Durham, N.C. – Following an impressive rebound season in 2024, the Elon University lacrosse team opens the 2025 season Friday at No. 25 (Inside Lacrosse) Duke. The game is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. start at Koskinen Stadium and will be broadcast on ACCNX/ESPN+.
 
The contest is the season opener for both programs, which are reuniting for the first time since 2022. Duke went 10-9 a year ago and Elon completed a 9-8 season that saw a five-win improvement over 2023.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW

• Live stats are available by CLICKING HERE
• Watch the game on ACCNX/ESPN+ by CLICKING HERE
• Follow the official social media accounts of Elon Lacrosse:
  • Twitter - @ElonWLax
  • Instagram - @ElonWLax

 
THE SKINNY ON ELON

• Elon went 9-8 in 2024 and posted a 5-3 record in the CAA, qualifying for the CAA Tournament semifinals. That record was a five-win improvement over 2023 both overall and in conference.
• The Phoenix returns seven of its eight leading scorers from a year ago, including Sammy Fisher, who paced Elon with 37 goals and 44 points. She was a preseason All-CAA pick.
• Sophomore Reagan Kuehn is the headliner on defense, earning All-CAA honorable mention status in the preseason. She had 36 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers a year ago.
• MJ Santa Barbara, one of the best in the country in the draw circle, is just a sophomore and earned preseason All-American status by USA Lacrosse. She broke Elon's single-game and single-season draw control record last year, as well as the CAA's single-season draw control mark. Her 8.88 draw controls per game were most in the country for a freshman and ranked No. 7 nationally.

 
SCOUTING DUKE

• Duke went 10-9 a year ago, which included a record of 4-5 in the ACC. All nine of the team's losses came against ranked teams.
• This year's Blue Devils squad is ranked No. 25 in the preseason Kane Footwear Division I Media Poll as announced by Inside Lacrosse. Duke is one of eight ACC programs inside the top 25.
• Duke's top returning scorer is Carly Bernstein, who had 18 goals and 28 assists a year ago. The Blue Devils lost three of their top four scorers.
• Transfer Callie Hem scored 67 points for Harvard a year ago and was an All-Ivy League selection.
• Head Coach Kerstin Kimel has led the Duke program since its inception in 1996 and has a record of 301-161 with the program. Including one season at Davidson prior to her arrival in Durham, Kimel has a career mark of 305-169.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Duke leads the all-time series against Elon by a 6-1 margin, including 2-1 in Durham.
• Elon beat Duke 7-6 in Durham back in 2016 when the Blue Devils were ranked No. 10 in the country. It was the program's first ever win over a ranked opponent as Shelby Scanlin scored with six seconds remaining to break the tie.
• That victory was also Elon's first over any ACC opponent.
• Elon Head Coach Josh Hexter spent eight seasons as an assistant and associated head coach at Duke before accepting the Elon head coaching position in 2012 to start the program.
• In the most recent matchup, Duke posted a 25-5 win in 2022.

 
PRESEASON AWARDS

• Sophomore MJ Santa Barbara was named honorable mention preseason All-America by USA Lacrosse as a draw control specialist. She is the first Elon player to earn preseason All-America status since Stephanie Asher was named honorable mention All-America by Inside Lacrosse in 2018.
• Senior Sammy Fisher was named to the preseason All-CAA Team as one of five attackers recognized. She led Elon with 37 goals and 44 points, adding 14 ground balls, 16 draw controls and five caused turnovers.
• Sophomore Reagan Kuehn was named honorable mention preseason All-CAA after leading Elon with 36 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers. She added a program record 11 caused turnovers in conference play and had at least one caused turnover in 11 straight games to open her collegiate career.

 
ABOUT THE COACHING STAFF

• Josh Hexter enters his 12^th season at the helm of the Elon lacrosse program in 2025 as the only head coach in the program's history. He is 79-90 in the first 11 years of the program and has a career head coaching mark of 151-132, which includes a 72-42 record in seven seasons at Bridgewater State.
• Assistant Coach Kelly Dowd is in her first season at Elon after two seasons as an assistant at Connecticut. She is a 2017 graduate of Queens University of Charlotte.
• Assistant Coach Katie Brodsky is also in her first season at Elon and most recently served as the lacrosse program head at Seattle Preparatory School. She is a 2023 graduate of Arizona State.

 
INTO THE RECORD BOOKS

• Elon returns three of its top seven goal scorers in program history, along with a wealth of elite statistical talent elsewhere. Listed below are the current student-athletes among the Phoenix's all-time top 10 career leaderboards:

 
Points – 4. Cierra Hopson 108, 6. Sammy Fisher 96, t9. Anna Hackett 71
Goals – t3. Cierra Hopson 83, 5. Sammy Fisher 82, 7. Anna Hackett 64
Assists – 5. Cierra Hopson 25
Shots – 3. Sammy Fisher 193, 4. Cierra Hopson 184, 9. Anna Hackett 139
Free Position Goals – 4. Anna Hackett 22, t10. Cierra Hopson 10, t10. Sammy Fisher 10
Draw Controls – 3. MJ Santa Barbara 151, 5. Sammy Fisher 87
Saves – 3. Caitlin Walsh 239, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu 73
Save Percentage – 4. Caitlin Walsh .388, 7. Chloe Herghelegiu .322
GAA – 5. Caitlin Walsh 13.49, 7. Chloe Herghelegiu 15.06
Goalie Minutes – 2. Caitlin Walsh 1676:47, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu 597:30
Goalie Wins – 3. Caitlin Walsh 11, t4. Chloe Herghelegiu 4