As the Duke women's lacrosse program celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2015-16, GoDuke.com will be catching up with several Blue Devil alumnae to highlight memories from their collegiate careers and the paths they've taken to success in their professional fields. Look for the profiles throughout the year, and be sure to check out the 20th Anniversary landing page at http://goduke.us/1TxjmY5 for more information.
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Caroline Cryer, 2005-09
A finalist for the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy and a two-time All-ACC selection at attack, Cryer was a part of four national semifinalist teams at Duke. An outstanding junior campaign saw her garner consensus first team All-America accolades as well as NCAA All-Tournament Team recognition. Her 71 goals that season still stand as the program's single-season record. After missing the 2008 campaign due to injury, Cryer returned to the field the following spring to lead the Blue Devils in assists and points. She concluded her career ranked among the program's all-time leaders in goals, assists, points and draw controls. An economics major at Duke, Cryer currently serves as a regional business analyst at CH2M Hill in the Denver area.
GoDuke.com: What are some of your favorite lacrosse memories from your time at Duke?
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Caroline Cryer: Some of my lacrosse favorites: winning the ACC championship my freshman year. Beating Northwestern on Koski my sophomore year. Getting to play in my hometown of Denver my junior and fifth year. Hidden ball trick with Chrest vs. UNC. Alley oops around the crease with Waags. The memories are endless ...
I will always love thinking back to some of the fun traditions (annual Halloween contest), team bonding activities (wild rafting trip!) and all the amazing team dinners at Ker's house.
GoDuke.com: What lessons did you take with you from your time on and off the field?
CC: On the field: teamwork and going to battle with each other. It is really fun when we go after new work pursuits, since it is the ultimate call for teamwork. Proposals end up having tight deadlines, and you realize the importance of sacrifice, communication and backing each other up within our business group to pull together our best offer to try and win a job.
Off the field: character and dance moves. I realized quickly what an incredible influence Kerstin was during my time at Duke. Kerstin is what we call "value add" in my job now. I feel pretty lucky that I got to represent my school playing the sport I love and receive an incredible education, all while Kerstin imparted life lessons and values of excellence along the way. I was well prepared leaving college. One thing though, that is very hard to recreate in the post college world is locker room dance parties … miss those! But I have some pretty sweet Duke lax dance moves that come in handy on occasion …
GoDuke.com: Who were some teammates that influenced you?
CC: Stef Sparks – Stef was everything you could ever want in a leader, especially when she was a senior captain my freshman year. Stef showed what it meant to be completely selfless, out work everyone and give her whole heart to the success of our team. I learned from Stef that it was okay to show how much you cared about something and to just be you!
Katie Chrest - I could always count on Chrest. We connected on the same "love of lax" level. Some of my favorite times were off days together - we'd go lax around barefoot on the turf, jamming out to music and practice our hidden ball tricks or behind the back shots ... Chrest just made it fun!
GoDuke.com: How did your education prepare you for your professional career?
CC: Duke taught me how to think for myself and be a lifelong learner. I was surrounded by a lot of really smart classmates that set the tone and inspired me to want to grow intellectually. Being an econ major, I was exposed to different fundamental theories, with very engaging professors. They set me up to problem solve, weigh the stakes and ultimately strive to be a valuable contributor at my job.
GoDuke.com: How did you become interested in pursuing a career in the business profession?
CC: Graduating college I wasn't totally sure what the next step would be immediately. As much as I loved playing lacrosse, I also had a piece of me that was intellectually curious and searching to pursue the next challenge. I ended up getting exposure to a lot of different roles with various startup companies, which led me into my current role as a financial and risk analyst of water treatment plants for CH2M.
GoDuke.com: What is your favorite aspect of your job?
CC: I really like the combination of responsibilities. Every day I get to interact with a variety of people (in office or at project sites) and help solve new challenges or navigate different risks. I really enjoy my team and the culture of our company. I get to work with a lot of really smart people and continue to grow and learn new things every day.
GoDuke.com: What have been some keys to reaching the level of success you are at now?
CC: Consistency - my motto is to try and get a little bit better every day. It keeps me searching for the next challenge and pushing myself to grow. Connecting/building relationships - learning from coworkers and engaging in conversation to share goals or thoughts. Leading by example - work hard, do a quality job and be thoughtful.
GoDuke.com: What advice would you give to current or future student-athletes?
CC: You are at an incredible university, surrounded by the best of the best. Learn, meet and do as much as you can. I used to think I didn't have much time in college playing lacrosse and going to school … then I graduated. That's when I realized what it meant to not have enough time ... My advice, make the time to get as much out of Duke as you possibly can. Is it a special place and offers more than you can imagine, so don't be afraid to explore.
GoDuke.com: Any other hobbies or interests we should know about?
CC: I have gotten pretty into cycling. Colorado is awesome for rides with all of the trails and views. I am going to ride the Triple Bypass in July with my mom for the second year in a row. We will pedal over three mountain passes (Squaw, Loveland, Vail) and finish just in Avon.
I have also gotten involved with the National Sports Center for the Disabled. I am a part of a core group working to help build young professional involvement and awareness through different events. We recently helped run a lacrosse clinic for a range of disabilities and it was really cool to see the impact and be involved with lacrosse from such a different perspective.
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