Ruden Sports News

Girls Lacrosse

Ridgefield’s Lauretani And Winkler, Childhood Best Friends, Verbal To UNC 24 Hours Apart

The Ruden Report

09.15.2023

Grace Winkler (left) and Gabby Lauretani, childhood friends, this week gave verbal commitments a day apart to play lacrosse at North Carolina.

By Jeff Jacobs


Gabby Lauretani normally picks up Grace Winkler each morning on the way to school. Wednesday was different.

The Ridgefield juniors wanted to surprise each other. They arrived separately and met in the hallway outside the Student Center.

“So we could give each other big hugs,” Lauretani said.

They wore their Carolina swag.

“We matched with our sweatshirts,” Lauretani said.

From there, through the course of the day, students and teachers would take turns offering them congratulations.

“It was so nice,” Lauretani said.

“So cool,” Winkler said. 

From California to Connecticut, high school athletes talk with their best friends about how great it would be to play together in college. It’s a dream.

For besties Grace Winkler and Gabby Lauretani, it has become a reality.

They committed to play lacrosse at North Carolina while on campus in Chapel Hill this week. Winkler was first on Monday. Lauretani followed on Tuesday. 

“Grace was in the (Raleigh-Durham) airport after her visit,” Lauretani said. “As soon as she finished calling all the other coaches to tell them she committed to UNC, she called me right away.

“We both started screaming. We were so excited.” 

Lauretani had her visit to Carolina the next day. It was deja Tar Heel all over again.

“I went straight to the airport, right from my visit,” Lauretani said. “And as soon as I called all the other coaches, I face-timed her in the car right away and told her.”

More elation.

Ridgefield’s Grace Winkler shoots and scores against Greenwich in a state playoff game last June. (Gregory Vasil)

“North Carolina was my dream school for a while,” Winkler said.

“Literally my dream school since the fifth grade,” Lauretani said.

“It’s funny,” Winkler said, “my brother was a North Carolina fan and little me was like, ‘OK, I like UNC, too.’ But as I got older, I started following them and wanted to play there.”

Although we talk separately on the phone, the girls’ answers are eerily alike.

“Our teammates always say how similar we are,” Lauretani said.

They have a couple of nicknames.

Frick and Frack.

The Twins.

Gabby is Frick. Grace is Frack.

Frick is the No. 6 rated recruit in the nation by Inside Lacrosse. Frack is the No. 4 rated player.

Heady stuff.

Winkler laughs.

“It doesn’t even feel like it, honestly,” she said.

“I feel very proud of both of us,” Lauretani said. “We both have worked so hard for so many years to get where we are now. Like this past summer, we were home for about three days. We were always out playing lacrosse.”

Ridgefield’s Gabby Lauretani (19) defends in a state playoff game against Greenwich in June. (Gregory Vasil)

Beyond playing for Ridgefield and the Prime Time club team, they play field hockey together at Ridgefield in the fall. Lauretani plays basketball for the Tigers in the winter. Grace?

“I go skiing with my family,” she said. “That, and train.”

They met the summer after kindergarten. Their brothers, C.J. and Luke, played lacrosse on the same club team. Lauretani’s family lived in Pelham, N.Y., at the time and didn’t move to Ridgefield, about 45 minutes away, until Gabby was entering the sixth grade. 

 “I hadn’t known Grace at all, but we would always go to our brothers’ tournaments,” Lauretani said. “We started hanging out and talking all the time.”

 “We were really sad with each other at first, but we’d see each other at every tournament,” Winkler said. “We became best friends over the years from seeing each other all summer.”

They emailed before they texted.

“I have a screenshot of our first email from like the first grade,” Lauretani said. 

“We were asking each other if we were going to the NCAA Final Four,” Winkler said. “It was like, ‘If you go I’ll be there.’” 

Luke Winkler still plays lacrosse at Lehigh. CJ Lauretani was recruited to play lacrosse at Lafayette, Gabby said, but his passion is sports film and editing, leading him to transfer to Indiana. 

“Lacrosse has always been in our family,” Winkler said. “I started in kindergarten and it’s the sport I had the most fun.”

As she grew older, Winkler dropped swimming and soccer, but picked up field hockey. Both she and Lauretani have played box lacrosse. Winkler said it was probably in the sixth or seventh grade when she felt as if she might excel in lacrosse.

“Grace is the funniest person you’ll ever meet, oh my God!” Gabby said. “She’s so energetic. Everybody says she’s always laughing. You look at her from the other corner of the room and you’ll see her cracking up.”

That can occasionally cause a problem.

“We’re always together, sports, school, everything,” Lauretani said. “We can never stop laughing, especially her. She is also so thoughtful, caring and gives the best birthday and Christmas presents.”

In releasing its national rankings, Inside Lacrosse said Winkler has exceptionally quick feet that allow her to seamlessly make way to the front of the cage. She also was praised as a diverse shooter and having great field vision.

What makes Winkler such an elite young lacrosse player?

“Definitely her speed and quickness,” Lauretani said. “She can beat anyone in a race and beat anyone off the dodge. 

Winkler plays midfield for Ridgefield. For Prime Time, she plays attack. Lauretani is a midfielder.

In field hockey, Lauretani is a forward and Winkler is a midfielder. 

“Our coach put us on the right side together, because we connect so well.”

Both gave that answer.

Asked about Gabby’s personality and play, Winkler was equally effusive.

“Gabby has been so supportive of me,” Winkler said. “She can make me laugh whenever. We understand each other in ways other people can’t, because we’re so close. She is the person most similar to me of anyone I’ve ever met.”

Inside Lacrosse praised Lauretani for her speed and smooth stickwork and being relentless defensively in taking away an opponent’s strong side and forcing errors.

“On the field, Gabby is really competitive,” Winkler said. “When you’re playing with her you know you can trust her with the ball. She communicates. She always makes the right play.”

As far as Lauretani being supportive, there is no better example than Gabby becoming Ridgfield’s ambassador for Morgan’s Message as a freshman. After the suicide of Morgan Rodgers, a Duke lacrosse player, in 2010, the organization was formed to advocate for mental health among student-athletes. Lauretani has overseen dedication games.

“And I will continue it through my high school career,” she said. “Hopefully, I will be able to bring it to UNC.”

Winkler said her decision on Chapel Hill ultimately was based on the coaches.

“They’re amazing and so welcoming,” she said. “I really like the team atmosphere.”

The week before Winkler visited Maryland and was at Michigan last weekend. She was scheduled to Northwestern and BC, but canceled the visits.

“I didn’t plan to commit (immediately),” Winkler said. “I wanted to wait until after the 16th and my last visit. But I got to UNC and had that feeling I needed to come here.” 

Lauretani was considering Clemson, Maryland, Boston College, Notre Dame, Michigan and Northwestern. Along with her parents, she visited Clemson last weekend, Maryland on Monday and UNC the following day. She also canceled the remainder of her visits.

“It’s such a relief,” Winkler said. “Everyone at school is like, ‘You guys are so lucky. You don’t have to apply to other schools and worry about SATs.’ It really is lucky.”

“It feels so nice,” Lauretani said. “All the pressure is lifted off my shoulders. All summer was stressful, but Sept. 1 (the opening day for college recruiting) was the most stressful day of my life. Obviously, it’s all good stress. Making a decision and everything. I’m so glad it’s finally over.”

Best friends, playing together at college. Doesn’t get any better.

“I know,” Lauretani said. “It’s going to be the best four years ever. We were always saying, ‘Imagine if we got to play with each other in college?’ But I didn’t actually think it would happen. Now that it’s official, it’s so exciting. We can’t stop talking about it.  

“Everyone’s coming up to us saying, ‘Of course you’re playing together.’ “

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