Together We Transform Thursday - September 25, 2025

Speeding Through Change
The current pace of change within Division I athletics has officially reached NASCAR level speed. While I will never know what it's like to strap in for the Daytona 500 (although it would be very cool), I can relate to the steely nerves required in such tense, high-speed situations.

In the last three years alone, we have transitioned conferences and incorporated the distribution of NIL into our organizational practice. As it turns out, those developments represented the slow rumble that would quickly become an avalanche of change.

The House settlement, which most notably permitted schools to directly share revenue with student-athletes while also incorporating roster limits for each team, has also led to the establishment of a new NCAA governance structure intended to provide significantly greater voting power to Power Four conferences.

The Division I Council, the entity established in 2014 to make decisions on NCAA legislation, has given way to the Division I Administrative Committee. The Council included 41 representatives with each conference represented plus two student-athletes, two faculty athletics representatives and four conference commissioners. This structure allowed for many voices across Division I, including my own as the CAA representative, to be heard.

To streamline the decision-making process, the Administrative Committee was reduced to a roster of only 20 members. The makeup of the group features eight representatives from the autonomy conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC). The remaining spots are assigned to two representatives from the nonautonomy FBS conferences, three representatives from the FCS conferences, three representatives from the Division I Subdivision conferences, one faculty athletics representative and three student-athlete representatives.

I was pleased to be selected for one of the FCS spots and look forward to the first in-person meeting of the Administrative Committee on October 6-7 in Indianapolis. 
Regardless of the changes that come our way and the speed with which we encounter them, Stony Brook is prepared. We're strapped in and ready to race to the front!

Football Returns Home on Saturday
I hope that you will plan to be in attendance at LaValle Stadium on Saturday as our football team returns home to take on Merrimack at 3:30 pm. Our guys are fired up to play in front of our loyal fans, and I am excited for the opportunity that we have to bounce back after a tough 30-27 loss on Saturday at Lindenwood.

Losing stinks, but the way our team battled back in the second half to give us a chance to win was awesome to see. Coach Cosh preaches a "next play" mentality whether the game is going in our favor or not and I saw that on full display. Senior receiver Jayce Freeman was a one-man wrecking crew with nine receptions (including one highlight-reel grab along the sideline) for 178 yards and two scores.

The team has had an outstanding week of practice so you can expect a highly motivated group of Seawolves to take the field on Saturday.

Please come out, wear red and be loud! Get your tickets now and help us fill LaValle for what promises to be an electric Seawolves Saturday.

Welcome to the Stony Brook Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025
Tomorrow night marks our annual Stony Brook Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony where we'll celebrate four remarkable individuals who left a lasting legacy on our department.

The 2025 Hall of Fame class is comprised of Michael Bamiro '13 (Football), Shayla Giosia-Brown '15 (Softball), Sean Chamberlain '07 (Men's Lacrosse) and Erica Keller-Meyer '99, '03 (Women's Soccer).

I look forward to welcoming Michael, Sean, Shayla and Erica as the newest members of the Stony Brook Athletics Hall of Fame.

Football Alum Dom Reyes Heads Down Under for UFC Fight Night 
Dominick Reyes made a name for himself as a standout safety for Stony Brook from 2009 to 2012. His interception in the endzone with less than a minute remaining in the 2011 FCS Playoffs helped to seal a 31-28 win over Albany.

On Saturday night, he will enter the octagon in Perth, Australia, where he will headline the UFC Fight Night card in a light heavyweight bout against New Zealand's Carlos Ulberg. Dom has won three straight fights and is currently ranked No. 7 in his weight class.

I had the pleasure of visiting with Dom and his wife Brenda at our season-opening football game at San Diego State. They are a delightful couple excited for the arrival of their first child – a son – later this year. Dom is so incredibly proud to be a Seawolf… and we're equally proud of him!
 
Women's Soccer On Fire!
Your Stony Brook women's soccer team is in the midst of an eight-game unbeaten streak and shows no signs of slowing down.

Sunday's 1-0 win over previously unbeaten Elon propelled Tobi Bischof's squad to a 7-0-1 record since a 1-0 defeat at UConn on August 17. Graduate student Reilly Rich is second in the nation with 10 goals, including a hat trick in a 5-3 win over Yale two weeks ago. She was named National Player of the Week for her efforts and will look to stay hot when the team heads to New Jersey on Sunday to take on Monmouth.

Volleyball, Men's Soccer Continue CAA Play
Our volleyball and men's soccer teams will both hit the road to continue CAA play this weekend. Volleyball will battle Hampton tomorrow and Saturday while men's soccer travels up to Boston for a critical game at Northeastern on Saturday.
Volleyball opened conference competition last weekend, splitting two matches at home against Northeastern. Men's Soccer is coming off of a 4-0 win over Farmingdale State and looking for its first CAA win of the season.

Cross Country Teams Finding Their Stride
There is no slowing down the three-time defending CAA champion men's cross country team. Our guys have won their first two meets of the season, including last weekend's Ted Owen Invitational in New Britain, Connecticut. The team was led by junior Collin Gilstrap who crossed the line first with a time of 25:19.30, earning CAA Runner of the Week honors.

The women's team, which has been beset by injuries, finished fourth and was paced by senior Amelie Guzman's 14th-place result.

Both teams will race next at the Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh University on October 3.
Looking Ahead

• Although our men's and women's basketball teams have been working out since the start of the school year, both squads transitioned this week to their maximum allowable 20 hours of CARA (countable athletically related activities). This milestone marks the official start of the preseason, which is a reminder to get your season tickets if you haven't already done so. Our annual "Meet the Team" Night is set for October 28 so don't miss your first chance to see our teams on the court at Stony Brook Arena.
• The first CAA championship of the year is a little more than a month away when our cross country teams toe the line on Halloween. Our men's team is looking for its fourth straight title.
• I'm very pleased with the progress of our construction project at Joe Nathan Field and University Field. If you have driven by the site, you have noticed a tremendous amount of activity. Our baseball and softball teams have been forced to utilize alternate spaces for the time being, but it will all be worth it!
• We are continuing to work on the draft of our new strategic plan, which is titled "Unleash the Power of the Pack." There is an opportunity for us to make a significant leap forward, and that is exactly what we intend to do. I am excited to share our bold new vision for Stony Brook Athletics in the months ahead so stay tuned!     

 
Thanks as always for supporting our Seawolves!

Keep believing,
 

Shawn