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SPARKS, Md. – Current Stony Brook women's lacrosse players Ally Kennedy and Mackenzie Burns are set to suit up for Team USA this week at the Spring Premiere. Action is set to take place from Jan. 25-27 on Stanford University's campus.Kennedy and Burns are just two of eight current collegiate athletes to be named to the 26-player roster by head coach Jenny Levy. The Seawolves duo will also be joined by 2018 Stony Brook graduate Kylie Ohlmiller in the Red, White and Blue out in California.
Ally Kennedy, M, Jr., Stony BrookKennedy quietly earned All-America honors alongside heavy-hitters Kylie and Taryn Ohlmiller and Courtney Murphy in 2018, but she storms into 2019 as the Seawolves’ Player of the Year front-runner. She tallied 69 points (48G, 21A) last season to go along with 47 groundballs and 61 draw controls.
In 2018, Kylie Ohlmiller became the NCAA's all-time leader in points (498) and assists (246), helping make history at Stony Brook University. Upon graduation, she made her professional lacrosse debut for the WPLL's New York Fight—after being drafted No. 1 overall by the league—and signed an endorsement deal with Brine/New Balance, helping launch the Dynasty Warp Pro.The bold new face of women's lacrosse, Ohlmiller is one of the most innovative, creative players in the game right now helping push the sport forward. This is her story.
21. Taryn Ohlmiller, Stony BrookAn ACL injury sustained in the NCAA second round proved costly for the Seawolves, who fell in overtime to Boston College 12-11 in the quarterfinals. It was the only game that the ‘younger Ohlmiller’ didn’t appear in last spring, in which she tallied 107 points in her second-straight 100+ point season. She is expected to return at full-strength in 2019 and assume Stony Brook’s leadership role at the attack in the wake of Kylie Ohlmiller and Courtney Murphy’s departure. Dave Anderson Photo
1 Boston College (0 - 0) 394 (15) -- 2 Maryland (0 - 0) 368 (1) -- 3 North Carolina (0 - 0) 358 -- 4 James Madison (0 - 0) 337 (4) -- 5 Stony Brook (0 - 0) 306 --
“I know there are people on the outside that will question how we will be,” Seawolves coach Joe Spallina told Lax Sports Network. “I think we will be the best team from top to bottom. ... Do we have Kylie and Murphy? No. No one does.”Stony Brook prides itself on team play, focusing on cohesion and ball movement, and there’s no doubt the motivation is there. After missing the final four by just one goal, the Seawolves added even more fuel to the fire to continue fighting for respect.“This fall, we played angry and played with an edge,” Spallina said.Eight NCAA tournament teams are sprinkled throughout their 2019 schedule, including Florida, Johns Hopkins, USC and Penn State in the midst of America East play to keep competition high before May hits again.“We’re primed and ready to make a run this year,” Spallina said. “What better way to back those words up by putting the strongest schedule we’ve ever had in front of them.”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).
In 2018, Kylie Ohlmiller became the NCAA's all-time leader in points (498) and assists (246), helping make history at Stony Brook University.Upon graduation, she made her professional lacrosse debut for the WPLL's New York Fight—after being drafted No. 1 overall by the league—and signed an endorsement deal with Brine/New Balance, helping launch the Dynasty Warp Pro.The bold new face of women's lacrosse, Team USA's Ohlmiller is one of the most innovative, creative players in the game right now helping push the sport forward.This is her story.
Preseason Storyline: The Names Have Changed Stony Brook graduated 50 percent of its scoring from 2018 in Kylie and Murphy. The program’s faces and offensive style will shift, as the midfield moves front-and-center. Kennedy’s stock is rising, and Spallina has been impressed by McCarthy and Tabasso. Stony Brook does return offensive star power in junior attacker Taryn Ohlmiller, who totaled 107 points before tearing her ACL last year. She’s poised to return for the start of the season. Defensively, Halley Dillon will slide into All-American Gubitosi’s spot.Bottom Line: Tee Martin’s the Rally Cry In 1997, then-senior Peyton Manning fell just short of leading Tennessee to a national championship. The next season, his backup Tee Martin led the Vols to their first title. Everyone knows who Peyton is; not many know about Martin. But only one has the college ring. Spallina told this story in the first team meeting. There is no doubt that the class of 2018 left a legacy, but Spallina and Stony Brook believe they have what it takes to take it a step further—not backward—this year. If the defense holds firm, the midfield drives the offense and Taryn Ohlmiller returns to form, anyone taking this team lightly will be in for a surprise.
“Our goal is winning a national championship,” Spallina said emphatically. “The day I stop saying that is the day I stop coaching.”“You coach a team, but you build a program,” he said. “We were ranked 70th out of 82 programs when I took over. Now we’re selling a vision, and we’ve just got to follow the blueprint we’ve set.” They head into the first game of the 2019 season at number four on the NCAA rankings, a testament to the progress the program has made in eight short years.“This program gives us a chance to keep the best players on Long Island home, and now we’ve also attracted top players from Texas, Arizona, Canada, and other places.”“Last year made me hungry,” said junior midfielder Ally Kennedy. “I was heartbroken after that playoff game, and it made me work to come back in the best shape I’ve ever been. I want to lead this team to where it deserves to be.”