Caroleo Named Player of the Year

The past season for Quinnipiac College’s women’s lacrosse team might not have met expectations. But for Marissa Caroleo of North Babylon, the 2012 campaign finished with a silver lining.

A 2008 North Babylon High School graduate, Caroleo was named the 2012 NEC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

“I was very surprised,” she told Patch. “I really wasn’t expecting it. This is something that I would not have gotten without the help of my teammates.”

While Caroleo was humble when speaking of the award, her numbers the past season indicate the honor was much deserved. She finished the regular season leading her team with 45 goals and was second overall with 53 total points. She also had 34 draw controls and 16 ground balls.

"Marissa's performance this year has been great," said Danie Caro, Quinnipiac’s head coach. "She has basically had a target on her back all year and still managed to be among the conference leaders in goals and points, and she has gotten the job done for us at both ends of the field."

The season's highlight for Caroleo came in a game on March 30 against Mount St. Mary's. On that day, she became Quinnipiac’s all-time leader in career goals, surpassing Marta Waldron's 2002 total of 125 goals.

In addition to her back-to-back conference Player of the Year awards, Caroleo is a three-time All-NEC recipient (twice First-Team, once Second-Team) and has now earned a major NEC award in three of her four seasons with Quinnipiac; 2009 Rookie of the Year, 2011 Player of the Year, and 2012 Player of the Year.

While Caroleo’s trophy case is now crowded with numerous college awards, she recalled her early playing days as a young girl in North Babylon.

“I picked (lacrosse) up in second grade,” she remembered. “A best friend’s father was starting the program and I started playing and immediately fell in love with the game.”

With the local girls youth league having few players in the beginning, age groups were mixed and Caroleo remembers as a second grader playing with girls in the sixth grade.

“I think playing with the older girls at such a young age really helped me,” she said.

As she prepares to graduate in two weeks, the psychology major is now contemplating a career in the collegiate setting, possibly in the area of academic advising.

But no matter her next step professionally, Caroleo will maintain her strong connection to lacrosse.

“I coach with the Long Island Top Guns,” she said. “I want to continue coaching. It’s really fun to teach the girls.”