SBU's Sowell Reflects on Up-and-Down 2011

The Stony Brook University men's lacrosse team's season was a roller coaster ride, starting off as the fifth-ranked team in the country and finishing with its in the America East Conference tournament. Now, two weeks later, Seawolves head coach Rick Sowell talks with Patch about the season.

Adam Newman: Now that 2011 is over, what are your thoughts on the season?

Coach Rick Sowell: Back-to-back double-digit wins, which hasn't happened in a while. To think that we went 10-4 and still left something on the table says a lot. I thought our guys handled expectations really well, but we're still disappointed with not accomplishing that goal of going back to the NCAA Tournament.

AN: In what areas did the team exceed your expectations?

RS: It's hard to say they were exceeded. We handled the national attention real well, whether that was media, lacrosse experts or things like that. Our guys were pulled a lot of ways and they exceeded my personal expectations.

AN: Where did they fall short of your expectations?

RS: Not winning the championship game against Hartford, obviously. It wasn't due to a lack of effort. Those kinds of things happen in this sport.

AN: All four of the regular-season losses were against ranked teams. Is that a badge of honor or a sign that the team had trouble against the top competition?

RS: The program has come a long way. In the past, teams looked at us as just another opponent and now we present a lot of challenges. We're going to continue to compete on a national level.

AN: Who was a player who surprised you?

RS: surpassed expectations. We knew he was a very good player, but didn't realize the impact he would have in such a short amount of time. Other guys that come to mind are Russ Bonanno, Brett Drost and Rob Camposa. I'm not sure there were any surprises, but these guys were very good for us this year.

AN: With so much senior talent graduating, how do you prepare for next season?

RS: On offense, we'll restructure and re-tool. Obviously when you lose guys like [Jordan] McBride and [Kevin] Crowley, we'll be re-tooling. But I'm excited. There's going to be a lot of competition, and that is healthy. We're going to play a lot more guys next season and I'm already looking forward to the fall.

AN: Where do you think the team will finish next season?

RS: I'm looking forward to next season. Between now and then, a lot changes. My staff and I are going to see what we can come up with to make sure this program continues in the right direction.