Delaney Duke '22 Recruiting Profile

I have always been the type of person who wants to get better; every time I put on my gloves, I want to improve. Like many, I have played soccer since I was a small child. I didn’t play GK until my 8th-grade year when my team had a need. I volunteered to try it, and I have been in this position since. In the fall of my 9th-grade year, I suffered a potentially sports-ending injury off the field. My mom tells me that in the moments after the accident, I was screaming about how I still had to play soccer. Despite the EMT telling my mom it would be impossible, I competed that spring. Almost losing soccer made it glaringly obvious how important it is to me. The summer after my freshmen season, I attended a university camp where I was awarded Most Improved at its conclusion. I take immense pride in knowing that I got better in the time I was given to do so, and this motivated me to maintain this mindset regardless of my current skill level. Every opportunity I am given, I want to continually improve. I know that coaching, personal dedication, an intrinsic competitive nature, and continuously evolving expectations will help me reach this goal. I am looking for a collegiate experience that will allow me to continue to play and to improve while providing me with an academic foundation to secure my future. I come from a family that is education-based. My mom and sister are teachers. My brother is going to school to become a teacher. Academic achievement has always been a priority in my life.