Monday night's Wolfie Awards brought our Stony Brook Athletics family together to celebrate another historic year for the Seawolves.
 
The excitement for the 2022 Wolfies among our student-athletes, coaches, and staff was at an all-time high as we returned to our normal format following the virtual Wolfies in 2020 and last year's socially-distanced version. Like so many events over the past few weeks, Monday's celebration felt just as it did back in May of 2019.
 
Seeing the smiles on our student-athletes' faces as they mingled with one another was pure joy for me. They have been through so much over the last two years and then just as life was starting to feel normal again, our decision to move to the CAA led our current league to ban our winter and spring teams from competing in conference championships.
 
Through all the twists and turns of the last two years, our student-athletes, coaches, and staff have triumphed. We are gaining momentum at a critical time, and I am so grateful to every member of our department for their determination and diligence while laying the groundwork that will lead to success in the CAA. The best news is that our student-athletes are more driven than ever and extremely excited about all that lies ahead in the CAA.
    
The business of college athletics has changed so much in recent months – and more drastic change is on the horizon as the NCAA searches for a new leader following the resignation of Mark Emmert and the Transformation Committee continues with its work. I promise that we will continue to evolve with the times while always remaining true to our vision of positively transforming the life of each student-athlete.
 
That sense of purpose is what made this year's Wolfie Awards so special. The Wolfies are always for and about our student-athletes, and Monday was an uplifting opportunity to celebrate them and their outstanding achievements.
 
Women's Lacrosse Begins Championship Chase on Friday
 
As has become an annual Mother's Day tradition, our women's lacrosse team gathered inside of Island Federal Arena on Sunday night to watch the NCAA Tournament selection show.
 
It's always an exciting time to be with our student-athletes, their parents and the coaches as the bracket is revealed and we learn our tournament fate. The selection committee chose us as the No. 8 overall seed, which was definitely lower than we were expecting given our strong body of work throughout the season. Our first round game is tomorrow against future CAA foe Drexel at 3 p.m. and will be followed by the Rutgers-St. Joseph's game at 5:30. The winners will play on Sunday at noon for the right to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals.
 
This has been another incredible year for our women's lacrosse program as the team cleaned up by winning almost every major conference award. Congratulations to Kailyn Hart (Attacker of the Year), Ellie Masera (Midfielder of the Year), Haley Dillon (Defender of the Year), Charlie Campbell (Goalkeeper of the Year), and Joe Spallina (Coach of the Year).
 
Yesterday it was announced by USA Lacrosse Magazine that Ellie Masera earned First-Team All-America honors while Clare Levy (Second Team), Rayna Sabella (Third Team), Haley Dillon (Honorable Mention), and Kailyn Hart (Honorable Mention) were also recognized as All-Americans.
 
This is the best time of year so be sure to get your tickets and join us at LaValle to cheer on our women as they start their championship run tomorrow.
 
Dawn Bodrug Becomes Stony Brook Strikeout Queen
 
Dawn Bodrug's dominance in the circle helped carry our softball team to a conference-best 31 wins while establishing herself as the program's single-season strikeout leader with 285. The previous record of 282 was set by Stephanie Poetzsch in 2002.
 
It was a remarkable way for Dawn to cap off her Seawolves career, which featured a program-record six career no-hitters (including four this past April).
 
Evan Brennan Makes History at Penn Relays
 
Our track and field program has set so many program records this year that I've lost count, but Evan Brennan's performance in the 10,000-meter run at the Penn Relays on April 29, was truly next level.
 
Evan's time of 28:59.64 was good for a first-place finish as he became the third Stony Brook runner in program history to win an event at the Penn Relays.
 
Baseball Focused on Finishing Strong
 
Our baseball team is looking to make a statement in its final weeks as a member of the America East.
 
The guys swept UMBC at home this past weekend and have won seven of their last nine league games. After traveling to Binghamton for a three-game series this weekend, the team returns home for a season-ending series against NJIT May 19-21. We're squarely focused on defending our conference regular season title and, with six games to go, will compete hard to get the job done.
 
Stay Tuned for Big News
 
Our launch of the John Ramsey Leadership Society last week was the first of many significant announcements that we have planned over the next few weeks.
 
The Ramsey Leadership Society (RLS) was created to recognize the generosity of donors who choose to either make a significant one-time gift or a multi-year commitment at a specified level. It is no secret that we are actively working to secure gifts that will help to transform our department as we move to the CAA.
 
Thanks to so many loyal supporters, many donors have already made commitments that qualify for RLS recognition. We look forward to sharing those stories in the weeks to come, including one major commitment which we finalized earlier this week that will have a transformative impact on our department.
 
As we reach the finish line of the 2021-22 year, we have long been working toward 2022-23. I invite you to join us for what promises to be the most exciting year in Stony Brook Athletics history.
 
Keep believing!

 

Shawn