Together We Transform Thursday – April 18, 2019
 
Mental Health Matters
 
Happy Thursday from Indianapolis where I am attending NCAA Division I Council meetings. Over the next two days, the Council will be voting on several important pieces of legislation that will continue to shape intercollegiate athletics.
 
Recent examples of legislation – and there has been a lot! – passed by the Council include:

• Allow football student-athletes to play up to four games in one year without losing a season of eligibility
• Introduce the transfer portal that gives student-athletes the ability to provide notification to transfer rather than request permission
• Permit men's basketball student-athletes to declare for the NBA Draft and enter into a relationship with an agent without immediately losing their NCAA eligibility

One piece of legislation that is coming before the Council during this meeting would require all Division I schools to make mental health services and resources available to student-athletes. This legislation was adopted by the autonomy conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) in January.
 
I am extremely proud of the fact that our department was out in front of this issue four years ago when we included goals related to mental health services in Together We Transform. Taking the lead in this area was very important to us and, as a result, we hired two counselors and have formed a stronger partnership with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) on campus. The number of student-athletes who seek the services of our counselors has increased exponentially, the result of our efforts to decrease the stigma related to mental health issues.
 
Not only do I take pride in what we have done at Stony Brook, but I am equally proud of the America East for its work around mental health. I serve on the conference's Mental Health Working Group that ultimately made recommendations for each of our schools to follow. In essence, we were already doing what the autonomy conferences legislated. To that end the America East became the first of the 27 non-autonomy conferences to adopt the autonomy legislation.
 
Our goal is to always beat Power 5 programs, but this is one time when I am happy to stand with them. The mental health of all student-athletes matters too much.
   
Spring Football


 
Spring practice is in full swing for football and, with the annual spring scrimmage just over a week away on April 28, it is safe to say that we have a very hungry team eager to take a huge step this fall. Despite the loss of several key contributors from last year, there is no shortage of young talent ready to make an impact.
 
Quarterbacks Tyquell Fields and Jack Cassidy have looked very good through the first three weeks of drills. Both have the ability to use their legs and put pressure on opposing defenses. I'm also excited about running backs Ty Son Lawton and Isaiah White.
 
While I believe that our offense will be very good, our defense looks as strong as ever. Sam Kamara, who changed his number from 75 to 5, is having a monster spring at defensive end and I'm predicting a breakout year for him. When opposing quarterbacks do try to throw, they will face a secondary that is loaded with guys who can cover and make plays.
 
We've got high expectations for 2019 so if you don't have your season tickets, I encourage you to get them. Come and watch our progress at the spring game on April 27 at LaValle Stadium.
 
Winning Time


 
Tomorrow kicks off a busy weekend for Stony Brook Athletics. It's time to win!

• There is major mojo on the side of women's lacrosse after weekend wins over Albany and No. 14 USC. Friday's 17-9 win over Albany was the team's 30^th consecutive America East victory. We're going for number 31 tomorrow at LaValle Stadium against Binghamton. Get your tickets now! 
• Men's lacrosse travels to Vermont on Saturday afternoon with playoff positioning on the line. After defeating UMass Lowell 15-12 last weekend, our guys can take the regular season title with a win Saturday and in the finale against Albany on April 26.
• Baseball has jumped out to a 9-3 start in America East play and will look to stay hot this weekend with three games against Albany at Joe Nathan Field. We're scheduled to play a doubleheader on Friday with a single game on Saturday. 
• Softball picked up wins over Seton Hall and LIU Brooklyn this week and will take on Lehigh for a doubleheader on Saturday.
• Track and field will be back at home on Saturday to host the Wolfie Invitational. It's been a tremendous outdoor season thus far and I know that our team is excited to compete on campus this weekend.
• Tennis takes a record of 15-3 into the final regular season match at home on Saturday against Queens College. Up next is the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, which starts a week from tomorrow in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Finally, I want to give a special shoutout to the Spirit of Stony Brook. Our band is preparing for their inaugural spring concert on April 24 at 7 p.m. in Island Federal Arena. The concert is free so please get your tickets now
 
Keep believing!
 
Warm regards,


 
Shawn