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Opening day of the 2026 NCAA Division I women's lacrosse season is Feb. 6.
Throughout the month of January, we'll pose three burning questions for each team ranked in the USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Preseason Top 20, presented by CWENCH Hydration, starting with No. 20 James Madison and finishing with No. 1 North Carolina.
Join the conversation on social media @USALMag (IG/X/FB). Wrong answers only.
As far as consistency goes, you’d be hard-pressed to find many mid-majors with a better women’s lacrosse track record than Stony Brook. At least in the Joe Spallina era.
Since he took over the program in 2012, Spallina has led the Seawolves to at least 14 wins in every season, not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. He’s dropped just two conference games (one in 2012 and another in 2014) and has made the NCAA tournament every year since 2013 (again, not counting 2020).
That all adds up to a rather lukewarm prediction for 2026 — Stony Brook will probably be in the NCAA tournament yet again. But after three consecutive second-round exits, can the Seawolves get back to the quarterfinals? Or even beyond?
For as successful as Stony Brook has been since 2012, there are still plenty of firsts the program can achieve. As always, Spallina is confident in his players and system.
Spallina and his coaching staffs over the year have had a habit of turning overlooked, underrecruited, late-blooming lacrosse players into transcendent stars. Look no further than the likes of Courtney Murphy, Kylie Ohlmiller, Ally Kennedy and Ellie Masera for examples.
Last year, though, the first in the post-Masera era, Stony Brook lacked a true alpha. That should change in 2026, with a familiar face stepping into an even bigger role.
“Isabella Caporuscio is a top five midfielder in the country, and I’ll put everything I have on that statement,” Spallina said. “The kid is an absolute freak of nature.”
As a sophomore, Caporuscio posted 49 goals and 19 assists and earned USA Lacrosse honorable mention All-American honors. Respectable, but hardly elite. She’s been in the Stony Brook lab, though, and Spallina thinks she’s set to pop after coming in as a top-tier athlete with lacrosse skills that needed refinement. He called it “the same recipe we’ve used with others.”
“This kid can do it all,” he said. “I would put her toe-to-toe with any kid we’ve ever had in terms of how she can take games over.”
Isabella Caporuscio is a top five midfielder in the country, and I’ll put everything I have on that statement.
Stony Brook coach Joe Spallina on his team's breakout candidate
Not one to shy away from hyping his players, Spallina heaped praise on a pair of incoming transfers from Limestone, which ceased operations following the 2025 season.
He likened Reese Hjertaas to Michelle Rubino, who graduated in 2015 as one of the best midfielders in Stony Brook history. He glowed over Hjertaas’ athleticism and stick skills.
“I laugh when I see all these transfer evaluations lists,” Spallina said. “I have a hard time believing any are better than this kid.”
From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Hjertaas started all 55 games for Limestone in her three years there and led the Saints in scoring with 89 points in 2025.
Her Limestone teammate, Keira Martin, was second to Hjertaas in scoring last season and can be a “dynamic playmaker.”
Katie Walsh, a captain at Rider last spring, earned captaincy with Stony Brook after a standout fall in which she showcased her leadership. At Rider, she was asked to do quite a bit. She won’t have to shoulder as much of the load with the Seawolves.
“She’s going to be surrounded with elite talent around her,” Spallina said. “She’ll have to do a little bit less, and that could provide her with the ability to do a little bit more.”
With Avery Hines gone to graduation, Stony Brook needs to replace a pivotal piece in its zone defense. Whoever plays the backer position in that zone has a good shot at earning an All-American nod just because of the featured nature of that spot.
“Hailey Huebner is the next one,” Spallina said. “She’s going to be fantastic.”
A sophomore from Bethesda, Md., Huebner appeared in nine games as a freshman.
At the top of the defense, look for Allie Masera to make a name for herself. Spallina likened her to former All-American Clare Levy, who is now his defensive coordinator.
Stony Brook had the No. 5 scoring defense in the country last season (8.81 goals per game allowed), and the Seawolves rarely experience much of a drop off in that area of the field even as new faces replace familiar ones.
Kenny DeJohn has been the Digital Content Editor at USA Lacrosse since 2019. First introduced to lacrosse in 2016 as a Newsday Sports reporter on Long Island (yes, ON Long Island), DeJohn specializes in women's game coverage. His search for New York quality pizza in Baltimore is ongoing.
