In her first two seasons, Kristen Waagbo was a consistent offensive threat for the Blue Devils.
This season, Waagbo has become more than a role player and has emerged as Duke's leader in points and a team member other Blue Devils look to in key situations.
Her offensive outburst has been key for the Blue Devils' attack this season. After winning the Tewaaraton Trophy as National Player of the Year last season, senior attacker Katie Chrest-who set school records with 70 goals and 162 shots a year ago-has faced added defensive pressure. With teams keying on Chrest, Waagbo has had more opportunities and has taken advantage of them en route to 25 goals, second highest on the team behind Chrest.
"I think I was more passive last year, just being a sophomore," Waagbo said. "I looked to other people to do all the scoring. This year, even though we are a lot more experienced, with a lot more juniors and upperclassmen, it's just like more people are looking at me to do things. So, I just felt that my teammates expected me to do more this year."
When the Blue Devils took on Georgetown March 18, Waagbo was the impetus for Duke's first-half scoring run. With three goals and two assists during an 18-minute span, Waagbo gave the Blue Devils the offensive push needed to take control of the game early with a 7-1 run. Even when the Hoyas began to climb back into the game and closed the lead to three late in the first half, Waagbo did not shut down and scored one of Duke's two goals to close the half and put the Blue Devils ahead, 9-4.
Coming into her college career, much was expected of Waagbo. When she came to Duke, she was highly touted for being named twice to the U.S. Lacrosse All-America team. She also led Mount Hebron High School in Ellicott City, Md. to four state championships.
As a freshman, Waagbo filled a quiet role on the Blue Devils' potent offense. Her 22 goals and 19 assists were solid numbers for a freshman, but she was still playing in Chrest's shadow. She said she enjoyed the team chemistry and felt part of the system, but it was not until this year that she really pushed herself to be a more versatile offensive threat.
"Coming in my freshman and sophomore years, I tried to be a lot like [Chrest] with my moves and stuff," Waagbo said. "And now that I'm a junior, I've realized that I cannot do everything that she can do. In the off-season, I just tried to diversify my game a little bit more. Last year was one of the things that when other teams scouted me, they said I was really predictable. I liked to feed it more. So this year, I've been working on more dodge moves and also making myself more of an off-ball threat."
The off-season work has paid off for Waagbo, who leads the ACC with 4.5 points per game. Waagbo was honored for her play, as she joined three other Blue Devils, including Chrest, on the Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List March 29.
Perhaps more important than the stats or the awards is the leadership role that Waagbo stepped into. With Chrest taking on the role as the overall team leader, head coach Kerstin Kimel has asked Waagbo along with junior attacker Leigh Jester, to become players that the offense can rely on.
"I guess I have just emerged because the team's given me more leadership," Waagbo said. "As a junior, it's really common that it's your standout year. Katie has a lot of pressure on her this year to repeat as player of the year. So, I took it upon myself this year to work a little harder and be more of a leader."
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