Head Coach Kerstin Manning Kimel came to Duke in 1996 with the dream of creating a national championship caliber team with a reputation for winning and a commitment to excellence. After 13 seasons and a 160-80 record, she has done just that. In just three years, Kimel took the Blue Devils to the NCAA Tournament and now has been to 11 straight with five national semifinal appearances. Duke is widely considered one of the top women’s lacrosse programs in the nation with Kimel the only coach in the program’s history.
In 2008, Kimel’s squad weathered the season-ending injury to Preseason Player of the Year Caroline Cryer to advance to the national semifinals for the fourth consecutive season. Duke finished with a national ranking of 3/4 in the squad’s 11th trip to the postseason in just 13 seasons of existence, as Kimel was recognized as the Womenslax.com Coach of the Year for her efforts. The Blue Devils kicked off the season on a tear, going 5-0 at the outset on their way to a 9-6 regular-season record. Duke then came on strong in the post-season as they rolled past No. 6 Georgetown and No. 3 Maryland on its way to the Final Four. The squad concluded the campaign 13-8 (3-2 in the ACC for a third-place conference finish) with a heartbreaking 9-8 overtime loss to top-ranked Penn in the semifinals. Duke concluded the year with six wins over ranked programs, while playing one of the toughest schedules in the country.
The Blue Devils raked in plenty of awards last season, as junior Carolyn Davis - who led the team with 61 goals - was a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee and a first-team All-America selection by IWLCA/US Lacrosse, Inside Lacrosse, and Womenslax.com, and a second-team choice by Womenslacrosse.com. Senior Aiyana Newton was also a first-team selection, while Davis, Newton, and Megan Del Monte garnered All-South honors, and Davis and Lindsay Gilbride were named to the NCAA All-Tournament squad. Freshman Emma Hamm captured consensus Rookie of the Year honors by all the organizations that hand out the award and joined Davis, Del Monte, and Newton on the All-ACC team.
The 2007 season was another in a string of successful campaigns in Kimel’s career. Duke won 10 of its first 11 contests and finished the regular season 13-2. The team finished with a 4-1 mark in the ACC, good for a tie for first place and the season would mark the fourth straight year in which Duke would earn at least a share of the ACC regular season title. Duke earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils defeated LeMoyne, 23-8, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and then took down No. 8 Johns Hopkins, 12-7, in the quarterfinals. Duke advanced to the national semifinals for the third straight year and fourth time in school history. The team also set school records for goals per game and assists and points in a season.
Kimel’s teams have posted a 74-46 ledger versus nationally ranked opponents.
Kimel earned ACC Coach of the Year honors in 1998, 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2006. She was also named the IWLCA South Region Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2006, adding the national coach of the Year honor to her resume last season.
Kimel has been at the helm of the Blue Devils program since the beginning, taking the reigns in the inaugural 1996 season. The first year was a struggle as Duke finished the season with a record of 3-12. The 1997 unit improved significantly, compiling an 8-8 record under Kimel’s guidance. Then, the 1998 squad started the streak of winning seasons after collecting a 10-7 overall record and its first berth in the NCAA Tournament. In 1999, the Blue Devils got one step closer to their goal of a NCAA title with its first national semifinals appearance, while finishing with a 13-5 overall record. In 2000 Duke advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament and finished with an 11-6 record. In 2001, Kimel guided the Blue Devils to the school’s first ever 15-win season with a 15-4 record and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the third consecutive year. For the first time in school history, Duke advanced to the ACC Championship game and finished with a 2-1 league record.
Duke reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year in 2002, advancing to the national quarterfinals for the fourth time in school history. The 2003 season brought greater successes with a sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament where the Blue Devils hosted for the fifth year in a row. Duke went on to finish the year 13-5 with eight wins over nationally ranked opponents. The upward trend continued in 2004 as the Blue Devils went undefeated in the ACC regular season, tallying big wins over Maryland, North Carolina and eventual national champion Virginia. Duke finished the year with a 13-6 record overall and placed three players on All-America squads.
The 2005 season saw Duke go 17-4 and win the ACC regular season with a 3-1 record. The Blue Devils also won their first ever ACC Tournament by defeating Virginia in the final, 9-6. The season included eight wins over ranked opponents and the program’s second ever trip to the national semifinals. Katie Chrest also won the Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation’s top female lacrosse player.
The 2006 Blue Devils were one of the most successful teams in Kimel’s career. They reached the ACC Tournament final for the third straight year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament semifinals for the third time in the program’s history. The 18 overall wins set the school record for most victories in a single season.
Kimel is no stranger to NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championships as she played four years at the University of Maryland from 1990-1993. The Havertown, Pa., native was a two-time All-America selection at Maryland and led the Terrapins to four consecutive NCAA Tournament semifinal appearances and the 1992 national title. A 1992 NCAA All-Tournament Team selection, she was named the 1993 NCAA National Defensive Player of the Year and appeared in Sports Illustrated’s "Faces in the Crowd." Maryland won the 1992 championship by defeating Harvard by a score of 11-10 in double overtime after knocking off Virginia, 8-7, behind two goals from Kimel.
After graduating from Maryland in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in speech communications, Kimel became one of the youngest Division I head coaches in the country as the leader of the newly-created program at Davidson College. She compiled a 4-8 record in her first and only season as the Wildcats head coach.
Kimel has also been prominent on the international levels and was a member of the USA Elite Women’s Lacrosse Team from 1992-96. In 1993, she was an alternate for the USA World Cup Team that captured the Gold Medal. In July of 1997, she was a member of the US Squad that toured Great Britain. In 1997, she was inducted into the first class of the Haverford High School Hall of Fame.
Kimel was the chair of the IWLCA Growth Committee in 1999 and 2000 and in 2002 served as the Chair of the NCAA South Region Selection Committee. She served on the selection committee for the U.S. Elite/Developmental squads from 1998-2002 and served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Developmental squad from 2000-03. Kimel was Chair of the IWLCA/USL Division I All-America committee from 2001-2003 and completed a four-year term as a member of the NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Committee in 2007. In 2006, she became co-chair of the IWLCA External Relations Committee and served on the Tewaaraton Award selection committee again in 2008.
Kimel comes from a very athletic family as her husband Jack played baseball for Western Carolina University and went on to play for the Texas Rangers organization. Her father, Mike Manning, played basketball at West Chester University and mother, Sallie, played field hockey and tennis at West Chester University. Kimel’s brother, Mike, played baseball at Western Carolina University and went on to play for the Texas Rangers organization and sister, Lindsay, played lacrosse at James Madison and was an assistant coach for the 2003 and 2007 World Champion United States Under-19 teams.
Two of her uncles, Ed (Villanova) and Chris Manning (Philadelphia College of Textile), each played college basketball. Another uncle, John Manning, was a four-year letterwinner in swimming at Villanova. Her cousin, Brian Manning, played baseball at Villanova and another cousin, Pat Manning, played in the Atlanta Braves minor league system. Kimel’s brother-in-law, Matt Mulhern, was a captain, four-year letterwinner and member of two NCAA Frozen Four teams in ice hockey at Boston College.
Kimel’s family also includes Dr. Mario R. Capecchi, married to cousin Laurie Fraser, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2007.
Kimel, a member of the ACC 50th Anniversary team, and her husband, Jack, reside in Durham. They are the proud parents of Frances "Caroline" (8) and Russell McKinley "Mac" (6).
