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Joe Spallina
Joe Spallina embodies Long Island lacrosse, and after a successful run as the head coach of the Adelphi women's program, he has taken over the Stony Brook women's lacrosse team and turned it into an immediate winner. The engineer of the nation's best turnaround in 2012 and winningest coach in program history after only three seasons, Spallina has the Seawolves competing annually for the America East title while also bursting onto the national women's lacrosse scene. He completed his 12th season in 2023 with a stellar 190-38 overall mark, a 68-2 conference record across America East and CAA action and 10 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances to go with nine conference titles.
Under Spallina, Stony Brook has produced 22 IWLCA All-Americans, 14 Tewaaraton nominees, two Tewaaraton finalists, nine conference championships, 10 NCAA Tournament second-round berths and four NCAA quarterfinal appearances.
Stony Brook played it first season in the CAA in 2023 and Spallina continued SBU’s winning ways in the new league, finishing 15-4 overall and 7-0 in league play. The Seawolves dominated Towson to capture its first CAA title and defeated Penn State to reach the NCAA Second Round for the 10th consecutive year. Stony Brook started the season with three ranked-opponent victories in its first four games. As a team, the Seawolves allowed just 7.89 goals per game which was fourth-best in Division I.
Four different players in Ellie Masera, Clare Levy, Kailyn Hart and Haley Dillon were named All-Americans, with Masera receiving selections from the IWLCA, ILWomen and USA Lacrosse Magazine. Spallina also picked up the CAA’s Coach of the Year honor in his first season in the league.
Spallina returned the Seawolves to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2022, defeating Drexel and Rutgers by a combined 27-11 margin in the first two rounds. The Seawolves were again undefeated in regular season league play, going 6-0. The 2022 season featured wins over five ranked opponents including a 14-13 road win at No. 11 Florida and a 16-8 victory at No. 10 Princeton.
Sophomore midfielder Ellie Masera burst onto the scene with 67 goals and 100 draw controls, taking First Team All-American honors from the IWLCA and Second Team from ILWomen. Elsewhere, Clare Levy was picked as a Second Team All-American from USA Lacrosse Magazine, while Rayna Sabella was named to the Third Team and Haley Dillon and Kailyn Hart each took Honorable Mention honors. Levy, Hart and Sabella were also named ILWomen Honorable Mention All-Americans. Stony Brook had the top scoring defense in Division I, allowing just 6.63 goals per game.
In his 10th season at SBU in 2021, Spallina led the Seawolves to a 16-3 record and another America East title, finishing a perfect 8-0 in conference play. The Seawolves defeated Towson in the NCAA First Round and dominated Rutgers in the second round to reach their third quarterfinal appearance in four seasons, before a close defeat at North Carolina. Ally Kennedy was named the IWLCA Division I Midfielder of the Year and a First Team All-American while Taryn Ohlmiller was a Second Team All-American pick. Stony Brook reached as high as No. 5 in the IWLCA polls.
Spallina lead the Seawolves to a season-opening 17-16 victory at No. 4 Syracuse, its highest ever ranked-opponent victory and finished the pandemic-shortened 2020 season at 4-1.
Spallina’s Seawolves once again saw success in 2019, securing its seventh-straight America East title en route to another NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance following a thrilling 10-9 overtime victory over reigning national champion James Madison in the first round. Under his watch, Stony Brook led the nation in free position percentage (.536) while also ranking within the top five in scoring defense (7.95), turnovers per game (12.43) and clearing percentage (.916).
Spallina coached midfielder Ally Kennedy to an explosive junior campaign, pacing the nation in shots on goal per game (6.95) while ranking fifth in total goals (84). The 100-point scorer was named an IWLCA First Team All-American, Tewaaraton Award nominee and the America East Midfielder of the Year for the second-straight season.
2018 was a record-breaking year for Stony Brook, who won 20 games for the second-straight season. The Seawolves earned the first No. 1 national ranking in program history, staying atop all three major lacrosse polls for 11-straight weeks heading into the 2018 postseason. The Seawolves finished the year leading the nation in six major Division I categories: points per game (29.28), scoring margin (+10.80), assists per game (11.23), shot percentage (.547), turnovers per game (12.00), and team defense (7.09 goals-allowed per contest).
Spallina led Stony Brook to new heights in 2017, as the Seawolves posted a program-best 20-2 record and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history. Stony Brook had the nation's top scoring defense for the fourth time in the last five seasons under Spallina's guidance, while the Seawolves also recorded the nation's No. 3 scoring offense and a nation-leading 10.09 assists per game. Spallina coached four IWLCA All-Americans in 2017, including Tewaaraton finalist Kylie Ohlmiller, who broke the Division I single-season points (164) and assists (86) records, and Tewaaraton nominee Dorrien Van Dyke. The Seawolves won six games over ranked opponents in 2017 while reaching as high as No. 3 in the national polls.
The Seawolves won their fourth-consecutive America East title as part of a 17-win campaign that brought Stony Brook to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year. Stony Brook was ranked as high as No. 7 in the IWLCA poll and No. 6 in the Inside Lacrosse rankings during a program-record 15-game winning streak that spanned from March to May. The Seawolves had three All-Americans under Spallina's tutelage in 2016 - Courtney Murphy, Kylie Ohlmiller and Alyssa Fleming. Murphy set the program records for single-season and career goals in 2016 and became the first 100-goal scorer in Division I history.
Stony Brook made its third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 on the backs of its stellar defense, as the Seawolves' 5.50 goals allowed per game made Stony Brook the best in the nation in the category for the third-consecutive year. Stony Brook defeated five ranked opponents during the 2015 campaign including two top-10 foes with wins over No. 5/5 Northwestern and a victory on the road at No. 6/7 Florida. The Seawolves were ranked as high as No. 6/4 in the national polls and received a first-round bye as a host in the NCAA Tournament.
The Seawolves did not rebuild in 2014; they reloaded. Despite starting three freshmen and losing 60 percent of its goal scoring from 2013 to graduation, Spallina insisted Stony Brook would be back in the NCAA Tournament. On May 4, his team proved him right and repeated as America East champions by spurning archrival Albany, 7-1, at LaValle Stadium. The Seawolves downed Towson, 10-8, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for their second consecutive second-round appearance and record-tying 17th win of the season. Stony Brook twice topped the nationally-ranked Great Danes, including an 8-4 win in Albany April 12 that made Spallina the program's winningest coach with 43 wins in less than three seasons.
Regular season conference champions and the top-seed for the tournament for the second straight year, SBU was awarded a host of postseason accolades. Goalie Frankie Caridi was a Tewaaraton semifinalist, third-team All-American, unanimous first-team all-conference pick and America East Defensive Player of the Year. ILWomen.com and LacrosseMagazinehailed her as Goalie of the Year.In total, Stony Brook racked up a league-high 16 all-conference accolades, including a conference-best four All-Rookie selections (Dorrien Van Dyke, Courtney Murphy, Alyssa Guido and Kristin Yevoli). Van Dyke became the second Seawolf to be named Rookie of the Year and was the only rookie to be named first-team all-conference. Michelle Rubino and Alyssa Fleming joined Van Dyke and Caridi on the first team, and Maegan Meritz, Yevoli, Murphy and Alyssa Cardillo placed on the second team. Three-year captain Jessica Romano and junior Marina Mestres earned All-Academic nods for their outstanding work on the field and in the classroom. The Seawolves were also namedan IWLCA Honor Squad for theiracademic achievements.
In a year that saw the young offense take shape, the Stony Brook defense produced one of the best seasons in NCAA history. Breaking its own national Division I record for scoring defense from the year before, the Seawolves surrendered a staggering 5.31 goals per game. The Seawolves held opponents to single-digit goal scoring in 19 of 21 games, to five goals or fewer 13 times and to three goals or fewer six times. SBU earned its first-ever shutout, a 13-0 win over Monmouth Feb. 19 and held three teams to only goal (Albany, 5/4; UMBC, 3/29; Bucknell, 3/18). Caridi repeated as the GAA (5.17) and save percentage (.542) champion. Her GAA ranks fifth in NCAA single-season history and topped her own conference mark. She allowed an average of three goals in the two-game span of the America East Championship, a tournament record that earned her Most Outstanding Player honors. The one goal she allowed in the title game vs. Albany was a single-game tournament low and the six total goals the unit surrendered that weekend were the fewest in championship history.
With Spallina at the helm, the squad produced its then-winningest season in program history in 2013, notching a 17-3 mark and going 6-0 in America East action. SBU remained in the national rankings in both major polls all season, cracking the top-10 for the first time in school history and receiving unprecedented national media coverage on a daily basis.
Stony Brook won its first outright regular season conference crown and earned hosting rights for the 2013 America East Championship as the No. 1 seed. On May 5, SBU punched its first-ever ticket to the NCAA Tournament by beating rival Albany, 14-3, in the America East title game played at LaValle Stadium. The historic victory marked the first America East crown for a team that won just four games in 2011.
Spallina marshaled the Seawolves to an 8-6 win over Towson in their first NCAA Tournament game, the school record 17th victory of the season. The squad broke numerous other single-season records, including goals scored (298), points (412), draw controls (259) and consecutive wins (12). SBU led the nation in scoring defense with then-NCAA record 5.65 goals against average. The Seawolves were the only team to allow fewer than six goals per game and surrendered a then-school mark of just two on three occasions.
Demmianne Cook became SBU's all-time leading goal scorer with 158 career tallies despite only playing two seasons at Stony Brook. She shattered her own single-season school mark for goals scored by netting an incredible, nation-leading 90. Frankie Caridi led the nation in goals against average (5.71) and save percentage (.530).
Claire Petersen broke the program record for points in a single-contest (13) and topped an NCAA mark with 11 assists on March 9 against Longwood.
The Seawolves were honored with multiple national and conference postseason accolades, including a Synapse Sports National Coach of the Year nod for Spallina. Cook became SBU's first-ever Tewaaraton nominee and second IWLCA All-American while also earning Synapse All-America status. Frankie Caridi joined her on the Synapse All-America, and Alyssa Fleming was named All-Rookie, a sign of the talent Spallina is developing. Cook being was honored as America East Player of the Year, the second straight Seawolf to earn the honor. Justyne Passarelli and Kaitlyn Harrison were commended for their work in the classroom and on the field with All-Academic status.
Taking over a team that had won only four games in 2011 and facing a daunting schedule that included four nationally ranked opponents, Spallina worked hard to develop the Seawolves into a winner in his first season in 2012. He brought in five high-profile transfers, mixed in nine budding freshmen and got the 12 returners to buy into his system to produce a then-program-record 14 wins.
Every week that season under Spallina, Stony Brook made history in the record books. The Seawolves recorded their first-ever win over a nationally ranked opponent when they took down No. 20/17 Johns Hopkins on March 3. A week later, the team itself entered the national rankings for the first time ever at No. 19 in the Inside Lacrosse/deBeer Media Poll.
After a regular season that included a second-place finish in America East, Stony Brook was rewarded with a multiple conference honors. Claire Petersen, who later became SBU's first IWLCA All-American, was named the America East Player of the Year to headline a then-program-record six first-team All-America East selections. Joining her were Demmianne Cook, Janine Hillier, Michelle Rubino, Melissa Rotante and Jessica Romano. Spallina was named America East Coach of the Year.
In addition, the team placed three freshmen on the America East All-Rookie team. Michelle Rubino, Amber Kupres and Marina Mestres were all recognized for their outstanding rookie campaigns, and Rubino was the only freshman named to the all-conference first team.
Named Stony Brook's head coach on June 15, 2011, Spallina previously spent four seasons as the head coach at Adelphi, producing a dominant 73-2 (.973) record and an NCAA-record three consecutive Division II national championships, including in 2011 when his team defeated Limestone in the title game on its home field on May 22. The victory completed a perfect 20-0 season and was the team's 26th consecutive win. Spallina's Panthers were the wire-to-wire No. 1 ranked team in the nation according to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll.
In all four of his seasons, Spallina led Adelphi to at least the NCAA Championship semifinals. In 2008, Spallina's first season, the Panthers won 16 consecutive games to reach the final four before falling to C.W. Post. The following season, Spallina led the program to its first-ever undefeated season with an 18-0 record and beating C.W. Post and Lock Haven to secure Adelphi's third national championship. In 2010, Spallina's team won its first 14 games for an overall 32-game winning streak before slipping up against C.W. Post. However, the Panthers avenged the loss by beating Post again in the national semifinals and then topping West Chester for a second consecutive national championship. In 2011, Adelphi's championship win marked the team's 26th consecutive victory and the program's second-ever undefeated season.
Spallina has received numerous personal accolades for his coaching efforts. He is a three-time IWLCA National Coach of the Year (2009-11) and a three-time conference Coach of the Year (Northeast-10 in 2010 & `11 and East Coast Conference in 2009). In 2011, he was named the Nassau County Sports Commission College Coach of the Year, and in 2009, he was the FieldTurf NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Coach of the Year.
Spallina has proven to be a strong recruiter on his native soil. A resident of Rocky Point, N.Y., Spallina's 2011 roster at Adelphi was 89 percent Long Island recruits, including 16 student-athletes from Suffolk County. In total under Spallina's watch, Adelphi has had 21 IWLCA All-American selections, 22 IWLCA All-Region picks and 35 All-Conference honorees. His team has also produced the IWLCA Goalie of the Year for three consecutive years and the Attacker of the Year and Midfielder of the Year for two consecutive seasons, as well as the Defensive Player of the Year in 2010. The team has also nearly swept the conference awards for the last three seasons, producing the conference Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year in all three years and Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for two of the three seasons.
Spallina's student-athletes have also produced in the classroom. Adelphi's Kristin Jones was the 2011 NCAA Div. II Elite 88 Award recipient as having the top GPA among the four NCAA Championship teams. She was also named the IWLCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In total, Spallina has had six IWLCA Scholar-Athletes, three CoSIDA Academic All-District selections and one CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree.
In addition to his duties at Stony Brook, Spallina serves as general manager for the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) after serving as head coach for six seasons. He helped guide the Lizards to the MLL championship game as an assistant in 2010, and took home Brine MLL Coach of the Year honors in 2012, his first season as head coach. He has also been an assistant coach with the women’s national team since 2018 and is the director of the Pro Player Girls Lacrosse Camp in Oakdale, N.Y.
Prior to taking over at Adelphi, Spallina was the head coach of the girls lacrosse team at Rocky Point High School and led the squad to five Suffolk County finals, including three consecutive championships in his last three years, compiling an impressive 87-9 overall record. Spallina also coached the girls soccer team at Rocky Point.
Spallina is a 1996 graduate of Adelphi, earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education. He was a four-year starter at midfielder on the men's lacrosse team and helped lead the Panthers to a 38-14 record and two national championships in 1993 and `95. He also lettered in men's soccer for two years. Spallina is also a graduate of Rocky Point High School, where he was All-Conference in lacrosse and All-County in soccer.
Spallina, who also earned his Master of Arts in Health Studies from Stony Brook University in 2004, resides in Mount Sinai with his wife, Mary Beth, and five children.
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