Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Notebook

Duke Women’s Lacrosse Practice at Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in Evanston, Illinois on May 21, 2021.

Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Notebook

2/8/2022 3:55:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

DURHAM – With the 2022 season opener days away, take a look at some of the team's top storylines heading into Friday.

Duke in the Preseason Polls
The Blue Devils enter the 2022 season slated the eighth-ranked team in the nation in the ILWomen/IWLCA Division I Poll and the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women's Preseason Top 20. This marks Duke's highest preseason ranking since 2016.

Preseason All-America Honorees
Senior Maddie Jenner was named a Preseason All-America honoree by Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine.

The Annapolis, Md., native had a highly successful junior campaign as she was named a Tewaaraton nominee, a third-team IWLCA All-America selection and to the first-team All-ACC squad.

Jenner continued her dominance at the draw circle in 2021 and concluded her junior year with 187 draw controls, which tops the Duke all-time individual season chart. Jenner led the ACC with 9.84 draw controls/game and ranked third in the nation and tallied a season-high 15 three times, just one off her career high. Over the course of her career, she has amassed 371 total draws as the nation's NCAA active career leader in draw controls per game (8.24). She needs 141 draw controls to become Duke's all-time draw control leader, which is currently owned by her sister, Olivia.

In addition to her draw dominance, Jenner worked hard to contribute to the team beyond the circle. Last season, she gathered 25 goals and an assist for 26 points, which includes a career-high four goals in Duke's wins over William & Mary and Liberty. The 6-2 junior also grabbed 12 ground balls and caused two turnovers as she boasted a .543 shooting percentage last spring.

Barry Named Preseason All-ACC
Graduate student midfielder Catriona Barry garnered Preseason All-ACC recognition for the 2022 campaign, as announced by the ACC office this week.
Barry has been a constant in Duke's lineup the last four years as a midfielder/attacker and put up solid numbers last spring. In 19 games, Barry tallied a career-best 27 goals and nine assists for 36 points and joined the 100-career point club.

During her senior season, she sported a .529 shooting percentage and picked up 36 draw controls to go along with 19 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers. She collected five hat tricks and had at least one goal in 15 of the 19 games, including a career-high four on two occasions.

Six Return for a Fifth Year
Catriona Barry, Katie Cosgrove, Katie Cronin, Chase Henriquez, Natalie Kahn and Abby Landry will use their final year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19.

Each completed their undergraduate career in May and all are enrolled in Duke's Fuqua School of Business.

"Our coaching staff and team are proud and absolutely thrilled to have these six Blue Devils return for the 2021-22 campaign," head coach Kerstin Kimel said. "Cat, Katie, Katie, Chase, Abby and Nat have been impact players and leaders in our program since they were freshmen. They are the very best example of what our Duke student-athletes embody on and off the field. We are excited to have this group leading the charge as we take on the challenges of the 2021-22 season in pursuit an ACC and National Championship."

Breaking Down the 2022 Roster
Freshmen: Carly Bernstein, Kennedy Everson, Tess Gagliano, Ellie Lazzaretto, Kerry Nease, Celia Ralph, Mattie Shearer, Reilly Traynor
Redshirt Freshmen: Izzy Marsh, Julia Schwasnick
Sophomore: Katie DeSimone, Katie Keller, Maddie McCorkle
Junior: Cubby Biscardi, Missy Biscardi, Olivia Carner, Kay Conway, Caroline DeBellis, Shaye Fitzpatrick, Olivia Navaroli, Virginia Oursler, Lexi Schmalz, Ainsley Thurston, Stephanie Zempolich
Redshirt Junior: Veronica Hineman, Maddie Johnston
Senior: Anna Callahan, Katie Calvo, Eva Greco, Maddie Jenner, Alexis Joseph, Sophie LeRose, Olivia Rubin, Hannah Thurston
Graduate: Catriona Barry, Katie Cosgrove, Katie Cronin, Chase Henriquez, Natalie Kahn, Abby Landry

Challenging Slate on the Horizon
This spring, the Blue Devils are scheduled to face six ranked opponents. Duke will go up against No. 1 Boston College, No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Syracuse, No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 11 Virginia and No. 19 Penn. Boston College, North Carolina and Syracuse all advanced to the semifinals of the 2021 NCAA Championship.

Four Contests on ACC Network
The ACC Network announced 12 women's lacrosse games will be broadcast on ACCN for the 2022 season as the Duke women's lacrosse team will be featured four times this spring.

The eighth-ranked Blue Devil women make their debut Thursday, March 10 against Pittsburgh in Koskinen Stadium before welcoming Louisville a week later on March 17. Duke's contest at Virginia Tech (April 7) and at No. 2 North Carolina (April 21) round out the ACCN coverage. All ACC Championship games will also be broadcast on ACCN.

Commentators Jay Alter, Drew Carter, Mike Monaco and Leah Secondo will handle play-by-play duties throughout the season. Analysis will be provided by Sheehan Stanwick-Burch, Dana Boyle and Rachel DeCecco.

In addition, ACCNX, ACCN's digital platform available on the ESPN App, will stream several men's and women's matchups throughout the season.

The eighth-ranked Blue Devils will kick off the season Friday against Gardner-Webb. Opening draw is set for 6 p.m., in Koskinen Stadium on ACCNX.

For more information on Duke women's lacrosse, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching "DukeWLAX.

#GoDuke