Because of an ACL injury, Taryn Ohlmiller couldn’t go in the ocean this summer. The Stony Brook junior could go to the beach, but she had to stay on the shore.

Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.

After all, there sure seemed to be a lot of sharks in the waters off Long Island.

“They’re everywhere this year,” said Ohlmiller, who hails from Islip, a small town on Long Island’s South Shore.

Because of that same ACL injury, Ohlmiller won’t be able to play lacrosse this fall. She can go to the games, but she’ll have to stay on the sideline.

That also might not be such a bad thing.

Stony Brook is entering unfamiliar territory. The Seawolves climbed to No. 1 in the national rankings last season. They remained unbeaten until the NCAA quarterfinals. What was once a quixotic vision — establishing a perennial women’s lacrosse powerhouse on Long Island’s North Shore — has become a reality. 

The Seawolves will enter this new reality without several program-defining players. Gone is Courtney Murphy, who led Division I in goals last season. So too is Ohlmiller’s older sister, Kylie, Division I’s all-time points leader.

The younger Ohlmiller, a third-team All-American and the team’s leading returning scorer (52 goals and 55 assists last year), will help fill that void. She won’t be cleared to play until the end of November, but she’s seeing how that could end up being a positive.

“You kind of get this coaching and leadership perspective that you wouldn’t necessarily get while playing,” she said. “Anyone who has torn their ACL will tell you that it sucks and that the physical therapy sucks. But being next to the coach on the sideline and hearing what he has to say can help you learn as a player.”

Back in May, it certainly didn’t seem like anything good could come out of the injury, which Ohlmiller suffered during an NCAA second round game against Penn. She dodged her opponent and collapsed. She immediately knew something was wrong. She just didn’t know what. She walked off the field. She told herself it was only a tweak. She told herself she’d be back before the end of the game. The team doctor told her parents that a torn ACL was a possibility.  

“But no one bothered to tell me,” Ohlmiller said.

The next day confirmed it.

Torn ACL and meniscus. Ohlmiller’s season was over.

The NCAA quarterfinals loomed just days away. Stony Brook’s dream season, and her older sister’s collegiate career, was about to end. The week passed in a blur. It didn’t really hit her until they arrived at Boston College. She watched the team warm up and started to cry. A few hours later, Stony Brook’s season ended with a 12-11 loss to Boston College.

“It was really emotional,” Ohlmiller said. “I thought, ‘I’m supposed to be out there.’ I wish could have helped them win.”

The game marked the start of an endless summer for Ohlmiller.

Typically, she spends three hours training each day. This year, she didn’t do much of anything for a month and a half. She’d hangout with friends and get so exhausted that she’d go home and nap for three hours. She endured long physical therapy sessions. She couldn’t play lacrosse other than wall ball.

Next week, she’ll finally be able to start running. She doesn’t expect to go that far. Ohlmiller’s teammate and roommate Caitlyn McDuffee tore her ACL three days after she did, so at least there’s someone to commiserate with.

She also still has her older sister to talk to. Kylie’s back home, setting up her own lacrosse coaching and clinic business. The Ohlmiller sisters have always sought each other out for advice. They’ve never been competitive. They prefer to have fun on the field, joke around, and feed off each other.

“Kylie’s obviously the best player on the planet right now,” Ohlmiller said. “I try not to compare myself to her.”

No one compares to Kylie Ohlmiller, but her sister comes pretty close. The Ohlmillers were two of just 12 players to top 100 points at the Division I level last season. Kylie led Division I with 69 assists. Taryn tied for fifth with 55.

It was actually a change of perspective from Kylie that brought the younger Ohlmiller to Stony Brook. Taryn originally committed to Towson in 10th grade. At the time, her older sister wanted to do her own thing. 

But things changed.

Stony Brook put itself on the national map during Kylie’s freshman year. They beat USC, Notre Dame and Florida. Taryn started thinking that staying on Long Island for college might be a good idea. So did her sister.

“She goes, ‘You know, it might be really cool to play with you,’” Taryn said. “I was like, ‘Now you tell me.’”

Once coach Joe Spallina got a hold of her, she had no choice. She could be close to home. Her parents could come to every game. She could play with her sister again. 

Knowing she would play with her sister again made the transition easier. The last time Ohlmiller faced this situation, her last two years of high school just weren’t the same. 

“It wasn't as fun,” Ohlmiller admitted. “We come from a town that does not exactly breed women’s lacrosse players. So it was nice to have the two of us out there doing our thing. Then she left and I was on my own, which was hard. But It was also good for me to be independent.”

That development has certainly benefited Stony Brook. The Seawolves have lost just three games since Taryn arrived on campus. Stony Brook is a destination now.

“When we were younger, we would go to Stony Brook to watch the big team that they were playing,” Ohlmiller said. “Now these little girls are coming to watch us play instead. I think that’s great for Long Island, and lacrosse and little girls.”

For the fall at least, Ohlmiller will be one of those Long Island girls watching Stony Brook play. She too will dream of a future when she gets on the field wearing red and white.

But her dream will come true a little sooner. She’ll be cleared to play just as preseason begins.