Greetings from Indianapolis, site of the 2018 NCAA Convention and my home away from home since Monday. Having just completed my first round of meetings as a member of the Division I Council, I can tell you that there are some incredible conversations taking place around critical issues related to intercollegiate athletics.
 
It is a privilege to represent the America East on the Council, which serves as the primary decision-making entity for Division I. I am one of 40 members of the Council, which consists of athletics directors, conference commissioners, senior women administrators, faculty athletics representatives and student-athletes. Among the most discussed issues in Indianapolis include early recruiting, the work of the recently-formed NCAA Commission on College Basketball and the potential for changes to the transfer policy.
 
The subject of transfers is unquestionably the most controversial, and we received an update on the work of the Transfer Working Group. There is still a great deal of work ahead but it will be very interesting to hear the ultimate recommendations from the group. As I prepare to head back tonight (hopefully in time for tipoff of our men's basketball game) I return with complete confidence that the NCAA is as nimble as ever. Decisions made by the Council yesterday ensure that all Division I members will move forward in a forward direction, and I'm very excited to a part of it.
 
Seawolves Show Strength in Fall Directors' Cup Standings


 
The Learfield Directors' Cup is the holy grail for athletic departments. It essentially serves as a ranking of athletic programs for their success across all sports.
 
Each Division I school is awarded points across 10 men's and 10 women's sports. Schools that sponsor the largest number of sports have the best chance to win as evidenced by Stanford, which has claimed the Directors' Cup every year since 1994-95.


 
Our goal at Stony Brook is to have a broad-based program that competes for championships in all of our sports. The Fall Directors' Cup standings that were released last Thursday reveal that we are making significant progress toward our goal. Propelled by strong seasons for Football, Women's Soccer, Volleyball and Men's Cross Country, we finished 42nd among all Division I programs ahead of such schools as Ole Miss, Purdue, Maryland, Texas A&M and Ohio State. To see the complete list of schools, visit http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/nacda/sports/directorscup/auto_pdf/2017-18/misc_non_event/Jan11overallDI.pdf.
 
I am extremely proud of where we are as a department - and highly energized about where we are going. Our student-athletes, coaches and staff are committed to sustaining success, and we have more championships to win on the months ahead.
 
Women's Lacrosse To Host Midnight Practice
 


The 2018 national champion in women's lacrosse will be crowned at LaValle Stadium. Our team's goal is to be the last team standing on Memorial Day weekend, but they are taking it one step further by being the first team to take the field.
 
All women's lacrosse programs are able to begin practicing on Saturday so our team decided to get a jump on the competition. When the clock strikes midnight, we will take the field and officially begin the 2018 season. The practice will take place in LaValle Stadium and is open to the public.
 
It is well known that Joe Spallina and his women's lacrosse team have their sights set on bringing home the first-ever team national title in Stony Brook history. They can't wait to get started and - thanks to the midnight practice - won't have to wait much longer.
 
Thinking of Julia
 
Many of our student-athletes will begin to return over the next two weeks to prepare for their spring seasons. We have some teams that are definitely ready to add to our championship total!
 
My heart hurts for the family and friends of Julia Sarcona, and on behalf of the entire Stony Brook Athletics family I wish to extend my deepest sympathies.
 
Julia, who was a senior on the women's lacrosse team at Colorado but grew up down the road from us in Northport, was killed in a car accident on Saturday. Several members of our women's lacrosse team were very close to Julia as friends and teammates, and this news hit extremely hard.
 
We will continue to keep both the Sarcona family and the Colorado Women's Lacrosse family in our thoughts.
 
This Weekend for the Seawolves
 
Friday
Women's Tennis is at Florida Atlantic – 10 a.m.
 
Saturday
Indoor Track and Field is at the Penn Invitational – 10 a.m.
 
Sunday
Swimming & Diving is at New Hampshire – 10 a.m.
Men's Basketball is at New Hampshire – 1 p.m.
Women's Basketball is HOME against New Hampshire – 2 p.m. (GET TICKETS)

#DK23
 
Warm regards,


 
Shawn