship title and a 2021 IAAM A Conference Lacrosse Championship. Her high school was also ranked the No. 1 team in the nation. Her club team, Skywalkers, led the country in 2019 by capturing the Nike G8 Championship. Outside of lacrosse, Beale lettered four years in basketball and soccer. Beale was the Black Awareness Club President and the class representative for the Student Government Association.
Why did you choose Duke?
"I chose Duke not only for its challenging academics and athletics, but because Coach Kimel, Williams and Griffin really made me feel wanted and that I would be a valuable player at Duke. After getting to join some of the players on Zoom calls and seeing the team connection through social media, I found out how family oriented the team was which made my decision to go to Duke clear."
Ava Biancardi
Midfield/Attack | East Northport, N.Y. | Saint Anthony's High School
A product of East Northport, N.Y., Ava Biancardi comes to Duke from Saint Anthony's High School where she was a midfielder/attacker. During her junior campaign, she registered 36 goals and 17 assists for 53 points. She was ranked in the class of 2022 top 50 girls lacrosse players by ILWomen. A two-time Under Armour tournament finalist, Biancardi was also ranked in the top 100 players on Long Island by her hometown newspaper. A three-year letterwinner, Biancardi was also named a 2021 NSCHSAA All-League honoree.
Why did you choose Duke?
"Duke offers not only amazing athletics but rigorous academics as well. The opportunities at Duke are endless."
Maddie Drebing
Goalkeeper | Eau Claire, Michigan | Marist High School
Maddie Drebing comes to Durham from Eau Claire, Michigan, where she attends Marist High School. As a three-year letterwinner at goalkeeper, she has collected 260 saves despite the COVID-19 season. Last year, Drebing notched 115 saves and a .528 save percentage between the pipes. Under the direction of high school coach José Colón, Drebing was named Defensive Player of the Year and captain as a junior. Additionally, she was named to the Northwestern University and Tampa University All-Star Teams, an Under Armour 150 Champion, an Under Armour 150 Least GA and to the Under Armour All-American Midwest Team.
Why did you choose Duke?
"With Duke's astounding academics and legendary athletics, it was a no brainer. I know Duke will help me grow and bring me closer to my greatest goals."
Maddie Holden
Midfield | Greenwich, Conn. | Greenwich Academy
Maddie Holden, who hails from Greenwich, Conn., has Duke in her blood as her parents, aunt and grandmother are all graduates and her father, Blake, played lacrosse at Duke. Holden is currently a senior at Greenwich Academy where she lettered four years playing lacrosse. During her sophomore campaign, she received a preseason ranking of 25 by Inside Lacrosse and was named a captain for her senior year. On the club scene with the CT Grizzlies, they were ranked ninth in the 2020 preseason poll by U.S. Club Lacrosse. She also saw great success in the freestyle event during swimming for five years.
Why did you choose Duke?
"Attending Duke has always been my dream since it is the perfect mix of top academics with top athletics."
Kaylie Mackiewicz
Attack | Northport, N.Y. | Northport High School
Kaylie Mackiewicz comes to Duke from Northport, N.Y., as a standout attacker from Northport High School. Mackiewicz owns 136 points to her name from 111 goals and 25 assists and was selected an All-American as a junior when she was ranked the No. 2 player on Long Island. She is on the 2022 Long Island Yellow Jackets team that won a national championship on the club scene and has been named to multiple watch lists throughout her young career. Most recently during her junior season, she was named an academic All-American, Newsday's All-Long Island girls lacrosse team and was named the team MVP as an attacker.
Why did you choose Duke?
"Choosing Duke was a life-long dream because of its reputation, academics and the lifelong friendships that will be made."
Eva Pronti
Attack | Victor, N.Y. | Victor Senior High School
We welcome Eva Pronti to Duke from Victor, N.Y., where she is currently a senior at Victor Senior High School. Despite her sophomore year being cut short due to COVID-19, Pronti has tallied 91 assists and 46 goals. As a junior, Pronti was the New York Section 5 lacrosse points leader with 119 and the assist leader with 77. An All-League first team honoree by Monroe County, she was a national championship finalist with her high school, named to the All-American Select 2022 team, on multiple Under Armour All-American squads and was named one of the top 2022 attackers in the nation by Lacrosse Magazine. She also lettered four years in basketball as a guard.
Why did you choose Duke?
"I chose Duke because of the balance that it has between academics and athletics. Being a student-athlete, it was very important that I found a school that can excel in both aspects, and Duke does. I also choose Duke because of the beautiful campus and the amazing lacrosse team and coaching staff."
Sydney Smith
Defense | Mt. Airy, Md. | McDonogh School
Sydney Smith comes to Duke from Mt. Airy, Md., where she attends the McDonogh School and was coached under Taylor Cummings, the first three-time Tewaaraton Award winner and 2016 Maryland graduate. A four-year lacrosse letterwinner, Smith is a 2019 IAAM Champion and earned the 2020 coaches award. She was selected to the Nation United Lax team and lettered in cross country and track & field.
Why did you choose Duke?
"I chose Duke because of a number of things. Duke offers high level lacrosse and high-level academics - it's the perfect balance. Team culture is something very important to me, and after talking with a few of the girls on the team during my recruiting process, it was evident that DWL's culture is nothing short of a family."
For more information on Duke women's lacrosse, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "DukeWLAX.
#GoDuke
Andie Smith, Duke | Interview | CGN
Thursday, November 13
Kerstin Kimel James Madison Postgame Press Conference 5-9
Friday, May 09
Kerstin Kimel Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
Kerry Nease Media Availability 5-7
Wednesday, May 07
