#CAALax Newcomers Stony Brook, Masera Tabbed for Unanimous Women's Lacrosse Preseason Honors
Miles McQuiggan
RICHMOND, Va. (Feb. 1, 2023) – CAA Women’s Lacrosse newcomer Stony Brook was tabbed as unanimous preseason favorite by its rival coaches, while midfielder
Ellie Masera collected her own consensus honor as the league’s Preseason Player of the Year.
Stony Brook collected all seven possible first place votes in its first year in the CAA after appearing in the NCAA Quarterfinals for the fourth time in the last five tournaments. The Seawolves went 16-3 with all three setbacks to eventual Championship Weekend teams while going undefeated through America East play and earning an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament. Stony Brook earned five wins over ranked opponents during the 2022 campaign. Stony Brook enters the year at No. 6 in the IWLCA/ILWomen poll and No. 4 in the USA Lacrosse Magazine rankings, while three Seawolves – Masera,
Kailyn Hart, and
Clare Levy – were named to the preseason All-CAA team.
Masera is coming off a season where she was the first underclassman in program history to earn First Team All-America honors and one of two underclassmen in the nation to earn the recognition. Her 87 points and 67 goals were both team-bests and she was top 25 in the nation in goals per game (17
th) and points per game (25
th). The 100 draw controls by the Long Island native marked the fifth time in program history that someone reached the triple-digit figure, joining two instances each from alumnae Keri McCarthy and Ally Kennedy.
Towson earned the second-place honor after a 5-1 showing in league play last year and trip to the CAA Final in Philadelphia. The Tigers won their last five CAA games entering the tournament and collected overtime victories in the regular season over two of the other three teams in the tournament field. Towson’s
Blair Pearre and newcomer goalie
Jo Torres were selected for preseason honors.
Defending CAA Champion Drexel ranked third in the preseason voting and earned two spots on the preseason team in midfielder
Corinne Bednarik and defender
Belle McHugh. Hofstra ranked fourth with attacker
Taylor Mennella earning preseason honors, Delaware was fifth with
Delaney McDaniel and
Madison Hranicka collecting accolades, while was Monmouth was picked sixth with
Caroline Brennan and
Cassidy Orban named to the team. Elon and William & Mary rounded out the eight-team poll.
The 2023 CAA Women’s Lacrosse season begins February 10 and culminates May 4 and 6 in Towson, Maryland, at the CAA Championship. This year’s national championship will be played in Cary, North Carolina.
2023 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll
| School (1st) |
Points |
| 1. Stony Brook (7) |
49 |
| 2. Towson (1) |
43 |
| 3. Drexel |
35 |
| 4. Hofstra |
30 |
| 5. Delaware |
25 |
| 6. Monmouth |
21 |
| 7. Elon |
13 |
| 8. William & Mary |
8 |
2023 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Preseason All-Conference Team
| Name |
School |
Cl. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Caroline Brennan |
Monmouth |
So. |
A |
Downingtown, Pa. |
| Kailyn Hart |
Stony Brook |
Sr. |
A |
North Babylon, N.Y. |
| Delaney McDaniel |
Delaware |
So. |
A |
Severna Park, Md. |
| Taylor Mennella |
Hofstra |
Sr. |
A |
Smithtown, N.Y. |
| Corinne Bednarik |
Drexel |
Sr. |
M |
Glenmoore, Pa. |
| Ellie Masera |
Stony Brook |
Jr. |
M |
Eastport, N.Y. |
| Cassidy Orban |
Monmouth |
Gr. |
M |
Long Valley, N.J. |
| Blair Pearre |
Towson |
Sr. |
M |
Pikesville, Md. |
| Belle McHugh |
Drexel |
Sr. |
D |
Berwyn, Pa. |
| Madison Hranicka |
Delaware |
Sr. |
D |
Mendham, N.J. |
| Clare Levy |
Stony Brook |
Jr. |
D |
Rocky Point, N.Y. |
| Jo Torres |
Towson |
Jr. |
GK |
Prince Frederick, Md. |
Preseason Player of the Year: Ellie Masera, Stony Brook
Honorable Mention: Lindsay Clarke, A, Towson; Haley Dillon, D, Stony Brook; Bri Falco, D, Monmouth; Kailee Follette, D, Elon; Jackie Gatti, M, Hofstra; Jaden Hampel, A, Stony Brook; Caroline Hertzberg, D, William & Mary; Olivia Malamphy, D, Towson; Jess Smith, GK, Hofstra; Kerry Walser, A, Hofstra; Milana Zizakovic, M, Towson
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