STONY BROOK, N.Y. — Opposing college women's lacrosse teams may not have seen the last of Stony Brook All-American midfielder Ally Kennedy.

A day after NCAA athletics came to a halt through the spring seasons, Kennedy declared on Friday her intention to return in 2021.

The NCAA is expected to grant student-athletes from spring sports an extra year of eligibility because their seasons abruptly ended on Thursday, less than halfway through their schedules.

The seasons were halted as a proactive decision to protect the health, safety and well‐being of everyone in light of the spread of the COVID‐19 virus.

"If I get the extra year of eligibility, I'm 100 percent coming back," said Kennedy, a Preseason All-American midfielder from North Babylon, who had produced 22 goals through five games, the fifth-highest goals-per-game rate in the nation. "That is something I'd want to do. I want to be able to write my own ending and end my lacrosse career the way I really want to."

Stony Brook student-athletes originally had gathered on Thursday afternoon inside Island Federal Arena to learn about a three-week suspension of competition. But with the situation rapidly evolving, by the time the meeting had concluded, the NCAA had ended spring championship seasons in addition to abandoning the NCAA basketball tournaments.

The Stony Brook women's lacrosse team was ranked fifth in the country and owned a 4-1 record, with wins against No. 4 Syracuse and No. 11 Princeton — the latter victory this past Sunday at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium.

The decisions student-athletes must now make can be complex. Fellow senior Sydney Gagnon already has a job lined up in human resources in Boston for after graduation, making it unclear whether returning is feasible, even if permissible.

"I think there are a lot of factors to consider," said Gagnon, a defender from Dunbarton, N.H. "I had a job lined up. I know other girls on my team had jobs lined up. Depending on what the NCAA comes out with and what happens, will help me make my decision. But I think a lot of the seniors are just devastated. It's hard to think about it right now. But I would do anything to play another game right now." 

Said Kennedy: "My heart hurts right now. I've been trying not to think about it, because every time I do, I get a little bit emotional. It's hard not to. It's more than just the games that I'm missing. It's going to be a whole different group of girls next year. I don't know who is going to come back next year. I don't know what's going to happen next year. But it's so much more than a game to me. It's all the relationships I've built this year. Not seeing all of my best friends' faces every day like I have for the past three months, it's going to not sit well with me for a while. I'm just really sad."