US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Preseason Top 20 on Jan. 2. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com through the end of the month and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition in February. 

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No. 5 Stony Brook

2018 Record: 20-1 (7-0 America East)
Coach: Joe Spallina (8th Year)

All-Time Record: 186-101
NCAA Appearances: 6
Final Fours: 0
Championships: 0

Life without Kylie Ohlmiller and Courtney Murphy begins, but nothing changes for Stony Brook. The Seawolves still have final four ambitions.

“We’re a program. We’re not about one player,”  coach Joe Spallina said.“The great programs are going to have those generational-type kids that come and go.”

Ohlmiller, the eye-blacked face of the program, and Murphy broke nearly every meaningful NCAA scoring record during their careers, which coincided with Stony Brook’s ascension. Ohlmiller owns the single-season and all-time marks for points and assists, and Murphy for goals.

But their final act fell short of expectations. The Seawolves hosted championship weekend and all signs, including an undefeated regular season, pointed to the home team participating in it. Yet Stony Brook fell to Boston College in overtime in the NCAA quarterfinals, a game some said was worthy of Memorial Day weekend.

Midfielder Samantha DiSalvo and defender Brooke Gubitosi also graduated, but the Seawolves still start the season at No. 5.

“This is top-to-bottom the best team we have,” Spallina said. “It would be very easy for me to sit back and say this is a rebuilding year to take the pressure off our team. But this team is built for success.”

The Seawolves open non-conference play with five straight nationally ranked foes — Colorado, Denver, Towson, Stanford and Princeton. Florida and Penn State loom later. 

“[People] say, ‘Spallina’s saying that they’re better just to try to get some hoopla,’” Spallina said. “People can say whatever, but at the end of the day, I put a stronger schedule in front of the team. We’re not running from the noise. We’re running toward it.”

Taryn Ohlmiller, who tore her ACL in Stony Brook’s second-round win over Penn, has recovered from her surgery. She shares her sister’s scoring prowess, with back-to-back 100-point seasons. 

Veteran Anna Tesoriero had the lowest goals against average in Division I.

Plus, the Seawolves’ midfield is the most athletic it’s ever been, led by returning draw specialist Keri McCarthy and Team USA’s most recent surprise standout, Ally Kennedy. 

The Case For Stony Brook

When Courtney Murphy went down with an ACL injury in 2017, Taryn Ohlmiller stepped up with a 101-point season to compensate for the loss. Every year, teams graduate star players. Every year, new names will shine. This year, outside of the Ohlmiller star power, Ally Kennedy also has program-defining potential. The junior captain is coming off a breakout performance with eight points for Team USA in November, while defender Mackenzie Burns was the next to receive an invite to play for the U.S. in January. Stony Brook also returns its starting goalkeeper, Anna Tesoriero, who boasted a 49.1 save percentage, and gains four transfers in Nicole Barretta (Temple), Kelsi Lonigro (Monmouth), Sara Moeller (UMBC) and Sabrina Tabasso (Loyola).

The Case Against Stony Brook

The Seawolves lost seven of 12 starters from its 2018 quarterfinal game against Boston College. They also graduated a 10-member senior class, which claimed at least two of the top four spots in each major statistical category from 2018. Courtney Murphy and Kylie Ohlmiller sat at the top in goals, assists and points, while fellow graduate Samantha DiSalvo was tied for fourth in assists. DiSalvo and defender Brooke Gubitosi led in caused turnovers and finished second and third, respectively, in ground balls. Plus, in the midfield, DiSalvo ranked second in draw controls, with another graduate in Carolyn Carrera sitting fourth. Stony Brook has big shoes to fill to continue its recent rise in Division I. The question mark resides in the success rate without those big-name players. 

Path to the Playoffs

Stony Brook has a chip on its shoulder. As host of the 2018 NCAA championship, the Seawolves made it their ultimate goal to be playing at home Memorial Day weekend. But that did not happen. They were one goal shy of making the final four, getting knocked out by Boston College in the quarterfinals. The Eagles are not on Stony Brook’s regular season schedule this year, but eight 2018 NCAA tournament teams are – Colorado, Denver, Towson, Stanford, Princeton, Florida, Johns Hopkins and Penn State. They are the favorites to cruise through the America East again, so their performance in non-conference games would be the barometer to determine if they deserve a postseason seed.

Players To Watch

Ally Kennedy, M, Jr.
69 PTs, 61 DC

As the Ohlmiller sisters and Courtney Murphy dominated headlines, each with 100-plus points in 2018, Ally Kennedy flew under the radar. She sat behind the trio in points, but her name then jumped into the news after a stellar performance with Team USA at the President’s Cup. She tallied five goals and three assists for the U.S., playing alongside Kylie Ohlmiller.

Keri McCarthy, M, Sr.
135 DC, 15 GB

Over the past five years, Stony Brook’s draw mark has improved significantly, ranking 100th in 2014 and 18th in both 2017 and 2018. McCarthy led the charge in the midfield this past season, claiming 43 percent of the team’s draw controls, up 10 percent from 2017 when she recorded 106.

Taryn Ohlmiller, A, Jr.
107 PTs, 55 A

Taryn Ohlmiller is on track to surpass Kylie Ohlmiller’s scoring marks. In 41 games, Kylie had 86 goals and 91 assists for 177 points. In 42 games, Taryn has 117 goals and 91 assists for 208 points. Expect even more in 2019 with the graduation of her sister and Murphy.

National Rankings

Power Ratings (Scale of 1-5)

Offense
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Defense
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goalkeeping
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Draw
⭐⭐⭐⭐

46.9

Percent of points lost from the dynamic duo Kylie Ohlmiller and Courtney Murphy, who led the Seawolves in 2018 with 157 and 130 points, respectively. Both had two seasons with 100-plus points in their careers, while Taryn Ohlmiller compensated for Murphy’s redshirt year with a 100-plus point year as a freshman in 2017.

5-Year Trend
Draw Controls

Coach Confidential
Joe Spallina

“Do we have Kylie and Murphy? No. No one does.”

Enemy Lines

"They did lose some big players. We played them in the fall and I think the kids are stepping up there. They realize some big guns left, but they have enough kids that can step in and I wouldn’t say fill those shoes, but play together. It’s not the Kylie Ohlmiller Show or the Courtney Murphy Show. Defensively, they’ll play their zone. I think this might be a final four team. I know that might sound surprising, but they have the talent. They’re hard core and they could be that Cinderella story. I think everyone thought they’d get there last year. I think this year, they more so have a chance of getting there."

"They graduated some outstanding players that really helped put them on the map. I respect the job Coach Spallina has done. He’ll find a way to have success without the Kyle Ohlmiller’s and Courtney Murphy’s of the world. I expect Stony Brook to put a good product on the field and compete. They haven’t gotten where they are just because of one or two players. They continue to be strategic and keep a lot of the talent local and that’s what worked for them."

"Stony Brook is always a workhorse team, it doesn’t matter who they graduate or what their outlook is. They’ll play you extremely hard."