For the 10th season in a row, the Stony Brook women’s lacrosse team (14-3, 7-0 CAA) is headed to the NCAA Tournament. The Seawolves are set to go head-to-head with Penn State (11-6, 3-3 Big Ten) on Friday, May 12, at 7 p.m., in Baltimore, Md. on the campus of Loyola Maryland as announced during the May 9 selection show.
Stony Brook earned the CAA’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament after it claimed its first-ever CAA Championship in dominant fashion on Saturday afternoon. The Seawolves downed Towson, 19-4, en route to their ninth conference tournament title. Stony Brook’s 19 goals were a CAA Championship game record, and the 15-goal margin of victory was the largest ever in a title game.
The winner of Stony Brook vs. Penn State will take on the winner of Loyola Maryland and Fairfield on Sunday, May 14. It marks the third time in history that the Seawolves and Nittany Lions will meet and the first time that the teams square off in the NCAA Tournament. Stony Brook is 2-0 all-time against Penn State and picked up a 16-11 win in their last meeting on April 23, 2019, in University Park, Pa.
Four Seawolves were tabbed to the CAA All-Tournament Team following Saturday’s historic win. Ellie Masera, Hailey Duchnowski, Kailyn Hart, and Clare Levy all earned All-Tournament Team honors and Masera was named the Most Outstanding Performer of the tournament after she recorded 14 points (nine goals, five assists) and 19 draw controls.
Stony Brook made its mark on the CAA as it ran the table in league play, going 7-0, and the team had eight individuals earn CAA postseason honors. Masera was tabbed the CAA Midfielder of the Year and head coach Joe Spallina earned the CAA Coach of the Year honor. For Spallina, it was his seventh conference Coach of the Year award.
Masera was also tabbed to the All-CAA First Team and was joined by Hart and Levy. Morgan Mitchell, Jaden Hampel, Charlotte Verhulst, and Haley Dillon all earned All-CAA Second Team honors.
Stony Brook has advanced to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals four times in its past five appearances. Last season, the Seawolves earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament and defeated Drexel and Rutgers before falling to eventual National Champion North Carolina in the quarterfinals.
