RICHMOND, Va. – Stony Brook women's lacrosse senior Ellie Masera was named the Coastal Athletic Association Preseason Player of the Year and four players took Preseason All-CAA honors, as Stony Brook was picked to finish first in the league among the league's coaches on Wednesday.
 
Masera took her second straight Preseason Player of the Year honor from the CAA. She along with graduate student Kailyn Hart, senior Clare Levy and senior Jaden Hampel were voted Preseason All-CAA. Stony Brook had the most players on the Preseason All-CAA team, taking four of the league's 12 available awards.
 
A consensus All-American, Masera scored 71 goals, tallied 95 points and picked up 120 draw controls a season ago, all good for tops in the league. The 71 goals and 95 points were sixth and eighth in the country respectively. Masera was last year's CAA Midfielder of the Year and a First Team pick and she took First Team All-American from USA Lacrosse in this year's preseason honors.
 
Hart was a CAA First Team pick and Honorable Mention All-American among both major media outlets after putting up 55 goals and 78 points from the attack in 2023. She enters her fifth season at Stony Brook with 157 career goals and 210 career points, eighth and 10th all-time in program history, respectively. She was named Honorable Mention Preseason All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine.
 
Levy was also a First Team CAA pick last season, putting up 27 ground balls, 16 caused turnovers and 58 draw controls in 2023. A defensive captain, she led a defense which allowed just 7.89 goals per game last season, fourth-fewest in Division I. She was a Third Team USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American last year and took the same honor for USA Lacrosse in the preseason.
 
Hampel had career-highs in goals (31), points (51), shots (67), ground balls (25) and caused turnovers (9) a season ago, as she was named Second Team All-Conference. She was a key draw-taker on a unit which finished ninth in the country with a .584 draw control percentage. Hampel scored five goals twice last season, including in the season-opener against Michigan.
 
Stony Brook was ranked first in the preseason poll, a consensus first-place pick among the league's coaches. Drexel, who reached the NCAA Tournament a season ago was picked second and league runner-up Towson was picked third.
 
2024 CAA Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll

1. Stony Brook – 64 (8)
2. Drexel – 54
3. Towson – 51 (1)
4. Delaware – 40
5. Hofstra – 37
6. Monmouth – 29
7. William & Mary – 23
8. Elon – 15
9. Campbell – 11

 
Stony Brook will begin its season with a matchup against Dartmouth on Sunday, Feb. 18. The Seawolves will begin conference play at Towson on March 16, heading back to Tiger Field where they won the CAA Championship a season ago.
 
For an inside look at the Stony Brook women's lacrosse program, be sure to follow it on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.