Joely Caramelli’s Long Island Jesters career set up her bigger role in 2025
Joely Caramelli has leaned on her Long Island Jesters experience to take over as Syracuse's primary draw specialist this season, totaling 37 wins in seven starts. Aaron Hammer | Staff Photographer
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Joely Caramelli’s breakthrough occurred during the 2021 MidAtlantic Summer Club Championships in front of 200 college coaches, which included Northwestern and North Carolina’s entire staffs. Facing the nation’s top teams — No. 5 Sky Walkers Lacrosse, No. 4 Monsters Elite and No. 1 Top Guns — Caramelli faced immediate pressure.
She wasn’t fazed, helping her club team — the Long Island Jesters — defeat all three ranked squads to advance to the championship. Against Top Gun, she strung draws together, helping the Jesters rebound from an eight-goal deficit, coach Colleen Kilgus said. Though the Jesters fell to Yellow Jackets Lacrosse, the tournament put Caramelli on college coaches’ radars.
“She doesn’t get frazzled,” Kilgus said. “That’s what sets her apart from other people in the game, is that she’s just always very calm.”
The MidAtlantic Summer Club Championship was only a piece of Caramelli’s 12-year Jesters career, which helped her become Syracuse head coach Kayla Treanor’s first commit in September 2021. Following SU’s draw struggles, Caramelli has revitalized SU’s unit with 37 draw controls in seven starts to begin her sophomore year. Her emergence, aided by her Jesters career, is a pivotal development for the Orange as they chase their first national title.
“When I got to college, I wasn’t surprised by anything,” Caramelli said. “I felt like I was completely prepared for it by my Jesters experience.”
Kate Mashewske commanded the draw circle for the last five years, setting SU’s program record for career draw controls. Caramelli took note of Mashewske’s “make it, take it” style in the circle, where she’d often corral the ball herself. She said this sparked a fire under her this season. With Mashewske’s graduation and Meghan Rode’s struggles to begin 2025, Caramelli was thrust into action against then-No. 12 Clemson on March 1 and stepped up with 26 wins in her first four games as a starter.
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Her success — including 343 draw wins at Massapequa High School (New York), per head coach Erin Kollar — stemmed from the Jesters. Growing up, she watched players like North Carolina’s Marie McCool and Jamie Ortega dominate the circle and wanted to follow suit.
At 5-foot-5, Caramelli was often disadvantaged on the draw. Her father, Jerry, a former faceoff specialist for Roanoke College from 1988-90, showed her how to make it an advantage. He first said to ask referees if her hands and feet were positioned correctly. Facing a taller player, Caramelli crouched down. With someone her size, she stood up straight. Each adjustment disrupted her opponent’s rhythm.
“She was able to dominate some of the best draw (midfielders) in the country because of her IQ and understanding weight shift balance,” Jesters coach Bill Taylor said.
Though Caramelli and the Jesters reached elite levels, the program wasn’t always a powerhouse. Unlike elite clubs that recruited talent across Long Island, the Jesters pulled mostly from Massapequa. Early on, they were outmatched. But Caramelli said the team’s chemistry and a stricter training regimen led to success.
To help turn the tide, Jerry — the Jesters’ founder and head coach — implemented what he called “the T drill.” To start practices, the girls formed four tight lines in an X formation. The coaches gave two lines a ball, and players had to catch and pass while the other ball flew from another direction.
The exercise improved Caramelli’s stick work as she learned to score with both hands, Jerry said. By high school, practices became fast-paced and Jerry opened sessions with offensive drills to familiarize players with playing tired. With 17 future Division I commits, it resembled the speed of a typical college workout. So, when Caramelli got to Syracuse, she wasn’t flustered.
“(The girls) just thought that was a normal day of practice, so when they went to college, they said, ‘this is no different,’” Jerry said. “There was no adjusting for them.”
Long Island Jesters teammates Jessica Giller, Joely Caramelli, Mary Koster and Christina Fradella pose after a game with the club. Caramelli’s 12-year Jesters career aided her breakout sophomore season in 2025, where she’s totaled 37 draw controls and 13 goals in 13 games. Courtesy of Jerry Caramelli
Taylor always knew Caramelli would thrive because of her ability to play every position on the field in elementary school. On offense, she properly recognized when it was time to cut toward the goal or flash back for a pass. She’d also slide a few steps to the side to slip into a defender’s blind spot and go unnoticed for goals.
Using those skills, Caramelli became a star at Massapequa. She tallied 127 goals and 40 assists in three high-school seasons while leading the program to its first-ever state playoff appearance. Caramelli often dished to open teammates and let other players take control when she was face-guarded, per Kollar.
Yet, Caramelli took on a minimal role when she arrived at Syracuse last year. She didn’t start a game, but scored 11 goals, the ninth-most on the team. In the offseason, Treanor suggested she work on dodging.
Caramelli turned to Christina Esposito, a former Jesters coach and current Clemson assistant coach. Starting as a high-school freshman in 2020, they worked twice a week over the summer on conditioning and stick work. Last summer, Esposito’s training focused on reading defenders — anticipating their movements and countering without hesitation.
“It definitely helps with my confidence,” Caramelli said. “As I’m taking a dodge or (one-on-one), all of (Esposito’s) tips and tricks are always in the back of my mind.”
Caramelli’s interest in Syracuse stemmed from attending a camp run by Treanor as a kid. During her recruitment, Caramelli had a heated talk with her parents to convince them she wanted to attend SU, Jerry said. They eventually agreed it was her decision. So, after a call and official visit shortly after Treanor took over the program from Gary Gait, she committed.
Now, Caramelli’s development with the Jesters is coming to fruition by leading Syracuse’s draw control. If Syracuse captures its first-ever NCAA title in May, Caramelli will be a key reason why.
