Together We Transform Thursday – March 14, 2019
I kept my calendar open for tomorrow and Saturday believing that our basketball teams would be competing for America East championships on those days.
Although we did not achieve our ultimate goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament, I am not going to let the short term disappointment overshadow the long term plan that we have in place. I hope that you will do the same. Make no mistake about it, our goal is to win championships. It bothers me that we aren't playing this weekend but my focus is squarely on the big picture.
Consider the following:
- In his third year, Jeff Boals led our men's team to 24 regular season wins (the most since we joined Division I), 13 true road wins (the most in the nation) and victories in all four money games (South Carolina, George Washington, Rhode Island and Northern Iowa).
- The men defeated a Power 5 opponent for the second straight year (South Carolina in 2018-19, Rutgers last season) and defeated two Atlantic 10 opponents (Rhode Island, George Washington) after coming in to the season with one all time win against the A10.
- In her fifth season, Caroline McCombs led our women's team to 23 wins (second-highest total since we joined Division I) that included a 10-game winning streak and the first-ever win over a Power 5 school (Penn State).
- The women's 10-1 record to begin the season was the program's best start in more than 30 years.
Furthermore…
Our teams combined won 47 games, which equates to a 75 percent winning percentage. There aren't many schools that can make a similar claim. The bottom line is that we're going to continue to win and put ourselves in position to reach the NCAA Tournament.
The men's team loses only senior Jaron Cornish but will receive an immediate injection of talent. Makale Foreman, who sat out this season after transferring from Chattanooga, will have two seasons of eligibility remaining and has been one of the team's most dynamic players in practice all season long.
Although we lose Shorty Johnson and Jerell Matthews on the women's side, the future is extremely bright with sophomore starters India Pagan, Oksana Gouchie-Provencher and Hailey Zeise returning along with All-Rookie selection Annie Warren.
Basketball success is imperative to what we are doing at Stony Brook.
Stay tuned for information on possible postseason play for the men. The guys are motivated to play again after their last game. I am too!
Thanks to all of our wonderful supporters being there all season long. We're going to keep building… just keep believing!
Lacrosse Teams Look to Stay Hot on the Road
LaValle Stadium will be vacant this weekend as the men's and women's lacrosse teams are on the road. The No. 17 women's team will travel to Ithaca to take on Cornell while the men head to Hartford for their America East opener.
Ally Kennedy (six goals) and Siobhan Rafferty (five goals) were on fire last night as the women rolled past UMBC in the conference opener, 16-5. The men dropped Bryant 9-8 last Saturday thanks to a Chris Pickel Jr. goal with 16 second remaining.
Let's keep winning!
Baseball Opens America East Play
Joe Nathan Field will host the first America East games of the 2019 season as UMBC rolls in to town for a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.
Junior Michael Wilson is off to a hot start, batting .417 with four home runs and 11 runs batted in. He sat out this week's games against Wagner and LIU Brooklyn but will be ready to go as conference play begins this weekend. Come out to Joe Nathan and cheer on your Seawolves!
Softball Looking to Do Work in D.C.
The softball team will be in the nation's capital this weekend for the Buff and Blue Challenge featuring Georgetown, George Washington and Oakland.
Tomorrow will be an early morning for Megan Bryant's squad with the first game of the weekend scheduled for 9 a.m. against Georgetown.
It's time to finish strong in our spring sports and bring home the Commissioner's Cup.
Keep believing!
Warm regards,
Shawn
