Stony Brook University Athletics

Shawn Heilbron has guided Stony Brook to unprecedented heights since becoming Director of Athletics on July 1, 2014. His implementation of Together We Transform: 2015-2020, a five-year strategic vision for Stony Brook Athletics, has led to historic athletic success, record-breaking revenues, new and revitalized facilities, and a transformative student-athlete experience with significant advances in academics, mental health, life skills, nutrition, sports medicine and high performance.  

Under Heilbron’s leadership, Stony Brook has attained historic levels of competitive success. The program claimed first-ever America East Commissioner’s Cup in 2018-19 when it was one of three Division I programs to achieve at least 22 wins in men’s and women’s basketball, seven wins in football, 30 wins in baseball and softball, and 20 wins in volleyball.

The 2018-19 year was one of the most successful in Stony Brook history as seven teams won regular season titles and football reached the NCAA FCS Playoffs for the second straight year.  

Volleyball claimed their second consecutive America East championship in 2018 under second-year head coach Kristin Belzung while winning a school-record 17 straight matches and finishing 12-0 in conference play for the first time. 

Historic achievements have come often for the Seawolves since Heilbron arrived on Long Island, including the 2015-16 men's basketball team earning a school record 26 wins, a program-best 18-game winning streak, and first-ever America East Championship and NCAA Tournament bid.

Women’s lacrosse has also emerged as a national power, winning seven consecutive America East titles and becoming the first Stony Brook team to be ranked No. 1 nationally – a spot it held for 11 straight weeks in 2018. The team reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 2017 and 2018 while drawing record crowds to LaValle Stadium.
Football success is an integral element of Heilbron’s vision, and the Seawolves earned their highest ranking in program history (No. 10) in 2017 after tying a school record with 10 wins. The team was part of a record six schools from the Colonial Athletic Association to reach the playoffs in 2018.  

Fundraising success has played a critical role in the department’s growth. Heilbron secured the largest gift in Stony Brook Athletics' history, a $5 million contribution from Glenn and Eva Dubin, toward the construction of the Dubin Family Indoor Training Center. The Dubin gift led to an additional $6 million in financial support for the project. Other major facility upgrades that have taken place under Heilbron’s leadership include the $5.7 million, 2,000-seat expansion of LaValle Stadium and $13 million renovation of University Pool. Numerous locker room and office renovations have also been completed.

Revenue generated from football and men's basketball ticket sales have increased each year since 2014 while new single-game and season attendance records have also been established. Heilbron was part of the campus leadership team that helped to secure Stony Brook's 10-year, $7 million dollar campus-wide partnership with Island Federal Credit Union that led to the naming of the arena. 

Success has also taken place in the classroom. In three years the cumulative GPA for student-athletes rose from a 3.08 in 2014-15 to a program-best 3.19 in 2017-18. The department's attention to academic success and leadership led to a Stony Brook student-athlete receiving the prestigious recognition as America East Man or Woman of the Year in five out of six years (Olivia Burne - 2014; Eric Speakman - 2015; Alejandro Fritz – 2016; Kylie Ohlmiller – 2018; Mike Watts – 2019) while Christina Melian was the school’s first-ever finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year in 2017.

Heilbron's focus on transforming the life of each student-athlete has led to a number of new initiatives, including the hiring of the department's first full-time staff member dedicated to life skills as well as mental health counselors who work exclusively with student-athletes. Student-athlete welfare has also been at the center of innovative programs in performance nutrition, data science and sports medicine.

Leadership is an important component to the student-athlete experience at Stony Brook, and Heilbron launched the Academy of Leaders that he meets with regularly to discuss critical issues within the department and to provide personal and professional development opportunities. He also worked with student-athletes to establish the Black Student-Athlete Huddle in 2018.

Heilbron arrived at Stony Brook after serving three years at Oregon State as Senior Associate Athletics Director. At OSU, he led efforts to complete the Department of Intercollegiate Athletes' $157 million fundraising goal as an element of OSU's broader fundraising initiative. He also served as the primary administrator for OSU's Men's Basketball and Football programs.

Before he joined OSU, Heilbron spent five years at UCLA (2006-2011) where as Associate Athletics Director for Development he was responsible for raising more than $35 million in gifts. He left for UCLA after serving as Associate Athletic Director for External Relations at Southern Methodist University (1999-2006) where he managed all fundraising, marketing and sales functions, including corporate sponsorship and ticket sales. He secured a leadership gift of $5 million that enabled SMU to break ground on the Crum Basketball Center, a state-of-the-art practice facility.

A 1994 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, Heilbron earned a Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film and began his career that same year as Director of Public Relations for the Dallas Freeze of the Central Hockey League. Following his stint with the Dallas Freeze he served as communications and marketing manager for Pinnacle Trading Cards. Heilbron and his wife, Bevin, have three children: sons Asher and Ramsey, and daughter Quinlan.