Jan. 31, 2001
Stony Brook, N.Y. -
In only its second year of NCAA Division I competition, Stony Brook University has accepted an invitation to join the America East Conference beginning in the fall of 2001, the school announced today. The Seawolves become immediately eligible for the America East's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in all sports.
Seventeen of the 19 varsity sports at Stony Brook will compete in the America East. Lacrosse will remain in the ECAC Lacrosse League, while football will remain in the Northeast Conference.
"Stony Brook's entry into the America East Conference is the culmination of the efforts and perseverance of many individuals here at the university, especially our President, Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny," said Richard Laskowski, Dean of Physical Education and Athletics at Stony Brook. "It all began with our announcement to move our program from Division III to Division I six years ago. The America East Conference is a perfect fit for Stony Brook because it is a mixture of the finest public and private universities in the Northeast. Each member is committed to excellence in academics and in all the sports that it sponsors. We are very proud to be invited to the conference and we are excited to begin competing against these schools in the fall of this year."
Stony Brook has already enjoyed noteworthy success in the short year and a half the Seawolves have competed in the Division I ranks. Last season, the baseball team compiled a 30-11 record and ranked first in the country in batting average and slugging percentage. This past fall, the men's soccer team achieved the school's first-ever Top 25 national ranking en route to a 12-4-2 record. The Seawolves also boast two Independent Soccer Players of the Year--Moses Sarr in 1999 and Kerri McCabe in 2000. The women's basketball team went 18-10 in its first year of Division I competition and has continued its success this year with the help of the 17th-leading scorer in the nation, freshman Sherry Jordan. The men's team, currently 12-9 on the year, has already doubled last year's win total with eight games remaining on the schedule.
"America East is where we belong," Kenny said. "Having moved a year and a half ago into Division I, we are now affiliating with a conference that is a true fit. Our momentum is dynamically strong this year, and next year will be even better."
The America East, which will also welcome the University at Albany this fall, currently includes 10 other schools: Boston University, Delaware, Drexel, Hartford, Hofstra, Maine, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Towson and Vermont. The America East will be a twelve-member conference for one season, Hofstra, Delaware, Drexel and Towson have announced their intention to join the Colonial Athletic Association beginning in the 2001-2002 academic year.
The conference, which was established in 1979 as ECAC North, now sponsors championship competition in 21 sports for men and women. Baseball, men's and women's basketball, field hockey, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis and volleyball all earn automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. In addition, several America East student-athletes compete as individuals in NCAA Championships such as cross country, swimming and diving, and track and field. The America East ranks among the nation's leading Division I conferences in providing access for its champions into NCAA postseason play.
"The America East is very excited about the addition of Stony Brook University," commissioner Chris Monasch said. "The university is a natural fit with an academic and athletics mission that is similar to our current members. Along with its significant academic reputation, Stony Brook has all the ingredients needed to be an outstanding mid-major Division I athletics program. The coupling of Stony Brook University and the America East Conference greatly enhances the future of both entities."
Stony Brook will compete in the America East in eight men's sports--baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field, and in nine women's sports--basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field and volleyball.
KEY EVENTS IN
STONY BROOK ATHLETICS
August 1988 - University elevates women's soccer and men's lacrosse to Division I
April 1991 - Stony Brook University Future Directions Committee recommends that entire athletic program go Division I
March 31, 1993 - Dr. Richard Laskowski named Dean of Physical Education and Athletics and charged with guiding the University to the Division I level
July 1993 - University begins complying with Division II regulations
Feb. 10, 1994 - University unveils the moniker Seawolves as new logo and nickname
Fall 1995 - Seventeen sports begin play at the Division II level
May 29, 1997 - President Shirley Strum Kenny endorses Intercollegiate Athletics Board's plan to move Stony Brook's athletic program to Division I
May 30, 1997 - President Kenny notifies the NCAA of Stony Brook's intentions to upgrade the athletic program
June 3, 1997 - University officially announces plans to begin competing at the Division I level by 1999-2000
August 1999 - Stony Brook begins first season of Division I competition in all sports
Jan. 31, 2001 - Stony Brook announces that it will compete in the America East Conference in all sports other than football and lacrosse beginning in the fall of 2001
HIGHLIGHTS IN
STONY BROOK ATHLETICS
* 2000-2001 men's basketball team rebounds from a 6-23 record in its first Division I season to 12-9 so far this season
* 2000-2001 men's basketball team battles hard before falling to 10th-ranked UConn on the road, 67-58
* Women's basketball player Sherry Jordan ranks 17th in the nation in scoring -- the second-highest freshman
* Men's basketball player Josh Little 25th in the country in three-point percentage (47.1)
* 2000 men's soccer team ranked in Top 25 -- the first Division I ranking for a Stony Brook team
* Head men's soccer coach Scott Dean named National Soccer Coaches Association of America Regional Coach of the Year and Atlantic Soccer Conference Coach of the Year
* Men's soccer players Dan Ferrin and Jermaine Wright named first team All-ASC
* Women's soccer player Kerri McCabe named Independent Co-Player of the Year
* Former Stony Brook baseball player Joe Nathan currently in his second season with the San Francisco Giants
* 2000 baseball team finishes first in the nation in batting average and slugging percentage and second in homeruns en route to a 30-11 record
* 1999-2000 women's basketball team compiles an 18-10 record in first Division I season
* Men's soccer player Moses Sarr named Independent Player of the Year in 1999
STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS
* 115 student-athletes named to the Honor Roll in Fall 2000
* 67 student-athletes named to the Dean's List in Fall 2000
* 106 student-athletes named to the Honor Roll in 1999-2000
* 54 student-athletes named to the Dean's List in 1999-2000
* 1999-2000 women's cross-country team named Academic All-American "With Distinction"
* 1999-2000 women's tennis team named Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team
* Tennis players Esther Forrester, Belvin Gong and Kyle Warner named ITA Scholar-Athlete All-American
* Women's tennis player Belvin Gong received Winston Churchill Fellowship to attend Cambridge University
* Men's soccer player Oluwaseun Ajayi received the State University of New York 2000 Benjamin Scharps and David Scharps Law Award
* Cross country's Chris Davis and women's soccer player Larisa Mahns received Stony Brook Undergraduate Excellence Award
