The blog has officially gone mainstream. We now have a sponsor. Welcome to the first Together We Transform Thursday brought to you by our friends at Team Ardolino.

The truth is that our corporate partners play such an important role for our department. Our primary sources of revenue are donations, ticket sales and corporate partnerships. The corporate community is vital to our success so the next time you see a promotion at a game or see an advertisement from one of our sponsors, please join me in thanking them for their support of Stony Brook Athletics. I strongly encourage you to support the businesses that support the Seawolves!

If you would like to learn more about our sponsors and how your business can get involved with Stony Brook Athletics, please click here.

Here's What I Think About Preseason Polls: Not Much



I could stop there, but I suppose an explanation is warranted. My disinterest in preseason polls has existed for as long as I can remember, and seeing Stony Brook picked eighth in the CAA preseason football poll on Tuesday brought the same reaction that I had when our men's basketball team was picked first in the America East last year: a yawn.

Don't get me wrong, I never like to see our teams picked lower than I think they deserve to be. I know that the level of respect that we receive in the preseason polls will rise as we win more games. In the end, in every sport, the only number that matters is our conference finish at the end of the year.

The positive news that I take away from the release of preseason polls is that it signifies that the season is just around the corner. When we take the field at LaValle Stadium against CAA preseason favorite Richmond on September 17, it won't matter who was picked first or eighth. All that matters is who has more points than the other when the clock hits 0:00.

Women's Soccer First to Report



The fall officially commences next week when our women's soccer team reports on August 2. It is hard to believe but their season begins on August 19 when Bryant comes to LaValle Stadium. Since his arrival from the University of Washington in December, Brendan Faherty has been busy preparing for his first season as head coach – both on and off of the field.

Anytime there is a coaching transition, my challenge to the new coaching staff is to build trust with the current student-athletes. None of them were recruited by Brendan so it is natural for them to have a certain sense of anxiety. I can tell you that Brendan and his assistants, Sarah Martinez and Sade Ayinde, have worked hard to build a family atmosphere. From their training sessions to their Twitter challenges (use #SummerChallengeSBWS to see some amazing videos), this team is poised for great things in 2016. It all starts next week!

Volleyball Rules in the Classroom



Our volleyball team is also preparing for a successful 2016 season and, if their work on the court comes anywhere close to their results in the classroom, we are in store for an historic year.

For the third straight year, our volleyball team was honored with the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for 2015-16. In order to receive this award, a team must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3. The volleyball team finished the 2015-16 academic year with a GPA of 3.34, which led all of our teams. Coley Pawlikowski, her staff and student-athletes take tremendous pride in their academic success so I am not surprised by the outstanding results.

The volleyball team opens the 2016 season in Orlando on August 26 with matches against UCF and Stetson.

On the Horizon

As the calendar turns to August, it means that we're that much closer to a new year. I am always excited for the fall, but this one has a different feeling. Maybe it's because I know that we will have some exciting news to share in the coming weeks (there is a lot to share, in fact!), but I think it has more to do with my confidence in our trajectory. I do have high expectations for what this year will bring because I have so much belief in our student-athletes. Get ready, because we're going to have some fun starting this fall.

Together We Transform!

Warm regards,



Shawn