The 15 members of The Statesman’s sports section voted on 10 annual awards given to Stony Brook athletes, coaches and teams for notable performances throughout their respective seasons in the 2023-24 athletic year as representatives of the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).
The awards are as follows: Men’s and Women’s Most Valuable Player, Team of the Year, Coach of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Transfer of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Rookie of the Year and Men’s and Women’s Breakout Player of the Year.
Men’s Most Valuable Player: Tyler Stephenson-Moore – Basketball, Small Forward
With eight votes, Stephenson-Moore took home The Statesman’s Men’s Most Valuable Player award for the 2023-24 athletic year.
The graduate student spearheaded the Seawolves’ magical run in the 2024 CAA Men’s Basketball Championship, as he averaged 20.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and a steal per game during Stony Brook’s four games in the tournament, which culminated in it falling just short of an NCAA tournament appearance. For his efforts, Stephenson-Moore was named a member of the 2024 CAA All-Tournament Team.
In his final collegiate season, Stephenson-Moore registered 16.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game en route to earning 2023-24 All-CAA Second Team honors.
Other vote recipients: Edmond Kaiser – Soccer, Goalkeeper (six); Dylan Pallonetti – Lacrosse, Attackman (one)
Women’s Most Valuable Player: Ellie Masera – Lacrosse, Midfielder
With 12 votes, Masera took home The Statesman’s Women’s Most Valuable Player award for the 2023-24 athletic year.
The senior saved the best for last; in her final collegiate season, Masera posted single-season career highs in goals (77) and assists (40).
The Tewaaraton Award finalist ranked first in the CAA and sixth in the nation in goals per game (4.05) and fourth in the conference with two assists per game. Additionally, the 2024 USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American First Team honoree had the second-most points in the nation with 117.
Masera also had a crucial impact in the center circle, as she broke the program’s single-season draw control record with 145 and was second in the league with 7.63 draw controls per game.
She also took home the 2024 CAA Midfielder of the Year award and was selected to the 2024 All-CAA First Team. Furthermore, after putting up six goals and five assists in the 2024 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship, Masera earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award and was part of the All-Tournament Team.
Other vote recipients: Torri Henry – Volleyball, Setter (two); Kailyn Hart – Lacrosse, Attacker (one)
Team of the Year: Women’s Lacrosse
With all 15 votes, the women’s lacrosse team unanimously took home The Statesman’s Team of the Year award for the 2023-24 athletic year.
The Seawolves were ranked for the entire season, beginning at No. 11 before finishing at No. 14. Stony Brook registered an 18-3 overall record, which included a pair of victories against ranked opponents.
Additionally, the Seawolves dominated the CAA once again, as they won all eight of their regular season conference games before claiming back-to-back CAA titles. By earning the conference’s automatic bid, Stony Brook reached the NCAA tournament for an 11th straight season, where it was ultimately eliminated in the second round of this year’s edition.
Stony Brook sported the best scoring offense (15.62 goals per game) and defense (8.08 goals allowed per game) in the league and ranked ninth and second in the nation in each category, respectively.
Coach of the Year: Ashley Langford – Women’s Basketball & Joe Spallina – Women’s Lacrosse
With five votes each, Langford and Spallina — who also took home 2023-24 and 2024 CAA Coach of the Year honors, respectively — shared The Statesman’s Coach of the Year award for the 2023-24 athletic year.
In her third year as the Seawolves’ head coach, Langford led Stony Brook to its first-ever CAA regular season championship. Under her leadership, the Seawolves posted a 28-5 overall record and went 16-2 in conference play this season. They achieved the second-highest overall win-loss percentage (.848) and highest conference win-loss percentage (.889) in program history. Additionally, Stony Brook reached the conference title game and netted the program’s first national postseason victory in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament.
The Seawolves had three players earn CAA postseason honors. Point guard Gigi Gonzalez — the 2023-24 CAA Player of the Year — was named to the 2023-24 All-CAA First Team. Power forward Sherese Pittman and center Khari Clark were both selected to the 2023-24 All-CAA Second Team.
Conversely, Spallina punched in another successful year for Stony Brook. The team sported an 18-3 overall record, which included wins over two ranked opponents. This season, the Seawolves remained unbeaten against CAA foes since joining the conference last year, as they came out victorious in all eight regular season conference games before winning a second straight CAA championship.
By securing the conference’s automatic bid, Stony Brook advanced to its 11th-consecutive NCAA tournament, where it reached the second round.
With Spallina at the helm, eight players received CAA postseason honors. Masera — the CAA Midfielder of the Year — attackers Kailyn Hart and Alex Finn alongside defender Avery Hines were named to the All-CAA First Team. Midfielders Charlotte Verhulst and Jaden Hampel with defender Clare Levy were selected to the 2024 All-CAA Second Team. Lastly, midfielder Isabelle Caporuscio earned an appearance on the 2024 CAA All-Rookie Team.
A number of players also collected national acknowledgment. Masera was named to the USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American First Team. Levy was selected to the 2024 USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Second Team, Hines received 2024 USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Third Team honors and Finn, Hart and Verhulst were 2024 USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American Honorable Mentions.
Other vote recipients: Ryan Anatol – Men’s Soccer (three); Matt Senk – Baseball (two)
Men’s Transfer of the Year: Cam Santerre – Baseball, Outfielder
With eight votes, Santerre took home The Statesman’s Men’s Transfer of the Year award for the 2023-24 athletic year.
The graduate student proved to be an impactful bat in the Seawolves’ lineup, as his .459 on-base percentage (OBP) was the highest mark among qualified hitters on the team. Santerre led Stony Brook with two triples and racked up seven doubles, one home run and 16 runs batted in (RBIs).
The newcomer’s ability to get on base was put to good use, as he was tied for fifth in the CAA with 18 stolen bases during the regular season on 21 attempts. Additionally, he dazzled on the field, making just two errors on 80 total chances.
Other vote recipients: Chris Maidoh – Basketball, Center (seven)
Women’s Transfer of the Year: Alex Finn – Lacrosse, Attacker
With nine votes, Finn took home The Statesman’s Women’s Transfer of the Year award for the 2023-24 athletic year.
After three seasons of similar scoring and assisting numbers with the University of Massachusetts, Finn leaned further into her facilitator side in her one and only year with the Seawolves while surrounded by several prolific goalscorers.
As Stony Brook’s primary X player, the graduate student dished out a single-season career-high 53 assists to go with 32 goals. Finn led the conference with 2.52 assists per game and was selected to the All-CAA First Team.
She also earned national recognition for the first time in her collegiate career, as Finn was a All-American Honorable Mention by USA Lacrosse Magazine.
Other vote recipients: Khari Clark – Basketball, Center (six)
Men’s Rookie of the Year: Erik Paulsen – Baseball, First Baseman & Pitcher
With 13 votes, Paulsen took home The Statesman’s Men’s Rookie of the Year award for the 2023-24 athletic year.
The two-way freshman put together an outstanding rookie season, culminating in Paulsen being named the 2024 CAA Rookie of the Year and, consequently, earning a selection to the 2024 CAA All-Rookie Team. Also a 2024 All-CAA Team Honorable Mention, he ranked seventh in the conference in doubles (16) and joint third in saves (six) during the regular season.
Paulsen had a big year at the plate, as he slashed .299/.392/.458 with four home runs. Additionally, he was a key run producer for the Seawolves. Paulsen plated the third-most runs on the team with 24. Out of the bullpen, he pitched to a 3.21 earned run average over 42 innings.
Other vote recipients: Anthony Johnson – Football, Wide Receiver (two)
Women’s Rookie of the Year: Ava Jackson – Volleyball, Pin Hitter
With 10 votes, Jackson took home The Statesman’s Women’s Rookie of the Year award for the 2023-24 athletic year.
The freshman tallied the fourth-best mark on the Seawolves in total points (189.0), total kills (161) and kills per set (2.21) en route to being named to the 2023 CAA All-Rookie Team. Additionally, Jackson ranked fifth on the team with 2.59 points per set.
Although she came off the bench for most of the season, Jackson was integral to Stony Brook’s 17 wins, the program’s most since 2018. She had 10 or more kills in five of the team’s last six regular season games, which helped push the Seawolves up the standings and eventually settle in as the fifth seed for the 2023 CAA Volleyball Championship.
Other vote recipients: Isabella Caporuscio – Lacrosse, Midfielder (four); Janay Brantley – Basketball, Point Guard (one)
Men’s Breakout Player of the Year: Olsen Aluc – Soccer, Forward
With four votes, Aluc took home The Statesman’s Men’s Breakout Player of the Year award for the 2023-24 athletic year.
After an injury-riddled first season with the Seawolves last year, the senior bounced back in a big way despite still not being fully healthy. Aluc led the team in goal contributions, as he scored six goals and assisted four others.
The versatile forward took many roles within Stony Brook’s offense and earned a 2023 All-CAA Third Team selection. Aluc finished ninth in the conference in goals and 10th in shots on goal per game (1.06).
Other vote recipients: J.T. Raab – Baseball, Pitcher (three); Tommy Wilk – Lacrosse, Goalkeeper (three); Anthony Williams – Football, Defensive Lineman (three); Johnny Pilla – Baseball, Second Baseman (two)
Women’s Breakout Player of the Year: Naiah Ackerman – Softball, Second Baseman/Shortstop
With five votes, Ackerman took home The Statesman’s Women’s Breakout Player of the Year award for the 2023-24 athletic year.
Following her 2023 CAA All-Rookie Team nod, Ackerman avoided a sophomore slump by setting career highs in all major offensive categories. As a stalwart in the middle of the Seawolves’ lineup this year, she set single-season career highs in batting average (.288), home runs (five), RBIs (28), runs scored (21), walks (17) and on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) (.839).
The sophomore finished the regular season tied for 10th in the conference in homers. Additionally, Ackerman ranked joint third on Stony Brook in walks, fourth in both slugging percentage (.456) and doubles (six) and fifth in both OPS and OBP (.383).
Ackerman improved vastly from her freshman year, when she unexpectedly became the team’s starting shortstop after Kyra McFarland suffered an early season-ending injury. After being thrown into the fire as a rookie, Ackerman hit just .208 with two home runs, 18 RBIs, eight runs scored, 10 walks and a .545 OPS.
Other vote recipients: Kerry Pearson – Soccer, Defender (four); Avery Hines – Lacrosse, Defender (four); Abby Stanwood – Volleyball, Outside Hitter (one); Leoni Kunz – Volleyball, Outside Hitter (one)
