Leaping into NIL
 
Happy Leap Day! This quadrennial day leading into March marks the start of a critical weekend for our Seawolves.  
 
Before diving into all the activities taking place over the next few days, I'd like to provide some perspective on the chaos that seems to be constantly hovering over Division I athletics. Perhaps you saw Friday's news that a federal judge in Tennessee ruled against the NCAA and its ability to enforce rules pertaining to NIL. This, combined with the National Labor Relation Board's recent decision to grant Dartmouth's men's basketball student-athletes the opportunity to unionize, has created wild narratives about the future of Division I. When you toss in the ever-present subject of the transfer portal, it almost feels like a perfect storm is brewing.
 
Although there is no denying the fact that Division I is in a state of evolution, I am here with words of advice for all who are ready to press the panic button: take a breath.
  
All of us who work in this space have been forced to operate under different (and, at times, ever-changing) guidelines. Administrators and coaches have been forced out of comfort zones and I don't believe that there is anything wrong with that. Take NIL, which has now been a part of our world since 2021, as an example. If you are a Division I AD, you are thinking about NIL every day.
 
This is certainly true for me. In fact, this past Tuesday night, I attended a fundraising event to support the efforts of the 1957 Club. Since its launch in May of last year, the 1957 Club has signed NIL deals with Stony Brook student-athletes across several sports. I am incredibly appreciative of all who have contributed to the 1957 Club and encourage everyone to learn more by going to the1957club.org and checking out our promotional video. We're off to a great start but we need to do more to ensure that our student-athletes can maximize their NIL opportunities at Stony Brook.  
 
Just the fact that we can call on our supporters to support NIL shows that the NCAA, whether you want to believe it or not, is evolving. I believe that even more radical changes are coming over the next few months so stay tuned. Regardless of what lies ahead, my primary focus continues to be steering Stony Brook through any storm that may arise while having complete confidence in our department's preparedness for anything that comes our way. Stay tuned!
 
Leaping into a Huge Weekend
 
Men's Basketball: Tonight at Drexel, Saturday vs Delaware  
 
Tonight kicks off a massive two-game regular season finish for the guys as they are in Philadelphia to battle Drexel at 7 p.m. The team is coming off a two-game home sweep with wins over North Carolina A&T and William & Mary and heads into tonight with tremendous confidence.
 
Saturday's home finale against Delaware is Senior Day, which will give us an opportunity to celebrate Aaron Clarke, Chris Maidoh, Dean Noll and Tyler Stephenson-Moore. Tip is at 4 p.m. so get your tickets now and help us pack the Island one final time!
 
These two games are huge for seeding in next weekend's CAA Tournament in Washington, D.C. Given how the CAA has been all season long, next week promises to be a wild on in our nation's capital.
 
Women's Basketball: Friday at Drexel, Sunday vs. NC A&T  
 
Our women are coming off of a strange weekend in which they didn't play after a scheduled bye on Friday and a forfeit by Northeastern on Sunday. Now we are heading into a huge weekend starting with a road test at Drexel tomorrow night at 6.
 
Sunday's highly anticipated matchup against North Carolina A&T at 2 p.m. at Island Federal Arena will feature the CAA's top two teams in their lone meeting of the year. Add the fact that it is Senior Day and it means we need to fill the seats and celebrate the amazing year our women have had to this point. Please get your tickets today and join us as we watch the top two teams in the CAA battle it out while celebrating our amazing senior class, including graduate students Khari Clark and Gigi Gonzalez!
 
The team will wrap up the regular season next week with games at Hampton and William & Mary in advance of the CAA Tournament.
 
Women's Lacrosse: Saturday vs Villanova
 
Joe Spallina's 3-0 squad kicks off a busy Saturday on campus as they host Villanova at LaValle Stadium at 10 a.m. The team has shown its offensive firepower early in the season, scoring a program record 55 goals through the first three games. Senior midfielder Ellie Masera was named USA Lacrosse National Player of the Week after registering 11 goals and six assists in wins over Bryant and Arizona State.
 
Men's Lacrosse: Saturday vs Hampton
 
Following the women's game on Saturday, the men will take the field in their first CAA contest of the year against Hampton at 1 p.m. Graduate Nick Dupuis, who sat out last season after transferring from UMBC, currently leads all CAA players with 5.5 points per game.
 
Baseball: Friday – Sunday at Virginia Tech
 
After a strong weekend in Baton Rouge, which saw Matt Senk's team defeat No. 2 LSU on Saturday as part of a four-game stretch in Louisiana, the squad will head to Blacksburg for a weekend series with the Hokies.
 
Softball: Saturday at George Mason, Sunday at George Washington
 
Heading down I-95 to take on George Mason and George Washington, the softball team will look to build off a strong weekend in Stockton, California, where our women won three out of five games at the Libby Matson Tournament.
 
Swimming & Diving: at CAA Championships through Saturday
 
Our women are currently in Hampton, Virginia, competing in the CAA championship meet, which runs through Saturday. The team is also competing in the classroom, recently achieving Scholar All-America status for the Fall 2023 semester from the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association after obtaining a 3.31 team GPA.
 
Tennis: Friday at Bryant, Saturday at Rhode Island
 
The team will look to stay hot, traveling to the Ocean State after Saturday's 6-1 win over Monmouth in the first CAA match of the year. Freshman Mia Palladino was honored as CAA Player of the Week.
 
Track and Field: Saturday and Sunday at IC4A/ECAC Championships
 
Following a successful showing at last weekend's CAA Indoor Championships, the team will travel to Boston for the final indoor meet of the season. Notable performances included sophomore George Franks winning the 400-meters and setting a new school record of 46.76 and graduate student Carlos Santos defending his 5K title with a new meet record of 14:03.6.
 
Keep believing!

 

Shawn