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Kylie Ohlmiller

Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics

Seven standout Seawolves were enshrined in the Stony Brook Rita & Kurt Eppenstein Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 21. The Hall of Fame ceremony honored the induction class of 2023 inside Island Federal Arena, as the inductees were celebrated for their outstanding contributions to Stony Brook Athletics.

The 2023 Hall of Fame class is comprised of Dr. Leah Fiorentino (Holland) ’76 (Swimming & Diving), Brock Jackolski ’12 (Football), Nini Lagvilava ’13 (Women’s Tennis), Courtney Lawless (Murphy) ’17, ’18 (Women’s Lacrosse), Kylie Ohlmiller ’18 (Women’s Lacrosse), Carson Puriefoy ’16 (Men’s Basketball), and Steve Waldeck ’10 (Men’s Lacrosse).

The Athletics Hall of Fame began in 1991 with the induction of its first members. On October 20, 2007, the Hall of Fame was dedicated as the Rita & Kurt Eppenstein Athletics Hall of Fame to honor the memory of Rita and Kurt Eppenstein, two quintessential New Yorkers whose lives serve as a higher lesson in ethics, character, and perseverance, and who sacrificed much to enable their son to graduate from college and law school and to enjoy the opportunities and experiences that flowed from their own American dream. Their son, Ted Eppenstein ’68, was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in the fourth class to be inducted in 1994.

Dr. Leah Fiorentino (Holland) ’76, Swimming & Diving
Fiorentino was a trailblazer for Stony Brook athletics, becoming the first woman on a Stony Brook swimming & diving team. In addition, Fiorentino was the first woman to medal at the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Swimming Association Championships. In 1973, she won the 1,000m freestyle against a field of all men. In 1974, she was on the school record 800 free relay team as she swam alongside male teammates John Brisson, Phil LeNoach, and Erik Leiber.

Brock Jackolski ’12, Football
A dynamic running back, kick returner, and defensive back, Jackolski enters the hall as one of the greatest to ever play football at Stony Brook. He starred on Stony Brook’s first national playoff team in 2011 earning All-American honors as a kick returner and was tabbed to the All-Conference First Team in the Big South as a running back. Jackolski rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons at Stony Brook and totaled 32 career touchdowns (25 rushing, five receiving, two kick returns). In addition, Jackolski holds the Stony Brook single season-record for all-purpose yards with 2,441 in 2011.

Nini Lagvilava ’13, Tennis
Lagvilava enters the hall as the greatest player in the history of Stony Brook tennis. She graduated with a singles record of 78-22, a doubles record of 36-13 for a total record of 114-35. She is Stony Brook’s all-time leader in singles wins and played #1 singles for virtually her entire career. In addition, she became the first Stony Brook player to be nationally ranked in ITA singles and is the only player in Stony Brook and America East history to qualify for the NCAA singles championship. Lagvilava won America East Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2009. She followed that up with First Team All-Conference honors in 2010. In 2011, she was named America East Player of the Year and led the team to its first-ever America East title and NCAA Tournament berth. As a senior in 2012, she won America East Player of the Year for the second-straight season and was named Most Outstanding Player at the America East Championship leading the Seawolves to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament.

Courtney Lawless (Murphy) ’17, ’18, Women’s Lacrosse
One of the greatest players in Stony Brook history, Murphy starred on some of the best lacrosse teams the school has ever fielded. Her decorated career boasts 92 wins, two All-American honors, two Tewaaraton Award nominations, five conference titles, and five NCAA Tournament berths. In 2018, Murphy set the NCAA’s all-time scoring record with 341 goals, a mark that stands as the second-most in NCAA women’s lacrosse lore today. Murphy set the Stony Brook freshman scoring record with 61 goals during her rookie year in 2014. In 2016, she broke the NCAA single-season scoring record with a remarkable 100 goals and led the country with 116 points. After tearing her ACL as a senior, Murphy came back in 2018 and helped lead Stony Brook to one of its best seasons in school history as the Seawolves earned their first-ever No. 1 national ranking in program history.

Kylie Ohlmiller ’18, Women’s Lacrosse
The NCAA’s all-time leader in assists (246) and points (498), Ohlmiller’s illustrious career helped spearhead the Stony Brook women’s lacrosse program to national prominence. She was a three-time All-American, two-time Teawaraaton Award Finalist, two-time America East Player of the Year, and four-time First Team All-America East selection. In 2017, Ohlmiller delivered her best season yet as she was named a Tewaraaton Award Finalist – becoming the first player in Stony Brook and America East history to earn such recognition. In addition, she set the NCAA single-season record for points with 164. In 2018, Ohlmiller led the nation with 157 points, charging Stony Brook to its first-ever No. 1 national ranking and an undefeated regular season.

Carson Puriefoy ’16, Men’s Basketball
A two-time First Team All-Conference selection and three-time All-Championship team pick, Puriefoy was the point guard for Stony Brook’s first-ever NCAA Tournament team in 2016. He ranks second all-time at Stony Brook with 132 games played, third in both three-pointers and free-throws made, fifth in free-throws attempted, sixth in steals and assists, and seventh in scoring. After three consecutive appearances in the America East conference title game, Puriefoy helped the Seawolves over the hump winning their first conference tournament championship in 2016. He played all 40 minutes in the conference title game against Vermont scoring 23 points en route to the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth.

Steve Waldeck ’10, Men’s Lacrosse
Waldeck was a three-time First Team All-Conference selection and a key member on Stony Brook’s 2010 NCAA Tournament team. A two-time team captain, he helped Stony Brook win its first ever NCAA Tournament game with a 9-7 first round victory over Denver in 2010. Following his senior year, Waldeck earned honorable mention All-American honors and was selected to the USILA North/South All-Star Game. He started every game over his four years at Stony Brook and became the first player in school history to be drafted in the MLL after being selected 17th overall by the Toronto Nationals in the 2010 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Draft.

Stony Brook women's lacrosse head coach Joe Spallina rounds up his team. Photo from Stony Brook University athletics

Joe Spallina has done what many would deem impossible.

In six short years, the Mount Sinai resident and Stony Brook University women’s lacrosse coach has turned the university’s program from a U.S. Lacrosse Magazine RPI-ranked No. 62 team, into the No. 2 team in the country.

“He knows what he’s doing,” said Frankie Caridi, 2014 Stony Brook graduate and former goalkeeper for the Seawolves. “His coaching style, his philosophy and his ideas are allowing them to get to where he wants to bring that program.”

Stony Brook women’s lacrosse coach Joe Spallina talks plays with his Seawolves. Photo from Stony Brook University athletics

Caridi played under Spallina as a freshman at Adelphi University. He had the opportunity to make the move to Stony Brook and encouraged Caridi, now associate head coach for the Adelphi Panthers, to make the move with him during her playing career.

“He was a great coach straight from the beginning,” she said. “Just playing for him at Adelphi that one year was amazing. The fact that he believed in the few of us that went with him that we’d be able to change the program pretty quickly — he sold us.”

Caridi said she was not only sold on making the switch because of his vision of building a national championship caliber team, but because he was honest about what he was looking for from his players and what he thought they could be.

“He shot the truth,” she said. “He’s someone who is able to get the most out of you. He demands you to be the best you can be … every single day. I respected him so much as a coach, because he respects us as players.”

Her first conversation with him when being recruited to play for Adelphi was about if she wanted to win a national championship and be an All-American.

“He told me the opportunities that I had, and he let them play out,” she said. “I credit all of it to him.”

Caridi became one of the most prolific goalies in Stony Brook program history. Her .514 career save percentage is tops in the school’s record book, while her 5.91 goals-against average is the best among any goalie with at least 1,500 minutes played.

Stony Brook women’s lacrosse head coach Joe Spallina speaks with attack Kylie Ohlmiller. Photo from Stony Brook University athletics

The East Northport native won two America East championships and qualified for two NCAA tournaments, earning International Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Third-Team All-American status in 2014. She was also named the Lacrosse Magazine and ILWomen.com Goalie of the Year, picked as the America East Defensive Player of the Year and nominee for the Tewaaraton Award, given to the most outstanding American lacrosse player.

Current Stony Brook attack and soon-to-be senior Kylie Ohlmiller also bought what Spallina was selling.

“He told me I could live out my dreams here,” she said. “He told me I could win a national championship in my time here, I’ll be the face of women’s lacrosse and on the cover of magazines. And it’s all happening now. He painted my dream in my head for me and has been making it all possible.”

She agreed with Caridi that he’s been able to shape the athletes to get the program to where it is today.

“I think if I were to go anywhere else, and a lot of my teammates would say the same thing, that we might not be the level of lacrosse players that we are or even the people that we are,” Ohlmiller said. “We want to give our fans — all the little girls who play lacrosse — the dream of coming to Division I lacrosse games and watching a good, Top 5 Division I program play and compete for a national championship.”

“He’s someone who is able to get the most out of you. He demands you to be the best you can be … every single day.”

— Frankie Caridi

The Islip resident said she wants to be a coach one day, and Spallina is the inspiration.

“He’s able to be stern and be authoritative, but at the same time he can throw a joke in there like he’s one of your best friends,” she said. “He’s able to make it fun, and that’s ultimately the reason we play. It’s to have fun and win.”

He and Ohlmiller were big proponents in recruiting her younger sister Taryn, who will be a sophomore in the upcoming school year. As the leading scorers on the team, the two are referred to by their head coach as a couple of the “big dogs” on the team. Kylie Ohlmiller’s 164 points shattered the previous Division I record of 148. Her 86 assists are also a new DI record. She was American East Offensive Player of the Year, was named a Tewaaraton finalist, also an IWLCA ILWomen Attacker of the Year. Her younger sister led all Division I freshmen and ranked seventh in the nation with 98 points last season. The attacker was named America East Rookie of the Year and an IWLCA All-American.

“Once you’re one of his big dogs he wants to be closer to you,” Taryn Ohlmiller said. “He does one-on-one workouts with us, he gets you out there early, doing shooting drills. He cares about you as an individual as much as he cares about the team.”

Stony Brook women’s lacrosse head coach Joe Spallina walks the sideline during a game. Photo from Stony Brook University athletics

The team-first mentality that the Ohlmillers and the Seawolves have bought into under Spallina, who is also the head coach of the Long Island Lizards, propelled Stony Brook to new heights in 2017, as the Seawolves went 20-2 and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals – all new high-water marks in program history. The team broke Division I single-season records for assists (222) and points (576) in 2017 while leading the nation in scoring defense (7.27) and scoring margin (8.82).

For his leadership, in turning the program around and becoming the winningest coach in program history, Spallina has been named America East Coach of the Year in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and was named IWLCA Coach of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic Region following this season. He also garnered several coach of the year honors with the Lizards.

“He deserves all of the recognition — he deserves the world and so much more,” Kylie Ohlmiller said of her head coach. “Last year we were ranked second in the nation behind No. 1 undefeated University of Maryland, and that’s just in a couple of years — it takes decades for some coaches to do. He’s doing what a lot of coaches can’t or haven’t done, and it’s really cool to see. It’s insane how he’s flipped the culture of Stony Brook athletics.”