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Kimel Announces Women?s Lacrosse Staff Changes
7/27/2016 12:01:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke University women's lacrosse head coach Kerstin Kimel has announced the addition of Lars Keil to the Blue Devil coaching staff, as well as the promotion of Lauren Morton to associate head coach.
Keil joins the Duke program as an assistant coach and will work closely with the team's defensive personnel. He replaces Amanda Barnes, who was named the first head coach at East Carolina University in June following five seasons as a Duke assistant.
“I am so excited to welcome Lars to the Duke Lacrosse family,” Kimel said. “He comes to us with a lengthy, diverse and successful background in college lacrosse where he has significant experience in coaching all three zones of the field, including goalkeepers, which was a priority in this hire. What distinguished him in the interview process was his passion and enthusiasm for coaching, his emphasis on skill development, competitiveness and his desire to win. Most importantly, everyone who has worked with him could not say enough about his character, work ethic and loyalty, all of which are qualities that we value tremendously at Duke Lacrosse. I am confident that he will be a tremendous asset and fit for our players, program and staff.”
Keil comes to Durham from Providence, R.I., where he was an assistant for the Brown men's lacrosse program during a historic 2016 campaign. His season with the Bears saw the squad post a program-record 16 victories and make its first appearance in the national semifinals since 1994. The NCAA semifinal appearance was just the second in program history.
Prior to joining the staff at Brown, Keil served as a men's assistant coach at Div. III Endicott College in 2013-15 and 2009-11. During that time he guided the Gulls to three league titles and four NCAA Tournament berths while overseeing 13 All-America selections. His teams averaged over 15 goals per game in each of the last two seasons. Keil also assisted in strategic planning for the Endicott program as well as fundraising, budgeting, scheduling, scouting and community service duties.
Keil also spent one season as the head men's lacrosse coach at Div. II Pfeiffer University in 2013, directing the squad to a 13-4 record – the best in program history – as well as a top 12 national ranking. The Falcons were second in the regular season and Conference Carolinas postseason tournament with three players receiving All-America recognition.
Keil's coaching career also includes one season spent as a men's assistant coach at Div. III Bates College in 2012.
Keil played lacrosse collegiately at Springfield College, helping guide the team to three league crowns and three NCAA Tournament appearances. During his time at Springfield, the program advanced as far as the NCAA quarterfinals and captured an ECAC Tournament title.
Keil graduated from Springfield in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in general education, including a focus in physical education, before going on to earn a master's in athletic administration from Endicott in 2013.
“I feel beyond fortunate for the opportunity to join the Blue Devils coaching staff and want to extend my deepest appreciation to Coach Kimel, Coach Morton, Dr. [Chris] Kennedy and the Duke University Athletics Department for allowing me this opportunity,” Keil said. “Becoming a member of the Duke family will truly be an exceptional experience, and I am excited to be joining such a prestigious program. I look forward to arriving in Durham and assuming my new role.”
Wednesday's announcement also included the promotion of Morton to associate head coach. An assistant coach at Duke for the past two seasons, Morton has guided the Blue Devils to a 27-14 mark and an NCAA semifinals appearance in 2015. Under her tutelage, attackers Kerrin Maurer (first team), and Kyra Harney (third team) and midfielder Maddie Crutchfield (second team) have all garnered All-America laurels from the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). This past spring, Morton saw Harney become only the sixth player in program history to reach the 100-point mark for her career in her second season and Olivia Jenner break Duke's single season draw controls record as a rookie.
“I am pleased to elevate Lauren to the role of associate head coach,” Kimel said. “She has worked tirelessly since joining our program two years ago and has had an incredible impact on our players and the program as a whole. She strives every day to improve as a coach and to challenge our players to be the best they can be on the field, in the classroom and in life. I look forward to our continued work together as we develop the 2016-17 team and ambitiously pursue our potential this coming season."
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