A New Era for Stony Brook Football
 
Next fall, for the first time since 2006, we will have a new head football coach on our sideline. As the search begins for the next leader of our program, I am embarking upon this process with tremendous energy and excitement about the future and all that it holds.
 
I will always be grateful to Coach Priore for his dedication to Stony Brook and to the young men he mentored over his 18 years here. He led us to our greatest heights at the Division I level and I wish him nothing but success moving forward.
 
For us, the future has already begun.
 
Since Monday's announcement, I have been inundated with calls, texts and emails from agents and coaches about the job. In addition, I have heard from countless alums and supporters offering their thoughts, which I greatly appreciate. I recognize the critical importance of this hire, and I am deeply committed to identifying and delivering the right person for our school, our community and, most importantly, our current and future student-athletes.
 
I promise to move as quickly as possible while ensuring a complete and thorough process. I am extremely grateful for the trust that President McInnis has placed in me as well as her unwavering support of our student-athletes. Our trajectory as an institution continues to rise under her leadership, and it is important that our football program follows a similar path.   
 
We have an amazing group of high character student-athletes that gave everything that they had in 2023. There is no hiding from our record but, rather than being defined by it, we will hold our heads high and commit to writing the story of an epic turnaround in 2024.
 
Volleyball Finishes Regular Season in Historic Style
 
Our volleyball team opens play in the CAA Tournament today riding a tidal wave of momentum after a weekend sweep at Hofstra that extended our squad's winning streak to six.
 
It had been a long time since we last won a volleyball match against Hofstra – 24 years to be exact – dating back to September 28, 1999.
   
As expected when we joined last year, the CAA has proven to be a very strong volleyball conference. I'm extremely proud of Kristin Belzung's crew for taking a major step forward this year, posting a league record of 11-7 after going 5-11 in 2022. Speaking of proud, senior Torri Henry was named CAA Setter of the Year and earned First Team honors while senior Leoni Kunz was selected to the Second Team and freshman Ava Jackson was an All-Rookie selection.
 
Good luck to our Seawolves as they compete in the first round against the College of Charleston this afternoon!
 
Basketball Returns to the Island
 
Make plans to catch our basketball teams in action at Island Federal Arena next week as both the men and women return home following extended road trips.
 
The women, who are currently 3-0, are in action on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Holy Cross and on Wednesday at noon with a special pre-Thanksgiving matinee matchup with Delaware State. Graduate forward Khari Clark, a transfer from Loyola Marymount, is the reigning CAA Player of the Week and is currently averaging more than 19 points per game.
 
On the men's side, the team returns home on Monday to take on Rider at 6:31 p.m. The game is part of the Cornhusker Classic, which included this week's road contests at Duquesne and Nebraska. Graduate Tyler Stephenson-Moore, who missed last night's game in Lincoln against the Cornhuskers, leads a balanced scoring attack with an average of 11.7 points per game followed by graduate guard Dean Noll at 11.3.
 
Get your tickets and join us for all of the action this week!
 
CAA Champs – Men's Cross Country Does It Again!
 
Huge congratulations to head coach Andy Ronan, assistant Jason Headman and the men's cross country team as they successfully defended their CAA championship on October 27.
 
Four Seawolves finished in the top 10 among the field, led by graduate Carlos Santos who finished second overall with a time of 24:15.30 to lead the way for us in the 8-kilometer race.
 
The team went on to compete in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship on November 10, and placed ninth overall at the 2023 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship. Once again Carlos was the top individual performer for the Seawolves, finishing 19th overall and claiming All-Region distinction for the first time in his storied career.
 
It's going to be an exciting few weeks so please know how grateful I am for your continued loyalty and support of our Seawolves.
 
Keep believing!
 
Shawn