Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 11/20/15
From Press Release
Duke University head women’s lacrosse coach Kerstin Kimel (Haverford High) was presented with the Diane Geppi-Aikens Memorial Award Thursday evening at the 2015 Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Honors Banquet. The award is the IWLCA’s highest honor and recognizes lifetime achievement in the women’s college game.
The Diane Geppi-Aikens Memorial Award is named in honor of the legendary Loyola coach whose courageous battle with cancer inspired the nation. Kimel was presented with the award by Army West Point head coach Kristen Waagbo, a 2007 Duke graduate who served as an assistant under Kimel at her alma mater before establishing the Army program.
The only head coach in Duke women’s lacrosse history, Kimel has led the program from its inception in 1996, molding the Blue Devils into one of the nation’s elite teams. In her 20 seasons at the helm, Kimel has guided Duke to seven national semifinals, four ACC regular season titles, an ACC Tournament championship and 18 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances – the third longest current streak in the country.
A five-time ACC Coach of the Year, Kimel registered her 250th career victory Feb. 22, 2015 to become one of just six active Division I coaches with 250 or more wins. Under Kimel’s direction, the Blue Devils returned to the NCAA semifinals in 2015, punctuating an outstanding 16-5 campaign. Led by a veteran group of eight seniors, Duke concluded the season ranked fourth in the final national poll.
Kimel has served the game in a variety of ways, including in her current role as co-chair of the IWLCA Recruiting Issues Committee. She is the former chair of the Division I All-American Selection and Rules, Safety and Game Administration (RSGA) committees and has been a member of the IWLCA Board of Directors, IWLCA Growth committee, the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse committee and the Tewaaraton Selection committee. Kimel also served on the selection committee for the U.S. national teams program and was an assistant coach for the developmental squad.
“It is an incredible honor to be named this year’s recipient of the Diane Geppi-Aikens Award,” Kimel said. “Having been recruited by Diane, played against Diane’s teams and coached against Diane throughout my lacrosse career, I have a unique perspective on not only her accomplishments, but the spirit with which she approached her involvement in the game. The impact Diane had on her family, players, Loyola University and our sport is both admirable and something to aspire to as a mother, coach, mentor and ambassador to our great game.”
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