How Maya Kendall Became the Ultimate Draw Specialist

The Dartmouth coaching staff approached Maya Kendall with an intriguing proposal in the fall of 2024.

“We didn’t really have this focal point of the draw until last fall,” head coach Alex McFadden said. “We talked about what this role could be and what she could do with it. We said, ‘There are men’s players who literally just train the faceoff. Is this something you would like to do?’ She didn’t even hesitate.”

McFadden and her assistants had monitored Kendall’s progress since she became the Big Green’s primary draw taker during her sophomore year in 2023.

When McFadden gauged Kendall’s interest in a full-time “FOGO” role, the Denver native had long expected such a conversation to ensue.

“Just through the work I put in my sophomore year, it was almost a thing of, ‘If I’m putting in this much work and enjoying that competition and that fight to be the best draw taker possible for our team, why not try and be the best in the country?’” Kendall said. “That was always a goal of mine, to be the best in some way — whether that was as a midfielder or a draw specialist.”

McFadden marveled as Kendall displayed a tireless commitment to her craft. The coach said her draw specialist has developed a laser focus for her mechanics and fortified strength in target areas like her forearms and wrists to optimize performance in the possession game.

Those extra practice repetitions, hours logged in the training room and dedication to film study paid major dividends last season. In 2025, Kendall set the Ivy League single-season record with 188 draw controls and posted an NCAA-high 12.53 draw controls per game.

“Last year, it really just took hold — she knew this was her role,” McFadden said. “Just to watch her growth over the past four years has been incredible. It’s been so great for our culture. We talk a lot about embracing your role and what it does for the team. She’s such a great example.”

Three games into her senior season, Kendall has already pulled down 61 draw controls. She leads the nation in draw controls per game (20.33), corralling all but six of her team’s 67 combined draw wins. In Dartmouth’s win over New Hampshire on Feb. 18, Kendall tied an NCAA single-game record with 24 draw wins.

At 354 career draw controls, Kendall is just 64 away from breaking Kathryn Giroux’s program and Ivy League record of 418.

“It’s just so humbling,” Kendall said. “I never envisioned the day where I would be a top draw specialist and lead a unit that ranks among the best in the NCAA. It was just so much hard work that not only I’ve put in, but there are three other draw specialists here that push me so hard every day.”

Kendall, who was introduced to the sport at a Denver men’s lacrosse camp as a kindergartner, said her youth coaches slotted her into the draw circle due to her height. She quickly fell in love with the skill that would one day vault her among the country’s elite.

As she went through her recruiting process during COVID-19, Kendall struck up an instant connection with McFadden. The latter had spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Colorado, crossing paths with Kendall at various youth camps and local events.

“When I was a freshman in high school, she came to the state championship,” Kendall said. “Throughout my recruiting process, she was like, ‘I was with you as you were growing up. I’ve seen your work ethic. I really want to create you into a player that could do great things for this team. The way we do that, I don’t know yet. But you have the talent to do it in some way.’”

Shifting her style as a draw taker marked the first component of Kendall’s evolution with the Big Green. Throughout her high school career, Kendall typically pushed the ball out to her teammates on the circle.

McFadden, who tallied 198 draw controls during her playing career at Northwestern from 2009-12, challenged Kendall to attempt more self-draws.

“From my freshman year, it was, ‘What are you going to do on your own to make sure you can be the best at these skills?’” Kendall said. “We take our preparation for the draw in all aspects of our training at Dartmouth. As a team, it’s become such a critical part of how Dartmouth approaches a game. If I can win possession, how can I pass it off to people who win games?”

With significant roster turnover across the Ivy League, those around the Dartmouth program feel they have the pieces in place to make a run at the conference title. For McFadden, the team’s identity is rooted in its commitment and success in the possession game. It’s a matter of turning Kendall’s prolific play into consistent scoring.

Kendall often thinks back to her freshman and sophomore years, when McFadden incorporated her in various roles. That early trust was pivotal in finding her footing in a new environment.

“It’s become a special bond and a special thing to really think about how we’ve grown as a partnership,” Kendall said. “[Through] all the things she’s taught me, just to be able to make her proud and really pay it back because I know she took a chance on a girl from Colorado who she didn’t really know if she was going to be able to succeed.”

As the Big Green open Ivy League play at Harvard on Saturday, that girl from Colorado will continue to reward the gamble McFadden placed more than a half-decade ago.

“What Maya has been able to do goes down with some of the best draw takers in the game,” McFadden said. “Taylor Cummings was incredible, Kayla Treanor, Kailah Kempney, Maddie Epke, there’s so many names, and I’m so proud that Maya is going to be one of those names as well.”