Every so often, one publication or another will compile a list of the greatest athletes to ever wear a certain uniform number. Some are easy than others. For instance, with apologies to Aaron Judge, No. 99 belongs to Wayne Gretzky.
Number 17 is a little harder. Some say it’s Boston Celtics Hall of Famer John Havlicek. Others consider it Finnish hockey legend Jari Kurri. Or Dizzy Dean, ace of the St. Louis Cardinals’ famed Gashouse Gang.
But what about Kylie Ohlmiller?
After all, Ohlmiller, who wears No. 17 for Stony Brook women’s lacrosse, didn’t just have the best statistical season of her career in 2017. She had the best statistical season of anyone’s career in 2017.
Ohlmiller broke Jen Adams’ NCAA Division I single-season points record Friday in the Seawolves' NCAA tournament win over Bryant. Two days later, she broke the single-season assists record in a win over Northwestern. Her 2017 total now stands at 75 goals, 82 assists, and 157 points, with at least one more game on the schedule. Adams set the old record in 2001 with 148 points.
“I couldn’t do anything without coach Joe Spallina pushing me to do my best every day and seeing something in me in high school that no one else saw,” said Ohlmiller, a junior from nearby Islip, N.Y. “Or without the help of my teammates. Without them, I wouldn’t have as many assists or goals.”
Of course, even if Ohlmiller hadn’t scored a single goal this year, she'd still rank 20th on the 2017 point list. She’s the first player in Division I history to tally 70 goals and 70 assists in the same season.
She could tell early on that 2017 would be special. She racked up seven goals and five assists in her second game of the season. Her season total was higher than that of her jersey number by game three.
“I just thought, ‘Wow, I should have been having way better years the last two years,’” Ohlmiller said.
That’s a joke. Ohlmiller won the America East Rookie of the Year in 2015. In 2016, she made the U.S. national team and fulfilled the prophecy from her her high school yearbook when her behind-the-back virtuosity landed her on “SportsCenter,” twice.
In retrospect, she probably should have seen 2017 coming. No. 17 means something in the Ohlmiller household. Kylie has worn it her whole life. Her dad, Chuck, wore it as a high school baseball player. His dad wore it before him.
“I’ve actually thought about it,” she said. “Like, ‘Wow, 2017 has been a good year so far.’”
In so many ways. It’s the year her younger sister, Taryn, debuted for the Seawolves. The freshman ranks second on the team, and seventh in the country, with 98 points. It’s also the year Stony Brook finally broke through.
With the win on Sunday, the Seawolves reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history. That’s why on May 17, No. 17 and her teammates are still practicing on a mostly-empty campus, preparing for a trip to 12-time NCAA champion Maryland.
Maryland, of course, is the school Adams led to four championships while rewriting the record books at the turn of the 21st century.
“Everyone knows who Maryland is, who has gone to Maryland and done all that,” Ohlmiller said. “I’m excited to be a part of what Stony Brook has to show the world.”
Just because Adams will likely be rooting against Stony Brook Saturday doesn’t mean she was rooting against Ohlmiller this season. Ohlmiller has never met the legendary Australian. She figured Adams might not even know who she was. Then she checked Twitter.
Congrats to @StonyBrookWLAX Kylie Ohlmiller on breaking the @NCAA single season points record. Majority have been Sport Center worthy! #stud
— Jen Adams (@JenAdams_7) May 13, 2017
“That was pretty sick,” Ohlmiller said. “It was really cool to see my name mentioned with hers in the record books, but now it’s on her personal Twitter giving me a shout out. It was such an honor to be recognized by her.”
Adams will always be No. 7. It's right there in her Twitter handle. But thanks to Ohlmiller, her 2001 is no longer No. 1. That honor goes to the 2017 from No. 17.