When Kailah Kempney arrived at Syracuse for her freshman year, she didn’t know if she’d get a chance to take draw controls for the Orange.

“I remember asking the coaches, ‘Can I like try to tryout for the draw?’” Kempney said. “They were just like, ‘You want to?’”

She did and then joined a group of five other players on the draw for SU.

But in the three years since then, it’s Kempney who’s established herself as the go-to at the position.

In her four years at SU, she has a program-record of 427 draw controls, which ranks third in NCAA history. Her 174 draw controls this season alone are only seven behind the previous SU career record. NCAA rule changes in 2012 altered the situation surrounding draw controls and now Kempney has become what head coach Gary Gait calls Syracuse’s first-ever draw control specialist.

“It’s a relatively new situation to have specialists,” Gait said. “It’s only been through her career that that’s truly been defined as a role, and I think her skills are unmatched.”

Though Kempney didn’t learn how to take a self draw until her senior year of high school, it was something Gait stressed at Syracuse and it quickly became her primary move.

Prior to her freshman season, the NCAA reduced the number of players around the draw circle from four to two and moved the positioning of the ball on the draw from the center of the two sticks to the upper part of each.

“At first, I hated it because you get used to where the ball is being set and then they change it,” Kempney said. “… It goes both ways. I hated the four girls in the circle. I love the two girls in the circle.”

Less people directly around the draw made it easier to win self draws and come away with the ball cleanly.

Kempney has worked on her wrist strength, quickness and the technique of her under-over left-handed grasp. The same gloves she’s worn since ninth grade help her get a firmer grip on the stick. Most of all, though, the draw is mental, Kempney said —adapting to opponent on each ensuing draw.

“I kind of like just knowing that my main role on the team is the draw because then I can really just focus on that part of the game,” Kempney said. “… working on that helps me figure it out more.”

In two of her first three years, Kempney led Syracuse in draw controls while splitting time with former Orange midfielder Kirkland Locey and others.

This year, for the first time, she’s been mostly on her own.

The result has been 8.29 draw controls per game for Kempney, third-best in the country and 15.76 for SU, which is second. The Orange has finished with less draw controls than its opponent in just three games this year.

“Just the numbers will say something, but her confidence and her ability to adjust has been great,” assistant head coach Katie Rowan said.

Kempney never expected to have the success she’s had over the last four years, but her play has earned her high praise from her coaches, teammates and even opposing coaches.

Her records might eventually fall, but the legacy in the draw circle that she’ll leave at Syracuse will be hard to match.

“She’s been spectacular,” Gait said. “… The next person is going to come along and try to be as good as she as she is and that’s going to be tough to do.”

Published on May 7, 2015 at 7:59 am

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus