"I love winning, man. It's like, better than losing."
 
Those immortal words were spoken by Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh, the free-spirited pitcher played by Tim Robbins in one of my all-time favorite movies, Bull Durham.
 
Like Nuke LaLoosh's Durham Bulls, your Stony Brook Seawolves have been winning – a lot – lately. Take a look at the conference standings for football, volleyball, women's soccer and men's soccer and you will see Stony Brook on top.
 

• Football is off to a 4-1 start, including a 2-0 record in the CAA. Saturday's win over No. 13 Villanova was the team's fourth straight.
• Volleyball has won five straight matches, while jumping out to a 3-0 start in America East play. Their win at New Hampshire on Sunday was the first against the Wildcats since 2012.
• Women's soccer is 2-0-1 in conference action and has scored at least three goals in six of their last seven contests.
• Men's soccer is 2-0 in the America East after earning their first win over a ranked opponent in two years by defeating No. 16 UMass Lowell, 4-0.

 
The combined 9-0-1 start by those four teams has created a substantial buzz within our department. Our student-athletes feed off of the energy created by their collective success.  Now our task is to keep it rolling.
 
At a meeting of our Athletics Management Team this morning, I asked our staff what they felt was contributing to the strong start. Among the responses were "the buy-in from coaches and student-athletes is the highest that it's ever been."
 
I could not agree more. Our head coaches in those four sports – Chuck Priore, Kristin Belzung, Brendan Faherty and Ryan Anatol – along with their assistants are definitely bought in. In addition, our men's and women's cross country teams, led by Andy Ronan, are in the midst of strong fall seasons and will be among the favorites to win America East titles on October 27. 
 
Our objective is to make history, and we have a good chance of doing that this fall. I am grateful for your support throughout the first few weeks. Although there is still a long way to go, I love the start.
 
Now it's all about how we finish.
 
Red Out for Homecoming
 
Homecoming is right around the corner on October 20, and we are calling for a "Red Out" of LaValle Stadium.
 
As we work to build traditions on campus, we are encouraging everyone to come to the game and wear red. Homecoming is always our most highly-attended game of the year and there is no reason why we shouldn't pack LaValle once again this year. The energy in the stadium with the new enhancements has been outstanding so get your tickets now and plan to be part of the sea of red on October 20.
 
NCAA Meetings in Indianapolis
 
Today is my first day back in the office after spending the past three days in Indianapolis for NCAA Division I Council meetings. As the America East representative on the Council, I have a seat at the table where conversations regarding the future of NCAA governance is taking place. The past few days were spent discussing everything from the future of transfers to reform in college basketball.
 
The Council is comprised of 40 members, including a representative from each of the 32 Division I conferences, four commissioners, two student-athletes and two faculty athletics representatives. Each member of the Council also serves on one of seven standing committees: Competition Oversight, Football Oversight, Legislative, Strategic Vision and Planning, Student-Athlete Experience, Men's Basketball Oversight and Women's Basketball Oversight. I am a member of the Student-Athlete Experience Committee, which has been focused on shaping new legislation to address early recruiting.
 
Just as our Council meetings were beginning on Monday, the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) was wrapping up their weekend meetings. It turned out that I wasn't the only Seawolf who made the trip to Indianapolis. Senior cross country student-athlete Darian Sorouri, who serves as Vice President for the America East SAAC, participated with his NCAA SAAC peers.
 
Through the new Council structure, the NCAA has given a huge voice to student-athletes and I am proud that Darian was given the opportunity to represent the America East.
 
Another Huge Weekend
 
Let's keep the winning feeling this weekend! It all starts tonight as women's soccer hosts Binghamton at 7 p.m. Volleyball hosts the Empire Clash with Albany tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. As you know, each time we beat Albany we have a bagel breakfast to celebrate. Here's to more bagels!
 
Saturday is a huge day as football is on the road at Towson and men's soccer is at New Hampshire. The weekend concludes with women's soccer at New Hampshire on Sunday. Let's keep the good times – and the wins – coming.
 
Keep believing!
 
Warm regards,

 

Shawn