Staff

Kerstin Kimel
Head Coach

The only head coach in Duke women’s lacrosse history, Kerstin Kimel has led the program from its inception in 1996, molding the Blue Devils into one of the nation’s elite teams.

In Kimel’s 26 seasons at the helm of Duke women’s lacrosse, she has guided the Blue Devils to seven national semifinals, four ACC regular season titles, an ACC Tournament Championship and 20 NCAA Tournament appearances.

A five-time ACC Coach of the Year, Kimel has overseen 35 All-America selections making up for 103 honors, 89 all-region honorees and 80 All-ACC picks. Seven of her former players have represented their countries on the world's stage, competing at the 2009, 2013 and 2017 World Cups. The Blue Devils have achieved equal success in the classroom during Kimel’s tenure, collecting 74 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Academic Honor Roll accolades since 1997.

Kimel recorded her 300th career victory Feb. 7, 2020 in a win over Gardner-Webb. She is one of just eight active Division I head coaches with 300 or more wins.

Nick Williams
Assistant Coach

Nick Williams joined the Duke women's lacrosse program in August 2019 as an assistant coach. He enters his third season working with the Blue Devils.

Williams second season with the Blue Devils saw Duke excel on the defensive front. Duke finished the
season 16th nationally with 9.95 caused turnovers per game and earned the top spot in the ACC in that category. Williams helped mentor eight Blue Devils to reach 10+ caused turnovers, led by graduate student Callie Humphrey with 33, followed by sophomore Cubby Biscardi (23) and sophomore Olivia Carner (22). Humphrey also led the squad in ground balls with 32 while senior Katie Cosgrove reeled in 25. Humphrey was named to the Tewaaraton Watch List and garnered IWLCA All-South Region first team honors.

Although his first season at Duke was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams helped the Blue Devil defense solidify its place among national leaders in defensive statistics. Under Williams, Duke averaged 12.44 caused turnovers per game, leading the ACC and ranking sixth nationally. In addition, Duke totaled 11 student-athletes with five or more caused turnovers. Senior Callie Humphrey led the team in caused turnovers (16) and ground balls (18) on her way to being named Third Team Inside Lacrosse Media All-America.

Williams arrived in Durham following six seasons at Georgetown. He served as a volunteer assistant coach for one campaign and an assistant coach for four seasons before being elevated to the role of associate head coach prior to the 2019 campaign.

During his six years with the Hoyas, Williams helped guide the program to a 57-55 ledger, including an impressive 34-10 mark in BIG EAST play. His time on the Hilltop was capped by the Hoyas’ run to the 2019 BIG EAST Championship, as the squad defeated Denver, 9-8, in double overtime to claim the program’s first conference tournament title since 2010. Georgetown went on to advance to the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

A native of Baltimore, Williams was a four-year member of the men’s lacrosse program, helping the Tigers to a pair of CAA titles. He played in 61 career contests, recording 29 goals and 22 assists. Williams also excelled for Towson’s football program, rounding out his career on the gridiron as the fifth-leading rusher in school history with 1,985 yards.

Brooke Griffin
Assistant Coach

Brooke Griffin joined the Duke women's lacrosse program in July 2018 as an assistant coach. She enters her fourth season with the Blue Devils.

Griffin’s third season with the Blue Devils saw the squad reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Duke averaged 16.58 draw controls per game to rank ninth in the nation and 13.79 goals per game. The Blue Devils also were ranked third in the country with a 0.625 draw control percentage and Duke was third in the ACC in shooting percentage (.479). Griffin led a Duke offense that registered 15+ goals nine times during the season and helped mentor 10 Blue Devils with 10 or more goals.

Additionally, graduate student Gabby Rosenzweig and junior Maddie Jenner were named IWLCA All-Americans to the second and third teams, respectively, as Jenner was named a Tewaaraton nominee.

In her second season at Duke, Griffin saw the season unfortunately cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the Blue Devils just played nine games, they were amongst national leaders in numerous offensive categories under Griffin. Duke averaged 17.67 goals per game and 18.78 draw controls per game which ranked fifth and third in the nation, respectively. Griffin led Duke's high-scoring offense to score 20+ goals in each of the first three games of the 2020 season, the first time in program history that Duke has scored 20+ in three consecutive games. As a team, Duke boasted eight student-athletes with 10 or more goals throughout the season, making it the only ACC school to accomplish the feat.

Griffin's first season with the Blue Devils saw the squad reach the semifinals of the ACC Championship with a thrilling 14-13 quarterfinal victory over Notre Dame. Under her tutelage, Duke's offensive unit averaged over 15 goals per contest. The Blue Devils also placed themselves among the nation's leaders at the draw behind the efforts of sisters Olivia and Maddie Jenner. Olivia totaled 150 draw controls to break her own single season record and went on to earn second team All-America recognition.

Griffin completed an outstanding collegiate career at Maryland in 2015 and has been a member of the U.S. national team since then. She helped Team USA capture its third consecutive World Cup title in 2017. She has also taken the field as a member of the Brave of the Women's Professional Lacrosse League, helping the squad win the WPLL title during the summer of 2019.

Morgan Heisman
Volunteer Assistant Coach

Morgan Heisman joined the Blue Devil program as a volunteer assistant coach in September 2016. Heisman enters her sixth season in Durham overseeing the Blue Devil's goalkeepers.

In her fifth season with the Blue Devils, Heisman helped coach one of the most productive goalkeepers in the ACC in Sophia LeRose. LeRose boasted an 11.05 goals against average as she amassed over 800 minutes between the pipes. With a .447 season save percentage, LeRose tallied double-digit saves three times, including a career-high 14 in Duke’s victory over Louisville. Her last second save against No. 12 Maryland helped send Duke to the NCAA Quarterfinal as Duke tallied an 8.16 saves per game average.

Heisman's fourth season at Duke was an unprecedented one as the Blue Devils saw their season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Chase Henriquez totaled 52 saves in nine games to lead the Duke goalie corps. Her .505 save percentage ranked in the top 15 nationally and third in the ACC.

During her third campaign with Duke, the goalkeeping unit contributed to an 11.35 goals against average, with Cadoux topping the 100-save mark for the season.

In 2018, Cadoux, Lockwood and freshman Chase Henriquez combined for a .423 saves percentage. Cadoux again received ACC Defensive Player of the Week recognition following a double-digit save performance in a February win over No. 11 Northwestern.

During the 2017 campaign, Heisman's first season in Durham, goalkeeper Jamie Lockwood totaled 70 saves in 12 appearances in the net and Gabbe Cadoux earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors in April following an 11-save performance at Boston College.Prior to joining the Duke staff, Heisman spent one season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Dartmouth in 2013. Heisman also previously spent two seasons as an assistant coach at George Mason in 2011 and 2012.

Formerly Morgan Kelly, Heisman was a standout goalkeeper at James Madison, earning third team All- America honors from the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) as a senior in 2010. She graduated from the university in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in sport management.