Together We Transform Thursday – August 26, 2021
The pulse of campus is pumping strong this week as Monday brought the first day of classes and a feeling of normalcy for the first time since March 2020.
Just walking across campus, you can feel the energy as students flocked back to Stony Brook following a year of mostly remote instruction. The students are excited to be back and we look forward to welcoming them back to our venues. President McInnis has made it very clear that she wants to create more energy on campus, especially on the weekends, and we have been working with our partners in Student Affairs to do everything possible to drive student attendance at games.
Just as campus has opened with full operations, we're full go as our fall teams open competition. Although the threat of Hurricane Henri forced us to cancel Sunday's home women's soccer game against Quinnipiac, we're excited to host our first event of the year tonight at 6 when men's soccer hosts LIU at LaValle Stadium.
Our goal has always been to deliver the most positive experience possible for our student-athletes, and we are doing everything possible to live up to that. The message to our student-athletes and staff is to focus on what you can control, remain positive and move forward with fearlessness. We can't be afraid to go for it in everything that we do. If we have learned anything over the past 18 months, it's that time is of the essence. No one knows what tomorrow will bring so our priority is to be proactive.
Let's go!
Next Up: Men's Soccer and Volleyball
Our next two teams out of the gate are men's soccer and volleyball. Both teams enter the fall with high expectations after their abbreviated spring seasons.
Ryan Anatol and his team open up the season at home against two local squads, LIU (tonight at 6 p.m.) and Hofstra (Monday at 6 p.m.). Several talented newcomers are expected to contribute immediately while veterans Kori Cupid and Gabe Fernandes return for the additional season that was awarded to them last fall.
Volleyball will take the court tomorrow in Florida, where the team will compete in the Florida Atlantic Tournament against host FAU, Wofford and North Florida. The spring was a valuable opportunity for many of our young players to gain experience, and I believe we've got the talent to make a lot of noise this year. Sixth-year head coach Kristin Belzung received an added boost with the return of graduate student Kiani Kerstetter, one of the top defensive players in school history.
I'm excited to watch these teams compete and am looking forward to watching them get some wins on the board!
One Week to Football!
We are now one week away from kicking off the football season against New Hampshire and, judging by the response from our season ticket holders and the general public, the energy is building.
I was at the team's scrimmage on Saturday and was fired up by what I saw. As I shared previously, our offense has undergone some changes and the results are evident. That being said, we still plan to pound the ball with three powerful running backs in Ty Son Lawton, Roland Dempster and Jayden Cook. All three have been running over people all fall and, with enhancements to the passing game, I expect us to put a lot more points on the scoreboard. Tyquell Fields has looked very sharp and I'm excited to see him lead our team at the quarterback position.
On the defensive side of the ball, keep an eye on Isaiah Givens. The former receiver was moved to defensive back following the spring season. Every time I go out to practice, he stands out. He can line up at several different spots and is only going to get better as the year progresses. While we lost a talented No. 8 in Augie Contressa, we have a new talent on defense wearing No. 8 in Isaiah.
If you don't already have your tickets please get them today. We are running a special $7 deal today only so don't miss out and plan to join us next Thursday. Our team is excited to be back in front of our home fans so get your red on and get loud!
It's our time to be fearless and go for it! A lot of work is being done behind the scenes to position our department this year and beyond. We're all into win.
Until next time…
Keep believing!
Shawn
