DURHAM, N.C. - Duke women's lacrosse freshmen Maddy Acton and Kelci Smesko are listed among Lacrosse Magazine's 15 College Rookies to Watch, as noted in the September issue of the publication. Acton and Smesko are members of a talented freshman class which was ranked second in the nation last month by Inside Lacrosse.
A midfielder from Sudbury, Mass., Acton joined three other Blue Devils on the U.S. under-19 women's national team that captured gold at the 2011 Federation of World Lacrosse (FIL) Championship last summer. Acton was a two-time Under Armour and US Lacrosse All-American during her prep career, totaling 264 goals, 148 assists and 281 ground balls while leading Lincoln-Sudbury to the state semifinals in back-to-back seasons.
Smesko, an attacker from Ridgewood, N.J., concluded her prep career as Ridgewood's all-time leading goal and point scorer, amassing 293 goals and 110 assists. She was twice named a US Lacrosse All-American and led her prep squad to consecutive state titles during her sophomore and junior seasons.
Both Acton and Smesko competed in the 2012 Champion Girls' All-American Showcase earlier this summer at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, leading Team Freedom to the showcase title.
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