Hope Springs Eternal
 
Today is Opening Day, one of my favorite days of the year. Filled with pageantry and promise, Opening Day provides every team with a clean slate and a clubhouse filled with hope.
 
Throughout the course of a 162-game baseball season hope can gain strength or fade, especially among a fan base. This is true in general when talking about sports as success is often defined solely by wins and losses. Hope, however, is essential to maintain inside of an organization even when it fades outside of it.
 
One of the reasons why I love working in college athletics is that hope never fades. We are on a constant journey where goals are set along the way; some are clearly more visible to the outside than others. Winning a championship is an annual goal for each team with the result on full display for all to see. Increasing team GPA and participating in initiatives within the department don't receive the same attention but are no less important.
 
As we approach the finish line to the 2021-22 year, I am filled with hope for our future. Our student-athletes are thriving academically and athletically, and I am so grateful to them for staying the course despite the last two years being as challenging as they were. I'm also thankful to have an outstanding group of coaches and staff, who provide exceptional support toward our expectation for comprehensive success.
 
The business of college athletics has changed so much over the last two years – and more changes are on the way as the NCAA Transformation Committee promises to overhaul Division I governance as we have known it. I have been in enough meetings to know that this isn't just talk and believe wholeheartedly that the future of our business and the public trust associated with it is incumbent upon wholesale change.
 
Then there are the issues of NIL and the transfer portal, two of the more significant examples of the rapidly evolving NCAA. With limited legislative boundaries, student-athletes are being lured to schools with promises of lucrative NIL deals before they even step foot on campus. Many of our Stony Brook student-athletes have taken advantage of this new opportunity to monetize their name, image and likeness, and I hope that more Long Island businesses choose to get involved.
 
While NIL deals will continue to be a topic of conversation, the transfer portal, which as of this morning had 1,242 Division I men's basketball student-athletes in it (1,242!), has taken on a life of its own. It has unquestionably created the concept of "free agency" in college athletics and, while the freedom of movement is a positive development for student-athletes, it often leaves programs looking to reinvent themselves on an annual basis.
 
Despite these fluctuations – and those coming later this summer – there is still so much hope. In the end, our core responsibility to provide an impactful academic and athletic experience has remain unchanged. Hoisting a championship trophy at the end of the season is incredible, but holding a diploma is transformational. The objective is to deliver both to our student-athletes, but the hope is that in the pursuit they learn lessons that will help them long after their time at Stony Brook is concluded.
 
Let's continue to believe in what we can be and build toward it. We're moving to the CAA because of what we have built together and the hope of all that is to come.
 
Thanks to the believers. We are excited to continue down this new road together with you.
 
Here's to hope on this Opening Day and everyday hereafter!
 
Dawn Bodrug Dealing for Softball
 
For any pitcher, throwing a no-hitter is an amazing achievement. Then there is Dawn Bodrug, who tossed no-hitters in consecutive starts against Maine and St. John's over a four-day span to become the program's Division I career leader with four.
 
Since stepping foot on campus in 2020, Dawn has established herself as one of the most dominant pitchers in school history. In that first Covid-shortened season, Dawn threw the first of her no-hitters in a perfect game against Cornell. Her 245 strikeouts last season is the third-highest single-season total in school history. She's at 168 and counting heading into this weekend's series at Providence.  
 
Keep dealing, Dawn!
 
Lacrosse Doubleheader Set for Saturday
 
LaValle Stadium is the place to be on Saturday as our men's and women's lacrosse teams return to conference play.
 
The No. 5 women's team will look to extend the nation's longest conference winning streak when they take on New Hampshire at 3 p.m. Sophomore Ellie Masera earned IWCLA National Player of the Week honors for her tremendous performances in wins over Princeton and Arizona State.
 
There is no question that the women are playing with an extra edge as they have their sights set on an at-large berth and national seed in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Saturday's action starts with the men taking on NJIT at noon. The guys are coming off of a 14-13 win at Dartmouth on Tuesday. Sophomore Dylan Pallonetti extended his goal-scoring streak to 24 consecutive games, the nation's third-longest streak.
 
Make plans to join us for a great day of lacrosse starting at noon on Saturday! 
 
Welcome to the Mets, Travis Jankowski!
 
This year is the 10^th anniversary of the baseball team's historic run to the College World Series, and a key member of that team has returned to New York as a member of the Mets.
 
Travis Jankowski, who was a first-round pick of the San Diego Padres in 2012, spent last year with the Philadelphia Phillies and earned a roster spot with the Mets this spring thanks to his trademark defense and speed on the bases. Good luck to Travis and to all of our Seawolves pros throughout baseball this season. 
 
More Records Fall for Track & Field
 
With every meet that our track and field team competes in, the record book continues to be rewritten.
 
Last weekend's Colonial Relays in Williamsburg, Virginia, resulted in two new school records as Kyria Moore broke her own record and earned first-place in the hammer throw with a mark of 52.14m. The men's sprint relay team consisting of Josias Luctamar, Sebastian Ramos, Miles Ryan, and Timothy Weber took third-place with a program-record time of 3:31.15.
 
Our track and field team continues to make major strides so watch for more records to fall at this weekend's Ocean State Invite in Providence.
 
Tennis Takes Down Hofstra
 
As our tennis team competes in its final season as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference, the women picked up a solid 5-2 win over Hofstra on Wednesday.
 
It could be the last non-conference win (at least for now!) for Stony Brook over our Long Island rivals. Tennis is the only team that will have an opportunity to compete for a conference tournament title when the squad heads to the MVC Championships on April 21.
 
I would like to close by offering our heartfelt condolences to our friends at Binghamton after the passing of men's lacrosse student-athlete Robert Martin. It is my hope that all who knew and loved him find peace in this very difficult time.
 
Keep believing!

 

Shawn