Stony Brook boosted its roster with a top-notch transfer once again, this time in Florida midfielder Janine Hillier, who will enroll at SBU and take the field with the Seawolves this spring.
Hillier, a junior and a Farmingdale High School alum, was part of Florida's top-ranked recruiting class and was IL's No. 23 recruit in 2009. She put up 34 goals and six assists as a sophomore last season, making her the fourth leading scorer on the Gators' NCAA quarterfinal team.
Stony Brook has cited "personal reasons" as the rationale behind the decision. Stony Brook is closer to Hillier's hometown and her sister, Kim Hillier, is an assistant on SBU coach Joe Spallina's coaching staff.
"She's going to add a different dynamic to the team," Spallina said, "She's athletic and creates offense on her own, which will be important for us. She gives us a veteran presence and has played in NCAA games so she knows what it means to win. We felt we had a strong fall and to add her completely raises the expectations for our season."
Spallina, who took over at Stony Brook this season after winning the last three national championships with DII Adelphi, added four impact transfers from the Panthers roster in goalie Frankie Caridi, midfielders Demmianne Cook and Emily Mercier and attacker Claire Petersen. Hillier will add to this transfer profile.
Also a big part of the draw for the Gators, pulling in 35 draw controls last season, Spallina sees Hillier contributing on the circle for the Seawolves as well.
"The great thing about a player like Janine is that she does everything," Spallina said. "Her fitness is immaculate. She plays hard on both ends of the field. We felt pretty good on the draw coming out of fallball but, especially with the new rules, we think she can help us out a lot."
Stony Brook finished 1-5 in the America East Conference last season and 4-11 overall. Spallina has goals set considerably higher in his first season at the helm of the program — winning the America East and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
"Having a player like her on a relatively young roster will really help us build on the momentum we've built through the fall," he said. "We want to compete and play the best and we want to make it to the NCAA Tournament and make a big splash when we get there."
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