Oklahoma State University Athletics
Lana Duke
Fourth Generation Cowgirl
April 26, 2016 | Cowgirl Soccer
By Mika Ryan, OSU Athletics Communications
Her great-grandmother, grandmother, mother and now her all call themselves Oklahoma State Cowgirls.
OSU soccer player Lana Duke has continued the legacy of her family name.
"I was born and raised with everything OSU so you could say that I bleed orange," Duke said.
With soccer recruiting beginning so early, Duke had to choose where she would be spending her four years as a collegiate student-athlete. As a sophomore at Edmond Memorial High School, she was offered a full scholarship to the University of Memphis. But after committing to the Tigers, she had some doubts that lingered in the back of her mind.
Sure enough, Duke decommitted and decided to walk-on at Oklahoma State.
"Deciding to decommit to Memphis was probably one of the hardest decisions in my life at that point because it was so critical to make the right decision of where I wanted to go to school and make my friends for the next four years," Duke said. "Also knowing I was giving up a full-ride scholarship at Memphis to walk-on at OSU made the decision that much harder."
In many cases there are expectations and pressures amongst families that come with choosing which school to attend, especially with those who have strong ties and history with an institution. Duke, on the other hand, was never pulled one way or another.
"My family was actually super supportive about Memphis — they just wanted the best for me and I know they just wanted to see me happy," Duke said. "But I knew I couldn't go anywhere other than OSU, and of course I had 100 percent support from all of them."
With the strong backing of her family, Duke transitioned from blue and grey to orange and black.
Growing up playing soccer, it was almost as though Duke's parents and grandparents were on the team with her. They went to every practice, game and tournament they could. Having practice in Tulsa and living in Edmond at the time meant driving long hours every week. They were, and still are, her biggest fans and are committed to supporting her.
A midfielder for the Cowgirls, Duke played in 17 games as a redshirt freshman last season, including making nine starts, and her parents, Lance and Dayna, were there every step of the way.
"All of my family roll out to literally every game, and my mom and dad even travelled to every single away game last year," Duke said. "They flew all over the place for me. One week they were in Florida and another week they were in Washington."
Coming from such a tight-knit and supportive family has molded her into the remarkable person she is today.
OSU head coach Colin Carmichael admires Duke not only for her play on the soccer pitch, but also for her character off the field.
"She is one of our leaders off the field for being so heavily involved in the community and is a really hardworking and motivated kid," Carmichael said. "On the field, she inspires her teammates with her effort and always gives her all. She is a great kid, great soccer player, but an even better person."
Not only is soccer a huge part of the family, but the Dukes are also big Cowboy wrestling fans. Along with the commitment the Duke family has made to Cowgirl soccer, they are committed fans of Cowboy wrestling. They are season ticket holders and did not miss a single home dual all season. They began supporting wrestling when Lana's cousin, Jake Duke, wrestled for OSU years ago.
The amount of dedication that the Duke family has shown is incredible. Through their support of wrestling, to being Lana's biggest fans, they represent the ideals of true OSU family. This institution has bound their family in a unique way. Not many families can say they share something as special as having four generations of Cowgirls.
"I love being able to call myself a fourth generation Cowgirl, and just being able to represent my family and school playing soccer here is amazing," Duke said. "My family is just such a big part of my life that I knew I would be happiest coming here and playing in front of them. I just really wanted the chance to make them proud and to be able to play soccer for my own state."
Her great-grandmother, grandmother, mother and now her all call themselves Oklahoma State Cowgirls.
OSU soccer player Lana Duke has continued the legacy of her family name.
"I was born and raised with everything OSU so you could say that I bleed orange," Duke said.
With soccer recruiting beginning so early, Duke had to choose where she would be spending her four years as a collegiate student-athlete. As a sophomore at Edmond Memorial High School, she was offered a full scholarship to the University of Memphis. But after committing to the Tigers, she had some doubts that lingered in the back of her mind.
Sure enough, Duke decommitted and decided to walk-on at Oklahoma State.
"Deciding to decommit to Memphis was probably one of the hardest decisions in my life at that point because it was so critical to make the right decision of where I wanted to go to school and make my friends for the next four years," Duke said. "Also knowing I was giving up a full-ride scholarship at Memphis to walk-on at OSU made the decision that much harder."
In many cases there are expectations and pressures amongst families that come with choosing which school to attend, especially with those who have strong ties and history with an institution. Duke, on the other hand, was never pulled one way or another.
"My family was actually super supportive about Memphis — they just wanted the best for me and I know they just wanted to see me happy," Duke said. "But I knew I couldn't go anywhere other than OSU, and of course I had 100 percent support from all of them."
With the strong backing of her family, Duke transitioned from blue and grey to orange and black.
Growing up playing soccer, it was almost as though Duke's parents and grandparents were on the team with her. They went to every practice, game and tournament they could. Having practice in Tulsa and living in Edmond at the time meant driving long hours every week. They were, and still are, her biggest fans and are committed to supporting her.
A midfielder for the Cowgirls, Duke played in 17 games as a redshirt freshman last season, including making nine starts, and her parents, Lance and Dayna, were there every step of the way.
"All of my family roll out to literally every game, and my mom and dad even travelled to every single away game last year," Duke said. "They flew all over the place for me. One week they were in Florida and another week they were in Washington."
Coming from such a tight-knit and supportive family has molded her into the remarkable person she is today.
OSU head coach Colin Carmichael admires Duke not only for her play on the soccer pitch, but also for her character off the field.
"She is one of our leaders off the field for being so heavily involved in the community and is a really hardworking and motivated kid," Carmichael said. "On the field, she inspires her teammates with her effort and always gives her all. She is a great kid, great soccer player, but an even better person."
Not only is soccer a huge part of the family, but the Dukes are also big Cowboy wrestling fans. Along with the commitment the Duke family has made to Cowgirl soccer, they are committed fans of Cowboy wrestling. They are season ticket holders and did not miss a single home dual all season. They began supporting wrestling when Lana's cousin, Jake Duke, wrestled for OSU years ago.
The amount of dedication that the Duke family has shown is incredible. Through their support of wrestling, to being Lana's biggest fans, they represent the ideals of true OSU family. This institution has bound their family in a unique way. Not many families can say they share something as special as having four generations of Cowgirls.
"I love being able to call myself a fourth generation Cowgirl, and just being able to represent my family and school playing soccer here is amazing," Duke said. "My family is just such a big part of my life that I knew I would be happiest coming here and playing in front of them. I just really wanted the chance to make them proud and to be able to play soccer for my own state."
Players Mentioned
Defender/Midfielder
/ Cowgirl SoccerTuesday, July 07
Tuesday, July 07
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
