Stony Brook Athletics hosts the 2012 Wolfies

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Stony Brook University's Department of Athletics held its annual Awards Ceremony Monday night at the Student Activities Center on campus with more than 475 people in attendance. Headlining the honorees were Stony Brook Male Athlete of the Year Brock Jackolski (Shirley, N.Y.) of the football team and Stony Brook Female Athlete of the Year Lucy Van Dalen (Wanganui, New Zealand) of the women's track & field team.

Jackolski had a season for the ages in 2011, helping lead the Seawolves to their third consecutive Big South championship and to the second round of the NCAA Div. I Football Championship. He recorded a Big South record 2,441 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns en route to first-team All-Big South honors as a running back and second-team honors as a kick returner. He was named an All-American by three different organizations and finished his career 16th all-time in Football Championship Subdivision with 6,394 all-purpose yards.

Van Dalen made Stony Brook history when she became the school's first-ever national champion by winning the mile at the 2012 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship. Not only did she earn first-team All-America honors in the mile, she also competed in the 3000 less than two hours later and placed 10th to earn second-team All-America honors. This year, she has been named America East Most Outstanding Track Performer both at the indoor and outdoor championships and was named the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.

Mike Rooney (East Islip, N.Y.) of the men's lacrosse team and Allison Cukrov (Irvine, Calif.) of the softball team were named recipients of Stony Brook's Rookie of the Year Award. Rooney currently leads all freshen in the nation with his team-best 32 goals. He is part of a Seawolves team that captured the 2012 America East Championship and is playing in the NCAA Tournament this weekend. Cukrov had put together one of the best seasons in program history. She is 24-8 with 1.60 ERA and 220 strikeouts this season, broke the program record for single-season shutouts with 13 and pitched two no-hitters this season, including a perfect game.

Hayley Green (Wellington, New Zealand) of the women's cross country team and Kyle Moeller (South Setauket, N.Y.) of the men's lacrosse team were the recipients of the Stony Brook Senior Scholar-Athlete Awards, given to the male and female student-athletes with the highest GPAs among the senior class. Green, who had a 3.90 GPA, graduated in December with a degree in Psychology while also minoring in Biology. Moeller is majoring in Business Management and minoring in Technological Systems Management while sporting a 3.88 GPA. The pair led a senior class that had 43 student-athletes with a 3.0 GPA or higher.

Miguel Maysonet (Riverhead, N.Y.) of the football team and Greta Strenger (Woodbury, Minn.) of the volleyball team were each named recipients of the Athletic Director's Award for their contributions to their teams and their representation of the ideals of Stony Brook Athletics. Roope Kailaheimo (Helsinki, Finland) of the men's tennis team and Alicia Nelson (Apple Valley, Minn.) of the volleyball team were both honored with the Faculty Athletic Represenative Award for their contributions to their teams and to the Stony Brook community.

Men's & women's swimming & diving head coach Dave Alexander was the recipient of the Courage Award, which is given to a member of Stony Brook Athletics who has overcome personal tragedy or serious injury and has demonstrated uncommon bravery in the face of adversity. Pat Cantwell (West Islip, N.Y.) of the baseball team and Holly Van Dalen (Wanganui, New Zealand) of the women's track & field team were named the Swagger Award winners, which was voted on by their fellow student-athletes, for fitting the definition of swagger.

Green, Moeller, Bryan Dougher (Scotch Plains, N.J.) of the men's basketball team and Salome Mkervalidze (Brewster, N.Y.) of the women's tennis team were recipients of the SUNY Chancellor Awards for outstanding achievement in athletics and academics among SUNY's Div. I schools in their respective sports.

Barbara Chernow, Senior Vice President for Administration at Stony Brook was named the recipient of the Shirley Strum Kenny Service Award for outstanding service towards Stony Brook Athletics and its student-athletes.

In addition to individual awards, Most Valuable Player and Coaches Awards were handed out to each of Stony Brook's 20 varsity teams.

Seawolves draw Johns Hopkins in Men's Lacrosse Championship

Indianapolis, Ind. - The Stony Brook men's lacrosse team will face No. 2 Johns Hopkins in the first round of the Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship. The Seawolves, who captured their third America East Championship title, will travel to Baltimore to face the Blue Jays Sunday at 3 p.m. on ESPNU
Stony Brook will make its second appearance in three years in the tournament. Redshirt freshman Mike Rooney (East Islip, N.Y.), the America East Rookie of the Year, led the team with 33 goals and 45 points. Junior Jeff Tundo talled 16 goals and 26 assists.
Junior Zach Palmer led Johns Hopkins, which is making its 41st appearance in the Championship, with 23 goals and 23 assists. Junior Pierce Bassett owns a .542 save percentage and a .702 goals against average.
The winner of Stony Brook-Johns Hopkins will face Lehigh-Maryland in the quarterfinals Saturday, May 19 at Navy.

Stony Brook Men's Lacrosse tops Albany 14-8 for America East Championship

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Stony Brook used a 7-0 second-half run and received a solid performance in the cage from the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, Sean Brady, en route to a 14-8 win over Albany in the America East Men’s Lacrosse Championship game at LaValle Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, Stony Brook locks up its third America East title and second in the last three years. The Seawolves now await their NCAA Tournament first-round opponent which will be announced Sunday night at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.

The Seawolves stormed out of the locker room after halftime and got goals from six different players during that 7-0 outburst including two by JJ Laforet. In total, Stony Brook outscored Albany 9-3 in the second half.

Brady made 11 saves against Great Danes, including many at point-blank range, to allow his offense to go to work.

Jeff Tundo, an all-tournament team member, scored four goals and added an assist for five points to lead the Seawolves’ offensive attack that featured eight different goal scorers.

Albany’s Lyle Thompson, also named to the all-tournament team, dished out three assists and scored a goal while his cousin Ty tallied a hat trick.

Just as he did in the semifinals versus Hartford, Matt Belando scored Stony Brook’s first two goals and staked his Seawolves out to a 2-0 lead with just over four minutes left in the first quarter. Miles Thompson got Albany on the board with a quick strike from the left side on a feed from Player of the Year Joe Resetarits.

Stony Brook ended the quarter with all the momentum, however, as Cole Millican broke into the offensive zone and blasted a low shot past Albany’s Max Huber with one second left to give the Seawolves a 3-1 lead after one.

Albany outscored Stony Brook 4-2 in the second quarter thanks to three points from Lyle Thompson. The freshman scored a goal and assisted on two more – one to Ty Thompson and the other to Resetarits. Tundo scored both of Stony Brook’s goals and the game went to halftime deadlocked at 5.

After the break, Stony Brook went on a tear outscoring the Danes 6-0 in the third quarter. Laforet won two draws before racing in on goal to finish the scoring chances. 2012 Rookie of the Year Mike Rooney closed out the scoring in the third for Stony Brook, catching a pass from Tundo and shooting in mid-air to make the score 12-5 at the end of three.

The Seawolf attack continued into the fourth quarter when Rooney found Graham Adams, stretching the run to 7-0. Miles and Ty Thompson connected to get Albany on the scoreboard in the second half and Will Fuller added two goals for the Danes but the Stony Brook offense would not be denied. Robbie Campbell answered Ty Thompson’s goal and Tundo capped off his four-goal afternoon with an empty-netter with less than two minutes left.

Stony Brook’s Brady, Laforet, and Tundo are joined on the all-championship team by teammate Kyle Moeller, Albany’s Lyle Thompson, Resetarits and Travis Lyons, UMBC’s Scott Jones and Phile Poe and Hartford’s Tate Kildonas and Ben Knapton.

Stony Brook women rally before losing to Albany, 9-7

BOSTON -- Stony Brook players stood on the sideline with red eyes, some with tears streaming down their faces, and watched Albany receive the America East women's lacrosse championship trophy and celebrate its NCAA Tournament berth. The Seawolves had come so close to their first trip to the tournament, fighting back after digging a four-goal hole in the first half to tie the score with 4:59 left, but it was Albany that took a 9-7 victory at Boston University's Nickerson Field for its second consecutive conference title.
"It's awesome to get here, but our goal was to win and to get into the NCAAs, and we didn't reach our goal," said America East Player of the Year Claire Petersen, who tied it at 7 and erased what had been a 5-1 deficit.
But Albany's Maureen Keggins scored with 3:52 to play and Amanda Pollock clinched it with 11 seconds remaining.
"It's disappointing, I'm not going to lie," said Stony Brook coach Joe Spallina, whose team won 10 more games than the previous year, the nation's best turnaround. "We set a goal at the beginning of the season to get to NCAAs and we didn't do enough to get that done."
Petersen and Demmianne Cook each had two goals and an assist for Stony Brook (14-5). Mel Rorie had three goals and Jess Antelmi two for Albany (12-5).
Petersen finished with 42 goals and 59 assists for 101 points, becoming the first Stony Brook women's lacrosse player to accomplish the feat. Cook had a school-record 68 goals, which currently leads the nation.
After Cook scored to make it 1-1, Albany scored four consecutive goals, with Rorie making it 5-1 with 11 seconds left in the first half. Petersen scored with two seconds remaining to bring the Seawolves within three.
"I felt like they were in a trance early on," Spallina said. "But we're fighters. We have good kids who aren't just going to lay down and play dead."
SBU trailed 7-4 with less than 13 minutes left, but Michelle Rubino and Emily Mercier scored before Petersen tied it.

Women's lacrosse title bid falls short

Final Stats

BOSTON - The Stony Brook women's lacrosse team's bid for its first-ever conference championship and NCAA Tournament bid fell short as the Seawolves lost to Albany, 9-7, in the America East Championship final Saturday at Nickerson Field. Juniors Claire Petersen (Wantagh, N.Y.) and Demmianne Cook (Nesconset, N.Y.) each scored two goals and an assist to lead the Seawolves in defeat.

Stony Brook falls to 14-5 on the season and despite the loss, the team still boasts the nation's best turnaround from a year ago, winning 10 more games in 2012 than in 2011. Albany improves to 12-5, wins its second consecutive conference title and advances to the NCAA Tournament.

Petersen's three points on the day pushed her over the 100 mark for the season, becoming the first Seawolf to accomplish the feat. The America East Player of the Year, she finishes the season with 42 goals and 59 assists for 101 points.

Cook finishes the season with a school-record 68 goals, which currently leads the nation.

Also tallying goals on the day were freshman Michelle Rubino (East Setauket, N.Y.), sophomore Emily Mercier (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and junior Janine Hillier (Farmingdale, N.Y.).

After the game, Petersen, Rubino and Mercier were all named to the America East Championship All-Tournament team.

The Seawolves trailed the entire game as Albany controlled possession for most of the first half. The Great Danes struck first on Jess Antelmi's goal at the 25:59 mark. Five minutes later, Cook tied it with a goal from Petersen.

Albany took over the rest of the half, scoring four unanswered goals while limiting the Seawolves to just four shots on goal. After Mel Rorie scored for Albany with 11 seconds remaining in the half, the Seawolves finally found some rhythm when they won the ensuing draw, and Petersen charged at the goal and scored with two seconds on the clock. Stony Brook went into halftime trailing 5-2.

To start the second half, Hillier connected on a free position attempt to make it 5-3, but Albany responded almost immediately as Antelmi found the back of the net again to give the Great Danes a three-goal cushion.

Stony Brook fought back. Down 7-4 with less than 15 minutes to play, Rubino dropped in a goal unassisted and then less than two minutes later, Cook won a jump ball and passed to Mercier, who took three steps towards the goal and fired a shot that got past Albany's Anna Berman to cut SBU's deficit to one, 7-6.

Albany had possession of the ball with 5:15 remaining, but freshman Amber Kupres caused Rorie to turn the ball over. She scooped up the ground ball and fed Petersen, who ran nearly half the field right at Albany's Berman and buried the goal to tie the game with 4:59 to play.

However, Albany struck again, winning the ensuing draw and then scoring when Amanda Pollock found Maureen Keggins wide open in front of the net, easily scoring a goal with 3:52 to play.

Albany won the draw control and controlled possession for the rest of the match, running out the clock and winning its second consecutive championship.

The draw control battle was even, 9-9, though Albany won six in the second half. SBU had 11 ground balls to Albany's 10. Both Berman and Seawolves goalkeeper Hannah Perruccio (Rochester, N.Y.) both made five saves.

Individually on defense, Rubino caused three turnovers, grabbed three ground balls and won two draws. Cook won five draws to lead all players.

Albany edges Stony Brook WLAX, 9-7 in America East Championship Game

Women's lacrosse title bid falls short - Stony Brook Official Athletic Site

Women's lacrosse beats UMBC to advance to Saturday's title game

Final Stats

BOSTON - The Stony Brook women's lacrosse team advanced to its first-ever America East Championship final after defeating UMBC in the semifinals, 9-7, Thursday afternoon at Nickerson Field on the campus of Boston University. Freshman Michelle Rubino (East Setauket, N.Y.) led the Seawolves with three goals, and junior Claire Petersen (Wantagh, N.Y.) posted five points on one goal and four assists.

The win sets up a final against defending champion Albany this Saturday at Nickerson Field at 12 p.m. Earlier in the day, the Great Danes upset top-seed Boston University. The game will be televised live on ESPN3. The Seawolves are seeking their first-ever conference championship and NCAA Tournament bid.

Stony Brook earned its program-record 14th win of the year, surpassing the previous record set by the 2007 team. It also gives Stony Brook a 10-win improvement from last season as the Seawolves continue to boast the nation's best turnaround from 2011. UMBC concludes its season at 8-9.

In addition to Rubino and Petersen scoring goals, freshman Amber Kupres (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) and sophomore Tara Gerstacker (Manorville, N.Y.) scored twice and sophomore Emily Mercier (Rocky Point, N.Y.) scored once. Gerstacker, who had appeared in only one game during the regular season, scored the game-winning goal in the second half.

"It was a hard battle, a typical post season game filled with runs and physicality," head coach Joe Spallina said. "We are glad we were able to win and advance to one more game. The nice thing about today is that we got goals from our role players, and the key to any championship run is getting production from our role players. We now have a day and a half to get ready for the defending champions and we're honored to play them for the right to reach the NCAA Tournament."

Much like the first meeting this season when Stony Brook led 4-3 at halftime, the match was a defensive duel early on. The Seawolves took a 2-0 lead in the first seven minutes on goals by Mercier and Kupres. It took nearly 13 minutes for UMBC to get on the scoreboard as Alicia Krause connected on a free position attempt to make it 2-1. UMBC's Emily Coady scored at 13:51 to make it 2-2.

Petersen put the Seawolves up 3-2 with 10:54 to go in the first half, sparking a 4-0 run that included back-to-back goals from Rubino. Stony Brook held the Retrievers scoreless for nearly 13 minutes due to defense. Junior goalkeeper Hannah Perruccio (Rochester, N.Y.) stopped a Kristen Bilney shot that led to an open clear attempt and eventually a Rubino goal. SBU also caused two turnovers in the span to stop UMBC's offensive momentum.

The Retrievers finally woke up in the final minute as Lindsay Cox posted back-to-back goals in a 35-second span to send UMBC into halftime trailing 6-4.

The start of the second half was sloppy and featured four turnovers and two yellow cards. Both yellow cards were on SBU players, but the Seawolves killed off the extra-man opportunity, and then Gerstacker capitalized on a feed from Petersen to put the Seawolves up 7-4.

UMBC stayed within striking distance by scoring with 15:21 left in the game, but the Seawolves immediately responded as Rubino won the ensuing draw and Petersen again fed Gerstacker for a wide-open goal to make it 8-5.

Late in the game, it was 8-6 and the SBU defense came up strong again as Perruccio stopped Shannon Harkey's free position attempt with 7:55 left to play. Eventually, Bilney scored to get UMBC within one, 8-7, with 4:54 on the clock.

UMBC won the ensuing draw, but Mercier forced a turnover, one of nine SBU caused turnovers, and the Seawolves made pass after pass until they got UMBC goalkeeper Anna Barnett out of position, and Rubino scored to add insurance and make it 9-7.

Perruccio made two more saves in the final minutes as the defense held on for the victory. She made six saves in total to improve to 6-3 as a goalie this year.

On defense, Kupres led all Seawolves with four caused turnovers and five ground balls. Rubino controlled five draws.

University at Albany’s SEFCU Arena will host the 2013 America East Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- University at Albany’s SEFCU Arena will host the 2013 America East Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship. The league’s Athletic Directors voted to send the combined tournament to Albany for the first time this morning.

“The first three years of the combined basketball championship have been a great success and we are excited to take the 2013 tournament to Albany,” America East Commissioner Amy Huchthausen said. “Albany served as a great host for the 2009 men’s championship, one of our most successful in recent memory, and will no doubt be so again in 2013.”

The 2013 America East Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will be held on March 7-10, 2013 at SEFCU Arena, a 4,538-seat facility on Albany’s campus. The first, quarterfinal and semifinal rounds for both the men and women will be held at the combined tournament, while the title games will again both be held the following weekend at the site of the highest remaining seeds.

“We are thrilled that the University at Albany has been chosen by the membership to host this championship,” said Lee McElroy, Albany Vice President & Director of Athletics. “Our staff looks forward to building on the standard that Hartford has created hosting the combined tournament during the last three years and promise to provide a first-class tournament for America East, its schools, student-athletes and fans, as well as the Capital Region.”

This will be the fourth straight year the league’s men’s and women’s tournaments have been combined at one site. The first three championships were a rousing success, drawing nearly 43,000 fans.

“Hartford has set a high standard for this tournament and as a result, the positive response we have received from our schools and fans on the current format has been overwhelming,” continued Huchthausen. “That standard, combined with the talent our teams have coming back next season and the passion for basketball that exists in the Capital Region, sets us up to have a tremendous tournament in 2013.”

Following the same format as the last three years, both first round games will be held Thursday, March 7, while the women’s quarterfinals will follow on Friday, March 8. The men’s quarterfinals will be scheduled for Saturday, March 9 and both the men’s and women’s semifinal tilts will take place Sunday, March 10. The highest seeds remaining in both the men’s and women’s tournament will host the championship games with the men’s title game on Saturday, March 16 and the women’s final tentatively set for that same day.

While this will be the first time SEFCU Arena hosts the conference’s combined championship, the building is no stranger towards hosting America East Championships. The building, which, opened in the spring of 1992 as an $11 million state-of-the-art facility, hosted the 2009 Men’s Basketball Championship and drew nearly 15,000 fans, the second-most since 2002. SEFCU Arena, formerly the Recreation & Convocation Center, also hosted the 2006 men’s championship game, as well as the 2012 women’s championship game, which drew more fans than any league title contest since 2006.

Ticket information for the 2013 America East Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship will be announced at a later date.

2013 MBB/WBB TOURNAMENT IN ALBANY

M&WBB: Albany's SEFCU Arena will host the 2013 #AmericaEast M&W Basketball Championship!

Men's Lacrosse holds off Hartford, 9-8, to reach AE Championship game

Final Stats

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Redshirt freshman Mike Rooney (East Islip, N.Y.) tallied two goals and three assists and junior Sean Brady (Huntington Bay, N.Y.) made eight saves to lead the top-seeded Stony Brook men's lacrosse team to a 9-8 win over #4 Hartford in an America East Championship semifinal.

The Seawolves (6-9) will advance to their fourth straight America East Championship final where they'll face #3 Albany, a 19-8 winner over #2 UMBC.
The one-goal game was Stony Brook's fourth straight and ninth of the season (3-6).
Rooney, the nation's leading goal scorer among all freshmen and America East Rookie of the Year, tallied both of his goals in the second half. Sophomore Cole Millican (Sunrise, Fla.), a defensive midfielder, set career-highs with two goals and three points. Sophomore Matt Bellando (Miami, Fla.) also tallied two goals.
Jared Franze had two goals and Carter Bender added a goal and three assists for Hartford (6-9).
"I thought our defense was outstanding tonight," coach Jim Nagle said. "Hartford is a great outside shooting team, so our goal was get tight on their attempts. The defense won us this game."
Hartford, which came into the night averaging 12.5 goals per game and scored more than 13 five times, was held to less than 10 for just the fourth time this season.
Stony Brook, which never trailed, jumped out to a 4-0 lead with 12:37 left in the first half on a transition goal from Millican.
Brady and seniors Kyle Moeller (South Setauket, N.Y.), Robert Gibson (Slate Hill, N.Y.) and Greg Miceli (King City, Ontario) led a defensive unit that held Hartford scoreless until 3:29 after Kevin O'Shea's goal.

Junior Jeff Tundo (Orchard Park, N.Y.) scored his 12th of the season to give Stony Brook a 5-2. Back-to-back goals from Franze made it 5-4 with 7:15 left in the third quarter.
Each time Hartford got within a goal, Stony Brook answered with one of its own. Junior JJ Laforet (Georgetown, Ontario), who won eight of 16 face-offs, won four of five in the fourth quarter, including two following a Hartford goal.
Millican's second of the game made it a 9-7 Stony Brook lead with 7:19 left. Freshman Mike Andreassi (Holbrook, N.Y.) won the ensuing face-off, and the Seawolves ran the clock down to 3:51 before taking a shot.
After an Aidan Genik goal, Laforet won the face-off, but a turnover gave the ball back to Hartford. Bender's shot was saved by Brady with 1:18 left and Genik's shot after a ground ball was saved too. Stony Brook successfully cleared the ball before Hartford was called for two penalties with 33 seconds left, giving Stony Brook a two-man advantage.
Stony Brook ran out the clock and held on for the one-goal win.
Moeller (three caused turnovers), Gibson and Miceli combined for nine ground balls. Laforet tallied seven ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Seniors Robbie Campbell (Delta, British Columbia) and Kyle Belton (Langley, British Columbia) had a goal apiece. Campbell added two assists.
Saturday's game against Albany will be broadcast LIVE on WUSB 90.1 FM www.wusb.fm/sports  and televised live on ESPN3.com at 3 p.m.

Rooney, Nagle headline all-conference selections

Cambridge, Mass. - Redshirt freshman Mike Rooney (East Islip, N.Y.) and Jim Nagle took home America East Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year, respectively, the conference announced on Tuesday. In addition, Stony Brook had five players on the first team.Rooney, who led the Seawolves with 30 goals and 38 points, was among the top freshmen goal scorers in the country this season. He earned America East Rookie of the Week honors five times this season, finishing with 15 goals and four assists in conference play. During a five-game stretch from March 17 to April 14, Rooney, who also was named to the All-Rookie team, tallied 20 goals and four assists, including a career-high five goals at Binghamton.
In his first year at Stony Brook, Nagle led Stony Brook to its third straight America East Championship and the top seed in the four-team tournament. It's the third straight season a Stony Brook coach has earned top honors.
Senior Robbie Campbell (Delta, British Columbia) and junior Jeff Tundo (Orchard Park, N.Y.) are two of the three midfielders on the first team.
Campbell tallied 20 goals and 12 assists in 11 games, but saved his best for conference play. In five America East games, Campbell totaled 12 goals and five assists, including a four-goal effort at UMBC. He's among the nation's active leaders with 52 assists entering the conference tournament.
Stony Brook's leader in assists with 25, Tundo ended the regular season with a four-assist effort in the regular-season finale at Albany. He tallied three assists in a game four times this season, setting a new career-best with 36 points this season.

Senior Kyle Moeller (South Setauket, N.Y.) highlighted three defensive selections.
The America East Fans' Choice Player of the Year and a first-team honoree last season, Moeller totaled 30 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers. He registered five caused turnovers, including a key one, stalling a man-up opportunity at UMBC.
Senior Jared LeVerne (Jericho, N.Y.) posted a career-best 41 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers. A three-time All-America East selection, LeVerne has played in all 60 games during his four years, totaling 149 ground balls.
Junior Sean Brady (Huntington Bay, N.Y.), who led the conference in goals against average (9.94) and save percentage (.515), finished the regular season with 120 saves. He registered double digit saves in six games, including a career-best 17 at Binghamton.
Moeller and Campbell also were honored with their selections to the All-Academic Team. A business management major with a 3.88 GPA, Moeller tops all student-athletes on the list. Campbell is a business management major with a 3.32 GPA.

Petersen, Spallina headline All-America East honors

Junior Claire Petersen (Wantagh, N.Y.) of the Stony Brook women's lacrosse team headlines nine Seawolves to receive either America East All-Conference or All-Rookie honors, the conference office announced Wednesday. Petersen was named America East Player of the Year, and head coach Joe Spallina was named America East Coach of the Year.

Petersen is one of six Seawolves on the All-Conference first team, which is a program record, and she was the only unanimous selection. Joining her on the squad are junior Janine Hillier (Farmingdale, N.Y.), junior Demmianne Cook (Nesconset, N.Y.), freshman Michelle Rubino (East Setauket, N.Y.), junior Melissa Rotante (Norwalk, Conn.) and sophomore Frankie Caridi (East Northport, N.Y.).

Sophomore Jessica Romano (Massapequa, N.Y.) was named to the second team, and Rubino, freshman Amber Kupres (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) and freshman Marina Mestres (Medford, N.J.) were all named to the All-Rookie team. Rotante was also placed on the All-Academic team for her strong work in the classroom.

Petersen, who is Stony Brook's second-ever Player of the Year, easily transitioned from being one of the best players in Div. II to becoming one of the best players in Div. I. After breaking the Div. II record for single-season points in 2011, she currently is second in all of Div. I in points per game (6.2) and assists per game (3.6). Overall, she has a conference-leading 54 assists and 93 points, which are both Stony Brook single-season records. In addition, she shattered the conference record for points in a single conference season with 42.

Spallina, who is Stony Brook's second-ever Coach of the Year, engineered the nation's best turnaround this season. Taking over the program last summer coming off a four-win season, Spallina has guided the Seawolves to a nine-win improvement, matching program records in wins (13) and conference wins (5). He led SBU to its first-ever win over a nationally ranked team, a 15-14 victory at Johns Hopkins on March 3, and his team entered the national rankings for the first time ever a week later.

Cook is the nation's leader in goals with a program-record 66 this season. She has posted 12 hat tricks this season, including a program single-game record nine goals at Monmouth on Feb. 26. She ranks third in the nation in goals per game (3.88) and fifth in America East in draw controls per game (3.18). In conference play only, she led the league in goals per game (4.00) and draw controls per game (5.17) and ranked fourth in caused turnovers per game (1.33).

Hillier posted 46 goals and 19 assists on the season, ranking fifth in America East in goals per game (2.71) and eighth in assists per game (1.12). In conference play, she stepped up her play by averaging 3.17 goals and 1.33 assists per game.

Rubino was the lone freshman on the first team after a tremendous rookie campaign that saw her shatter the program record for draw controls. She has controlled 87 draws this season and leads America East with 5.12 draw controls per game, which is also sixth-best in the country. She also has 27 goals and 11 assists while causing a team-best 20 turnovers.

Rotante, Romano and Caridi are part of a Seawolves defense that led America East in goals per game allowed, giving up only 9.29. Seven times this season the defense held an opponent to six goals or less. Rotante was the team's best on-the-ball defender and 19 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. Romano also grabbed 19 ground balls and caused 13 turnovers. Caridi led America East in goals against average, giving up just 8.18 per game. Three times in conference play, she made nine saves.

Rubino, Kupres and Mestres are three of four freshman starters on the team and tied the 2003 and 2004 teams for most All-Rookie selections in program history. Kupres has posted 27 goals and caused 11 turnovers this season. Mestres grabbed 17 ground balls and caused nine turnovers.

Stony Brook enters this week's America East Championship as the No. 2 seed and is seeking its first-ever tournament title and automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Seawolves will take on UMBC in the semifinals Thursday at Boston University's Nickerson Field at 4 p.m. The winner will meet either Boston University or Albany in the title game Saturday at noon.

WOMEN'S TENNIS HEADED TO STANFORD

NCAA Tournament Bracket

Stony Brook, N.Y. - After winning its first America East championship in program history over the weekend, the Stony Brook women's tennis team will travel to face fourth-seeded Stanford for an NCAA first round matchup on May 11 at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Joining the Seawolves and the Cardinal at the Palo Alto Regional will be St. Mary's (Ca.) and Yale. The time of the Stony Brook's match against Stanford has yet to be announced.
Led by Most Outstanding Player Polina Movchan, the Seawolves knocked off 18-time defending champion Boston University, 4-3, on Saturday in the semifinals before knocking off UMBC in the final, 4-2, on Sunday at US National Tennis Center.
A freshman, Movchan won the clinching match in both the semifinals and finals. She is 18-2 at No. 2 singles this season including a 3-0 mark at the America East Championships.
Junior No. 1 Nini Lagvilava (Tbilisi, Georgia) is 16-4 in dual matches and earlier this season became the first player in program history to be nationally ranked by the ITA.
The 2010 NCAA Champion and 2011 National runner-up, Stanford went 18-1 this season and earned a share of the Pac-12 regular season championship. The Cardinal are led by Nicole Gibbs, the third-ranked singles player in the nation who collected her first career singles title at the Pac-12 championships on Sunday.
First and second round regional action is played May 11-13 at 16 campus sites.
The later rounds as well as the individual singles and doubles tournament are set for May 17-28, to be hosted at the University of Georgia's Dan Magill Tennis Complex.