Seawolves Fans

5. STONY BROOK
2022 record: 16-3 (6-0 America East)

Last seen: The Seawolves shrugged off a postseason ban from now-former conference America East, received an at-large bid and topped Drexel and Rutgers in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. In the quarterfinals, Stony Brook led eventual champion North Carolina by one at halftime but fell 8-5.

Initial forecast: After dominating the America East — the Seawolves last lost a conference game in 2014 — Stony Brook essentially replaces James Madison as the most prominent name in the CAA. But the Seawolves have bigger aspirations than a conference crown after close calls against UNC in back-to-back quarterfinals. The team enters 2023 with its offense largely intact from last season. The top three leading scorers return in Ellie Masera (67 goals, 20 assists, 100 draw controls), Kailyn Hart (64 goals, 14 assists) and Jaden Hampel (21 goals, 21 assists, 22 draw controls). Masera didn’t rest on her laurels this summer — she was part of the silver-medal team in the Sixes discipline at The World Games. Her return will likely negate the graduation of two-way midfielder Siobhan Rafferty (32 goals, 19 caused turnovers, 35 ground balls). Attacker Jolie Creo from Holy Cross, who led the Patriot League and was sixth nationally in points per game (5.47), is joining the fold, too. Charlotte Verhulst, who was second on the team with 63 draws, is also back. The biggest question is in net. Charlie Campbell (7.22 GAA, .494 save percentage), who anchored a Seawolves unit that led the nation in scoring defense (6.63), has graduated. Kameron Halsall started in 2021, played in 11 games in 2022 and is eligible for a fifth year in 2023. Redshirt freshman Aaliyah Jones did not play last year. Whoever is in net will have a lockdown defense playing in front of her. Haley Dillon, who led the team with 50 caused turnovers, is staying on Long Island for a fifth year, and Clare Levy (19 caused turnovers) continues to provide a physical and vocal spark. Midfielder/defender Jaidyn Donley, an Under Armour All-American, will also suit up for her freshman year.