The Stony Brook Seawolves women's lacrosse team is a

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

women's lacrosse Women's lacrosse (or girls' lacrosse), sometimes shortened to lax, is a field sport played at the international level with two opposing teams of ten players each (12 players per team at the U.S. domestic level). Originally played by indigenous ...

program representing

Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...

. The school competes in the

Coastal Athletic Association The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...

(CAA) in Division I of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA). The team plays its home games at

Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium The Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium is the main stadium for Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York, United States. Construction began in 2000 at a cost of approximately $22 million. With a capacity of 12,300 people (10,300 seating and 2,000 s ...

, located on the university's campus in

Stony Brook, New York Stony Brook is a political subdivisions of New York#Hamlet, hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Administrative divisions of New York#Town, Town of Brookhaven, New York, Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, United States, on the No ...

. Stony Brook has appeared in 12 consecutive NCAA Tournaments since 2013, advancing to the quarterfinals four times. Stony Brook completed an undefeated regular season in 2018, in which the Seawolves were ranked at No. 1 in all major polls for nearly the entire year. From 2017 to 2019, Stony Brook won 29 straight regular season games. The Seawolves currently own a 69-game winning streak in conference play, the longest active streak in any Division I sport, and a 38-game home win streak, the longest active in Division I women's lacrosse. Under head coach Joe Spallina, Stony Brook has built an identity of a national powerhouse constructed out of overlooked Long Island recruits. Kylie Ohlmiller, who played for Stony Brook from 2015 to 2018, holds both the NCAA career and single season records for points and assists. Courtney Murphy, who played for Stony Brook from 2014 to 2018, broke the NCAA career and single season records for goals.

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. 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 Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

. Caro left the program in 2005 and was replaced by former

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

player and four-time national champion Allison Comito. Under Comito, the Seawolves returned to the semifinal round of the America East playoffs in both 2006 and 2007. 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. Comito resigned following the 2011 season, amassing a 42–54 record in her six-year tenure as head coach.

Spallina establishes success (2012–2014)

Joe Spallina, who had won three straight Division II titles as the coach at

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York, United States. Adelphi also has centers in Downtown Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County in addition to a virtual, online campus for remote students. As of 2019, it had ...

, succeeded Comito. 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. 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 Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

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. There, they defeated

Towson Towson () is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 59,533 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is t ...

8–6 in the first round for their first NCAA Tournament victory but lost in the second round to No. 1

. 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. Also on March 9, 2013 against Longwood, Claire Petersen set the NCAA single-game assist record with 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 New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and Albany in the America East playoffs. In the first round, the Seawolves faced Towson again and won 10–8, advancing to the second round where they lost to

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

. Spallina became Stony Brook's all-time winningest coach after the season.

Ohlmiller and Murphy break records (2015–2018)

In 2015, the first season which Kylie Ohlmiller and Courtney Murphy played together, Stony Brook finished with an 18–2 record. On March 17, the Seawolves beat No. 6/7

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

on the road in Gainesville, the team's first victory over a Top 10-ranked opponent in program history. They started the season 11–0 before losing to No. 20

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he remained for mos ...

. 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 Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

. Stony Brook entered the 2016 season ranked No. 11/8. Although they lost to ranked opponents Florida, Northwestern, and

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

to start the season 2–3, the Seawolves would embark on a 15-game winning streak, including wins against No. 9/8

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

and No. 20 Johns Hopkins. Stony Brook captured their fourth straight America East title after defeating

and Albany in the America East Playoffs; the finals victory came on a last-second comeback. Stony Brook beat

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

11–9 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing 7–6 to No. 4–seeded

in the second round. Murphy broke the NCAA single-season record with 100 goals. Preseason polls ranked Stony Brook at No. 6/5 to begin the 2017 season. Their lone regular season loss came on March 11, 2017 at No. 3 Florida. Murphy tore her ACL four games into her senior season, but earned an extra year of eligibility. 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 Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

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 Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...

's state-sanctioned travel ban to the state of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

due to the

Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act The Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, commonly known as House Bill 2, Bathroom Bill, or HB2, was a North Carolina statute passed in March 2016 and signed into law by Governor of North Carolina, Governor Pat McCrory. The bill amended st ...

. 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

13–12. Stony Brook, despite leading 11–7, could not pull off the upset victory. With 164 points and 86 assists, Kylie Ohlmiller broke the previous NCAA single-season records in both statistics. Stony Brook was ranked No. 2 to enter the 2018 season, which began with victories against No. 5 USC, No. 23

, No. 20

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, No. 8 Northwestern, and No. 13

. After starting the season 3–0, Stony Brook earned the No. 1 ranking in all three major polls because former No. 1 Maryland lost in overtime to

. 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. Despite a 19–0 record, Stony Brook controversially earned the No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They defeated Penn 18–5 in the second round. In the quarterfinals, Stony Brook battled fourth-seeded

to double overtime before losing 12–11 on a last-second goal.

Last years in the America East (2019–2022)

The 2019 season, the team's first since graduating Kylie Ohlmiller, began with a No. 4/6 ranking and a victory against No. 13

. However, the Seawolves lost at No. 16

on February 24, snapping their 29–game regular season winning streak. On March 3, Stony Brook lost 15–12 at home to

, breaking the team's 33–game home winning streak. Spallina earned his 200th victory on March 16, 2019 against

Cornell Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...

. After a 11–10 home loss to No. 20

, Stony Brook was unranked but re-entered the polls following defeats of No. 17

and No. 14

. The Seawolves swept America East play for the fifth consecutive season to win their seventh straight regular season title. In the America East playoffs, Stony Brook took down UMBC and Albany to win their seventh straight America East championship. In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Stony Brook upset defending champions

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

10–9 in overtime. In the second round, Stony Brook jumped out to a quick 4–0 lead against No. 1

, but ultimately lost 17–8 to snap their 12-game winning streak and end their season. In 2020, Stony Brook began the season ranked No. 12, and upset No. 4

in the

Carrier Dome The JMA Wireless Dome, originally the Carrier Dome (1980–2022), is a domed stadium in Syracuse, New York, United States. Located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University Hill neighborhood, it is home to the Syracuse Orange foot ...

17–16 in the season opener. They beat

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

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

and No. 11

. On March 12, the NCAA cancelled all spring sports due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Stony Brook ended the season with a 4–1 record and ranked at No. 5 in all three national polls. In the 2021 season opener, Stony Brook lost 14–7 to No. 1

. The Seawolves beat No. 15 USC 15–3, lost to No. 2 Syracuse 16–6 and rebounded by beating No. 16 Towson 10–8. Stony Brook went undefeated in conference play again and easily won the conference tournament to enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed on a 12-game win streak. Stony Brook beat Towson 14–8 in the first round and

Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...

20–8 in the second round to set up a rematch with top-seeded North Carolina in the quarterfinals. The Seawolves led 11–9 late and were eight minutes away from their first Final Four in program history, but the Tar Heels came back to win 14–11 and snap Stony Brook's 14-game win streak, ending their season at 16–3. Before the season, Spallina's contract was extended through 2026. In the 2022 opener, No. 4 Stony Brook lost to No. 3 Syracuse 12–11 at the Carrier Dome. They beat No. 11 Florida 14–13 then lost to No. 5 Northwestern 16–12, both on the road. Then, Stony Brook won 14 straight games, including ranked wins over No. 16 Johns Hopkins, No. 10 Princeton and No. 24 Yale. The

America East Conference The America East Conference (AmEast) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference is headquartered in Boston, Massachu ...

banned Stony Brook from the conference tournament because of its impending move to the

Colonial Athletic Association The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...

, marking the first time since 2012 that the Seawolves did not win it. However, Stony Brook earned an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed, beating Drexel and Rutgers to rematch No. 1 North Carolina in the quarterfinals. UNC won again, 8–5.

Entering the CAA (2023–present)

In Stony Brook's first year as a member of the

, the 2023 Seawolves began 4–0 with ranked wins over No. 18

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, No. 21

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

and No. 17

before falling at No. 3 Northwestern and No. 1

. On April 12, Stony Brook lost 12–7 at

, the program's first loss to an unranked team since 2019. The Seawolves finished 7–0 in CAA play and also won the CAA Tournament in their first year, beating

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

18–6 in the quarterfinals and

19–4 in the championship game. Stony Brook broke the record for most goals scored and margin of victory in a CAA title game. However, Stony Brook was unseeded in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Stony Brook beat

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

12–8 in the first round but lost to eight-seed Loyola 9–8 in the second round, the first time the Seawolves did not advance past that stage since 2019. On March 5, 2024, No. 12 Stony Brook upset No. 5 Syracuse 13–12 in overtime at the

JMA Wireless Dome The JMA Wireless Dome, originally the Carrier Dome (1980–2022), is a domed stadium in Syracuse, New York, Syracuse, New York (state), New York, United States. Located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University Hill, Syracuse, Univer ...

, the program's fifth-ever win against a top-five opponent.

Individual career records

''Reference:'' An asterisk indicates the all-time NCAA record.

Individual single-season records

An asterisk indicates the all-time NCAA record.

Seasons

Postseason results

The Seawolves have appeared in 11 NCAA tournaments. Their postseason record is 13–11.

Program leaders

Career

Single season

References

External links

* {{Stony Brook University Stony Brook Seawolves College women's lacrosse teams in the United States Lacrosse clubs established in 2003 Lacrosse teams in New York (state) 2003 establishments in New York (state) Women's sports in New York (state)