Stony Brook Seawolves women's lacrosse

The Stony Brook Seawolves women's lacrosse team represents Stony Brook University in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women's college lacrosse. The team is a member of the America East Conference and play their home games at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, New York.

Stony Brook Seawolves
Founded2003
UniversityStony Brook University
Head coachJoe Spallina (8th season)
StadiumKenneth P. LaValle Stadium (capacity: 12,300)
LocationStony Brook, New York
ConferenceAmerica East Conference
NicknameSeawolves
ColorsRed, Blue, and Gray[1]
              
NCAA Tournament appearances
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Conference Tournament championships
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Conference regular season championships
2007, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

Stony Brook has won seven consecutive regular season conference and tournament championships and have established themselves as one of the top women's lacrosse programs in the nation, advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament twice and spending the majority of their undefeated 2018 season ranked at No. 1 in all of the major polls. From 2017 to 2019, Stony Brook won 29 straight regular season games, and they currently own a 32-game winning streak in conference play.

History

Formation and beginnings (2001–2011)

Stony Brook University formed their women's lacrosse team in 2001 with Danie Caro as their first head coach, with the announcement that the program would begin play during the 2003 season.[2] In the team's first season, the Seawolves finished in third place in the conference but advanced to the semifinals in the America East playoffs, losing 15–4 to Boston University.[3]

Caro left the program in 2005 and was replaced by former Maryland player and four-time national champion Allison Comito.[3] Under Comito, the Seawolves returned to the semifinal round of the America East playoffs in both 2006 and 2007.[4] The 2007 team went 13–4, the first time Stony Brook had won double-digit games, and the team tied for first place in the America East.[4] Comito resigned following the 2011 season, amassing a 42–54 record in her six-year tenure as head coach.[5]

The Spallina era and national prominence (2011–present)

Joe Spallina, who had won three straight Division II titles as the coach at Adelphi University, succeeded Comito.[6] In Spallina's first season, the Seawolves improved their win total by ten from 4 to 14 as the Seawolves finished second in the America East. Stony Brook defeated UMBC 9–7 in the America East semifinals before losing to Albany in the conference finals, falling one game short of their first NCAA Tournament.[7] Stony Brook finished with a 14–5 record in Spallina's first season as head coach.

Stony Brook had their most successful season yet in 2013, going undefeated in conference play for the first time, winning their second regular season conference championship and beating Vermont 18–4 and Albany 14–3 in the America East playoffs to win their first America East Tournament and advance to their first NCAA Tournament.[8] There, they defeated Towson 8–6 in the first round for their first NCAA Tournament victory but lost in the second round to No. 1 Maryland.[9][10] Still, the team's final 17–3 record bore the program the most single-season wins to date, beginning the first of six consecutive conference championships. For the first time in team history, Stony Brook was ranked Top 10 in a major national poll.[11]

Stony Brook returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 after a 17–4 season where they tied for first place in the America East regular season, including victories over New Hampshire and Albany in the America East playoffs.[12] In the first round, the Seawolves faced Towson again and won 10–8, advancing to the second round where they lost to Syracuse. Spallina became Stony Brook's all-time winningest coach after the season.[13]

In 2015, Stony Brook finished with an 18–2 record. On March 17, the Seawolves beat No. 6/7 Florida on the road in Gainesville, the team's first victory over a Top 10-ranked opponent in program history.[14] They started the season 11–0 before losing to No. 20 Johns Hopkins.[15] After disposing of UMBC and Albany in the America East Tournament, Stony Brook earned the No. 6 seed in their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Coming out of a first round bye, the Seawolves lost 8–4 to Princeton.[16]

Stony Brook entered the 2016 season ranked No. 11/8.[17] Although they lost to ranked opponents Florida, Northwestern, and USC to start the season 2–3, the Seawolves would embark on a 15-game winning streak, including wins against No. 9/8 Stanford and No. 20 Johns Hopkins. Stony Brook captured their fourth straight America East title after defeating New Hampshire and Albany in the America East Playoffs; the finals victory came on a last-second comeback.[18] Stony Brook beat Boston College 11–9 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing 7–6 to No. 4–seeded Syracuse in the second round.[19]

Preseason polls ranked Stony Brook at No. 6/5 to begin the 2017 season.[20] Their lone regular season loss came on March 11, 2017 at No. 3 Florida.[21] Sweeping the America East for the third consecutive year, Stony Brook beat ranked opponents such as No. 12 Northwestern, No. 9 USC, and No. 4 Colorado before taking down New Hampshire and Albany in the America East playoffs to win their fifth straight conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance. Stony Brook was seeded eighth in a controversial move that was later attributed to New York governor Andrew Cuomo's state-sanctioned travel ban to the state of North Carolina due to the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act.[22][23][24] The Seawolves defeated Bryant 21–6 in the first round and Northwestern 13–9 in the second round to advance to the first NCAA Quarterfinal in program history, where they lost to undefeated No. 1–seeded Maryland 13–12. Stony Brook, despite leading 11–7, could not pull off the upset victory.[25]

Stony Brook was ranked No. 2 to enter the 2018 season, which began with victories against No. 5 USC, No. 23 Stanford, No. 20 Denver, No. 8 Northwestern, and No. 13 Towson. After starting the season 3–0, Stony Brook earned the No. 1 ranking in all three major polls (Inside Lacrosse, US Lacrosse, IWLCA) after former No. 1 Maryland lost in overtime to North Carolina.[26] Stony Brook ended the regular season undefeated at 17–0 and beat New Hampshire and Albany in the America East Playoffs to win their sixth straight conference title.[27] Despite a 19–0 record, Stony Brook controversially earned the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.[28] They defeated Penn 18–5 in the second round.[29] In the quarterfinals, Stony Brook battled fourth-seeded Boston College to double overtime before losing 12–11 on a last-second goal.[30]

The 2019 season, the team's first since graduating Kylie Ohlmiller, began with a No. 4/6 ranking and a victory against No. 13 Colorado.[31] However, the Seawolves lost at No. 16 Denver on February 24, snapping their 29–game regular season winning streak.[32] On March 3, Stony Brook lost 15–12 at home to Stanford, breaking the team's 33–game home winning streak.[33] Spallina earned his 200th victory on March 16, 2019 against Cornell.[34] After a 11–10 home loss to No. 20 Florida, Stony Brook was unranked but re-entered the polls following defeats of No. 17 Johns Hopkins and No. 14 USC. The Seawolves swept America East play for the fifth consecutive season to win their seventh straight regular season title.[35] In the America East playoffs, Stony Brook took down UMBC and Albany to win their seventh straight America East championship.[36] In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Stony Brook upset defending champions James Madison 10–9 in overtime.[37] In the second round, Stony Brook jumped out to a quick 4–0 lead against No. 1 Maryland, but ultimately lost 17–8 to snap their 12-game winning streak and end their season.[38]

In 2020, Stony Brook began the season ranked No. 12, and upset No. 4 Syracuse in the Carrier Dome 17–16 in the season opener.[39] They beat Ohio State 20–7 to move up to No. 3 in the rankings before losing to No. 8 Florida on the road. Stony Brook rebounded with home victories over Towson and No. 11 Princeton.[40] On March 12, the NCAA cancelled all spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stony Brook ended the season with a 4–1 record and ranked at No. 5 in all three national polls.[41]

Individual career records

Reference:[42]

Record Amount Player Years
Goals341*Courtney Murphy2014–18
Assists246*Kylie Ohlmiller2015–18
Points498*Kylie Ohlmiller2015–18
Ground balls189Kaitlin Leggio2006–09
Draw controls238Michelle Rubino2012–15
Caused turnovers125Danielle Werner2003–06

An asterisk indicates the all-time NCAA record.[4]

Individual single-season records
Record Amount Player Year
Goals100*Courtney Murphy2016
Assists86*Kylie Ohlmiller2017
Points164*Kylie Ohlmiller2017
Ground balls73Beth Arikian2003
Draw controls106Keri McCarthy2017
Caused turnovers55Brooke Gubitosi2017

An asterisk indicates the all-time NCAA record.[4]

Seasons
Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
NCAA Division I (America East Conference) (2003–present)
Danie Caro (America East) (2003–2005)
2003 Danie Caro 7–102–3T–3rd
2004 Danie Caro 6–92–45th
2005 Danie Caro 8–72–45th
Allison Comito (America East) (2006–2011)
2006 Allison Comito 9–94–2T-3rd
2007 Allison Comito 13–45–1T–1st
2008 Allison Comito 9–62–4T–4th
2009 Allison Comito 4–121–56th
2010 Allison Comito 3–121–5T–5th
2011 Allison Comito 4–111–5T–6th
Joe Spallina (America East) (2012–present)
2012 Joe Spallina 14–55–12nd
2013 Joe Spallina 17–36–01stNCAA Second Round
2014 Joe Spallina 17–44–1T–1stNCAA Second Round
2015 Joe Spallina 18–26–01stNCAA Second Round
2016 Joe Spallina 17–46–01stNCAA Second Round
2017 Joe Spallina 20–26–01stNCAA Quarterfinal
2018 Joe Spallina 20–17–01stNCAA Quarterfinal
2019 Joe Spallina 16–57–01stNCAA Second Round
2020 Joe Spallina 4–10–0Season canceled due to COVID-19
Total:206–107 (.656)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Postseason results

The Seawolves have appeared in seven NCAA tournaments. Their postseason record is 7–7.[43]

Year Seed Round Opponent Score
2013–First Round
Second Round		Towson
#1 Maryland		W, 8–6
L, 3–11
2014–First Round
Second Round		Towson
#2 Syracuse		W, 10–8
L, 6–13
2015#6Second RoundPrincetonL, 4–8
2016–First Round
Second Round		Boston College
#4 Syracuse		W, 11–9
L, 6–7
2017#8First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinal		Bryant
Northwestern
#1 Maryland		W, 21–6
W, 13–9
L, 12–13
2018#5Second Round
Quarterfinal		Penn
#4 Boston College		W, 18–5
L, 11–12 (2OT)
2019–First Round
Second Round		James Madison
#1 Maryland		W, 10–9 (OT)
L, 8–17

References
  1. "Stony Brook University Brand". Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  2. "Danie Caro Named First Head Women's Lacrosse Coach". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  3. "Women's Lax Falls To BU In America East Semifinals 15-4". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  4. "Stony Brook Women's Lacrosse" (PDF).
  5. "Women's Lacrosse: Head Coach Allison Comito Resigns". Stony Brook Independent. 2011-05-09. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  6. "Rocky Point's Joe Spallina Officially Introduced at Stony Brook". Miller Place-Rocky Point, NY Patch. 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  7. "Women's lacrosse title bid falls short". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  8. "No. 10/7 WLAX ousts Albany for AE title, NCAA berth". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  9. "No. 10/9 WLAX's historic season ends in NCAA Second Round". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  10. "Terps Stymie Stony Brook in Second Round". University of Maryland Athletics. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  11. "Women's lacrosse cracks top 10 in IWLCA poll". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  12. "No. 19 Women's Lacrosse Falls 7-1 in America East Championship to Stony Brook". UAlbanySports.com. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  13. "How Stony Brook -- Yes, Stony Brook -- Became A Lacrosse Power". espnW. Retrieved 2019-02-23.
  14. "No. 17/14 Stony Brook stuns No. 6/7 Florida, 12-11, in statement victory". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  15. "Murphy scores 100th career goal in No. 9/7 Stony Brook loss at No. 20/20 Johns Hopkins". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  16. "Princeton vs Stony Brook DI Women's Lacrosse Game Summary - May 10th, 2015 | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  17. "No. 11/8 Stony Brook opens 2016 with 18-4 win at Bryant". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  18. "Kasey at the Buzzer: Seawolves win fourth-straight AE Championship". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  19. Weinheimer, Kevin (2016-05-15). "Second Half Surge Leads Syracuse Over Stony Brook". Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
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  22. "Stony Brook's Seed Puzzles Fans, But Big Wins Reap Rewards". www.uslaxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  23. "North Carolina's transphobia is about to cause major headaches for a top college athletic conference". Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  24. Konig, Joseph. "Controversially low-seeded Women's Lacrosse poised for deep NCAA Tournament run". The Statesman. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  25. "Stony Brook's upset bid falls short against Maryland". Newsday. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
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  27. Lupfer, Peter. "Women's Lacrosse finishes undefeated regular season with win against Albany". The Statesman. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  28. "Maryland Earns No. 1 Seed, Unbeaten Stony Brook Seeded No. 5". www.uslaxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  29. "Stony Brook Suffocates Penn, Gets Ready to Hit Road". www.uslaxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  30. Berestecki, Laura (2018-05-19). "Boston College Women's Lacrosse Defeats Stony Brook in Overtime". BC Interruption. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  31. "No. 4/6 Stony Brook Tops No. 13/14 Colorado in 2019 Season Opener". Stony Brook University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  32. Fermin, Chris Parkinson and Kenneth. "No.4-ranked Women's Lacrosse loses first regular season game in nearly two years, splits road trip". The Statesman. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  33. "Stony Brook's 33-game home winning streak over". Newsday. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  34. "Kennedy, Rafferty get four each as Stony Brook rolls". Newsday. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  35. "Stony Brook Claims #AEWLAX Regular-Season Crown; Tourney Bracket Set". americaeast.com. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
  36. "Stony Brook Captures Seventh-Straight #AEWLAX Title". americaeast.com. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  37. "Stony Brook Takes Down Defending Champ James Madison". www.uslaxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  38. Hindle, Tom. "Maryland women's lacrosse storms back to beat Stony Brook, 17-8, in NCAA tournament - The Diamondback". dbknews.com. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  39. "Stony Brook Upsets Syracuse After Wild Second Half and Highlight Goal". www.uslaxmagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  40. Magill, Ryan (2020-03-08). "Kennedy, Arline help No. 6 Women's Lacrosse take down No. 11 Princeton 18-12". The Statesman. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  41. Tam, Ethan (2020-03-13). "America East cancels all spring sports after NCAA cancels March Madness, spring championships". The Statesman. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
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