Ally Kennedy, a likely Tewaaraton finalist after leading Stony Brook to a 4-1 record before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the 2020 season prematurely, has been named the US Lacrosse Magazine Division I Women’s Preseason Player of the Year.

The midfielder returns to Stony Brook for a fifth season in 2021 with high expectations of bringing the program its first NCAA championship. She ranks second in program history in draw controls (242), fourth in goals (193), fifth in points (248), fifth in ground balls (133) and 10th in assists (55) after finishing her high school career at North Babylon (N.Y.) has a somewhat unheralded prospect.

In 2020, Kennedy tallied 22 goals, five assists, 47 draw controls, eight ground balls and three caused turnovers in five games, notching at least four goals and seven draw controls in each contest. The speedy midfielder truly impacts the game in all facets and is the motor for a Seawolves team that is expected to rely heavily on its midfield this spring.

One of the best midfielders in the world, Kennedy was invited to an official tryout for the U.S. women’s senior team that would have represented the country in the 2021 World Lacrosse Women’s World Championship, but the event was subsequently postponed until 2022 due to COVID-19. Kennedy previously competed with the national team at the 2019 Fall Classic.