Keep Believing, Seawolves Nation!
 
As a small boy growing up in Texas, I quickly fell under the magical spell of college football. I have always cherished the energy that comes with it, and that has only grown stronger throughout my professional career. Football – and its role on campus and in the community – will always be very important to me.
 
I've experienced many ups and downs over my nearly 25 years working in college athletics and, like so many who have dedicated their life to this profession, wouldn't trade them for anything.   
 
Three weeks ago, the largest opening-game crowd in Stony Brook football history – 11,132 – filled in to LaValle Stadium on August 31 as we opened the season against Delaware. Now we must build upon that energy as we look ahead to Saturday when we host Richmond at 3:30.  
 
Our record isn't what we want it to be, and we all know that it needs to improve. I'm asking for your continued support while allowing the full impact of the offseason changes – to the roster, scheme and staff – time to take shape.
 
Saturday presents another opportunity to grow and get better, and our intention is to embrace and enjoy every bit of that process.
 
Men's Basketball Schedule Set
 
After much anticipation, we now have a complete 2023-24 men's basketball schedule following the CAA's announcement of the league slate on Tuesday.
 
The non-conference schedule kicks off with a game that will be accompanied by a great deal of hype as we travel to Queens on November 7 for the head coaching debut of Rick Pitino at St. John's. Trips to Nebraska, Army and Michigan State also highlight the non-league portion of our schedule.
 
Conference play will commence on the road at Northeastern on January 4 before our home league opener at Island Federal Arena against defending champion College of Charleston on January 6. The CAA Tournament will be held March 8-12 at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.
 
I'm happy to report that our team looks completely different with Aaron Clarke, Jared Frey, Dean Noll and Sabry Philip – each of whom missed last season due to injury – back in the lineup along with high-impact transfers Chris Maidoh and Andre Snoddy. Our returners are led by graduates Tyler Stephenson-Moore, who chose to return for his fifth season, and Keenan Fitzmorris.
   
Be sure to get your tickets now and be a part of the action this season.
 
Seawolves Stories Coming Soon!
 
Earlier this week we announced an exciting partnership with a company called FanWord that will enable our student-athletes to tell their stories while building their personal brands.  
 
We were motivated to partner with FanWord after seeing their work with schools like Alabama, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Memphis. All stories will be a part of a new feature series called "Seawolves Stories" – a campaign dedicated to connecting our fans and student-athletes on a more personal level.
 
There are so many compelling personal journeys that our student-athletes will have the opportunity to share as part of the Seawolves Stories series. Stay tuned for the first installments to be featured on stories.stonybrookathletics.com.
 
Stony Brook Rises in the Rankings – Again
 
I'm sure that you saw the exciting news that Stony Brook achieved its highest-ever ranking in the recently-released U.S. News & World Report's 2024 America's Best Colleges publication – #58 among national universities – which is also the highest for a SUNY institution.

We jumped 19 spots from a year ago while maintaining our #1 ranking among public universities in New York for the second year in a row and #26 among public universities nationwide.

Great things are happening at Stony Brook!

Keep believing! 



Shawn