STONY BROOK BEATS ALBANY 18-12, IN AMERICA EAST SEMIFINALS, HEAD TO UMBC SATURDAY NIGHT FOR AMERICA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP

Stony Brook Shoots Down Albany, Moves On To Play In America East Finals
Seawolves Will Play for the America East Title on Saturday at UMBC

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook's high-powered offense unleashed season-high 18 goals tonight as the 20th-ranked Seawolves raced past Albany, 18-12, in a semifinal of the America East Championships in LaValle Stadium. The victory sends Stony Brook into the America East finals against UMBC on Saturday, May 2 at 7:00 p.m. in a game that will be hosted by the Retrievers. It will be the first time since 2005 that Stony Brook has played for the title and the NCAA Tournament automatic bid that goes with it. Sophomore Jordan McBride (New Westminster, B.C.) scored five goals to help Stony Brook to its second win over Albany in four days.
"I can't say enough good things about my team," said Stony Brook head Coach Rick Sowell. "We got out of the gate well in the first quarter, things seemed to click and come together for us. We have had a lot of guys step up and that is making us that much more effective."
Unlike last Saturday, it was Stony Brook (9-5) that scored first, getting an unassisted tally from freshman Robbie Campbell (Delta, B.C.) two minutes in. Dave Brock tied the game for Albany (7-7) at the 11:25 mark, but the Seawolves offense erupted early and often during the remainder of the quarter.
After Albany had tied it, Stony Brook reeled off four straight goals by four different players, taking a 5-1 lead on McBride's first of the night off an assist from sophomore Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, B.C.) with 7:57 left in the quarter. The Great Danes came back with a pair of scores, but three more SBU goals in a 1:44 span by Crowley, freshman Kyle Belton (Langley, B.C.) and McBride pushed the lead back to four at 8-3.

Leading 8-4 after first quarter, things quieted down in the second, with only three goals scored between the two teams. Two of those belonged to Stony Brook, as McBride and Belton scored again, both off Crowley assists, to give the Seawolves their largest lead of the night at 10-4. A Corey Small goal late in the quarter halted a nearly 15-minute scoreless streak for Albany, making it 10-5 in Stony Brook's favor at the half.
The two teams traded goals in the first five minutes of the second half before Stony Brook turned up the offensive dial once again. Junior Tom Compitello (Hauppauge, N.Y.) put Stony Brook up 12-6 with an unassisted score at 7:59, starting a streak that saw the Seawolves outscore the Great Danes 4-1, enabling SBU to take a 15-7 lead on Belton's third goal of the evening with 20 seconds left in the quarter.
Albany was not done, however, scoring with a second left in the quarter on a goal from Joe Resetarits that started a 4-0 run by the Great Danes. Small scored the first two goals of the fourth, and Brock followed with his third of the game with 6:49 left that brought Albany back within four at 15-11.
A minute and a half later McBride took a pass from junior Chris Scott (North Babylon, N.Y.) and buried his fifth of the game to break the Albany streak and swing the momentum back towards Stony Brook. Small scored again for Albany, his fourth of the night, but Scott answered with a pair of scores that iced the game for the Seawolves.
Stony Brook's 18 goals was a season-high, and it's most in a game since scoring 19 last season in a win at Delaware. Eight different players scored for Stony Brook, led by McBride's five which moved his season total to 42. Scott scored a career-high four goals, while Compitello had two goals and four assists for a career-high six points. Crowley also added four assists for the Seawolves. Stony Brook out shot Albany, 46-41, and picked up 46 ground balls to 31 for the Great Danes. The Seawolves also had a healthy advantage in the face-off circle, winning 22 of 34 attempts. Albany was led by four goals each from Small and Resetarits.
Stony Brook will now take on No. 11 UMBC in a match-up of top-20 teams that will determine the America East champion as well as which team will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It will be Stony Brook's third appearance in the America East title game in its eight seasons in the league. The Seawolves lost to Albany in the championship game in 2005 and defeated the Great Danes in 2002 when it claimed the title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

2008-09 AMERICA EAST ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS

UMBC, the top seed for the upcoming America East Men's Lacrosse Championship, has been rewarded for its success with a pair of end of season awards as Jeremy Blevins (Cockeysville, Md./Calvert Hall) was named the conference's Player of the Year and Don Zimmerman was tabbed Coach of the Year for the second straight season Tuesday afternoon. University of Hartford's Scott Bement (Canandaigua, N.Y./Canandaigua) was chosen Rookie of the Year to cap the three major award honorees. The winners, along with the all-conference teams, were determined in a vote by the league's head coaches.Blevins, a senior goaltender, anchors a Retriever defense which is among the best in the country. He leads America East and ranks eighth in the nation in goals against average (7.58) and 18th in save percentage (0.56). A first-team all-conference selection last season, Blevins is a nominee for the Tewaarton Award, which annually recognizes the top player in the country. He was named America East Player of the Week on April 6 after holding Towson and Binghamton to eight combined goals and making 22 saves in the two UMBC wins.Zimmerman, who is in his 16th season at the helm of the Retrievers, led his squad to a 10-3 record in the regular season and a share of the league's regular-season title, the fifth straight year UMBC has claimed at least a share of the crown. His team, which has been ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation this season, ranks in among the top 10 in the nation in both scoring offense (fifth, 12.3 goals per game) and scoring defense (ninth, 7.77 goals allowed per game). This is the third time in four seasons Zimmerman has taken home the award, as he was also named Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2008.Bement, a freshman goaltender, was a bright spot for Hartford this season leading the league and ranking 13th in the country in save percentage (0.57). Bement, who was also second in America East with a 9.76 goals against margin, had his breakout game in the Hawks' 10-8 upset over No. 6 UMBC on April 18. In that contest, Bement made a career-high 19 saves, including 11 in the second half, to hold the nation's fifth-best offense to four goals under their average. He was tabbed Inside Lacrosse National Player of the Week for his efforts.Joining Blevins on the all-conference first team are attackers Brian Caufield (Bay Shore, N.Y./West Islip) and Joe Resetarits (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) from University at Albany and Jordan McBride (New Westminster, B.C./New Westminster) from Stony Brook University. Caufield, a repeat selection from a year ago, led America East in points (46) and assists (22), while Resetarits ranked among the league's best with 40 points on 31 goals and nine assists. McBride, the 2008 Rookie of the Year and a first-teamer for the second consecutive year, paces America East and is fourth in the nation with 37 goals.The midfield consists of UMBC's Peet Poillon (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley/Ohio State) and Kyle Wimer (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) as well as Stony Brook's Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, B.C./New Westminster/Simon Fraser). All three rank in the conference's top 10 in points with Crowley and Poillon each tied for fourth with 46 points and Wimer eighth with 36.The first-team defense is made up of Albany's Garrett Pedley (Bow, N.H./Bow), Binghamton University's Derrick Danieu (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesee) and UMBC's Kevin Goedeke (Fallston, Md./Fallston/CCBC-Essex). Pedley, a starter in each of the Great Danes' 13 games, picked up 28 ground balls, while Danieu, an all-rookie choice last season, started all but one game for the Bearcats and anchored a defense that was tied for second with 9.8 goals allowed per game during conference play. Goedeke has started the last nine games, in which UMBC has allowed just 6.4 goals per contest.The first-team specialists are longstick midfielder Steve Waldeck (Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur) from Stony Brook, shortstick midfielder Jordan Pierce (Glen Burnie, Md./Mount St. Joseph) from UMBC and faceoff specialist Adam Rand (Niantic, N.Y./East Lyme) from Stony Brook. Waldeck, a repeat first-team selection, led the league and ranked ninth in the country with 6.2 ground balls per game. Pierce has appeared in every game for the Retrievers and scored three goals with three assists, while Rand is the nation's best faceoff man percentage wise, winning 64.2 percent of his draws.The second team consists of Bement, plus attackers Corey Small (St. Catharines, Ontario/Holy Cross) from Albany and Matt Latham (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty) and Ryan Smith (Fallston, Md./Fallston/CCBC-Essex) from UMBC, midfielders John Alpizar (Summit, N.J./Summit) from Albany, Duncan Streeten (Corning, N.Y./Corning East) from Binghamton and Alex Hopmann (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis) from UMBC, defenders Mark Kelly (Syracuse, N.Y./East Genesse) from Albany, Conor Flynn (Corning, N.Y./Corning East) from Hartford and Matt Kresse (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) from UMBC. Also on the second team are Chris Schongar (Clifton Park, N.Y./Shenendehowa) a longstick midfielder from Albany, Jared LaVerne (Jericho, N.Y./Syosset), a shortstick midfielder from Stony Brook and Tim Fallon (Lowell, Mass./Lawrence Academy), a faceoff specialist from Hartford.Bement, Resetarits and LaVerne are joined on the All-Rookie squad by Albany's Rocky Bonitatibus (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) and Luke Cometti (Syracuse, N.Y./West Genesse), Binghamton's Ben Waldron (Camillus, N.Y./West Genesse), Hartford's Carter Bender (Caledon, Ontario/Brewster Academy), Ryan Compitello (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) and Aidan Genik (Toronto, Ontario/Univ. of Western Ontario), UMBC's Rob Grimm (Black River, N.Y./Carthage) and University of Vermont's Geoff Worley (Coronado, Calif./Coronado).Twenty-three of the 26 all-conference sections will be in action at the 2009 America East Men's Lacrosse Championship, which begins on Wednesday, April 29 with semifinals contests at UMBC and Stony Brook. For more information on the Championship, including links to live stats, radio broacasts and streaming video, log on to the conference's official website www.AmericaEast.com and navigate to Men's Lacrosse Championship Central

STONY BROOK SOFTBALL TOPS MARIST ON SENIOR DAY!

Seawolves tie school record for most wins with 33

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Following a pregame ceremony honoring their four years of hard work and dedication, seniors Kelsi Fanelli (Audubon, N.J.), Marissa Fleury (Mahopac, N.Y.), Molly Kestranek (St. Mary's, Ga.) and Kelly Oberto (Spring Lake Heights, N.J.) combined to go 6-for-13 with three RBI and three runs scored in a 6-1 win over Marist on Tuesday afternoon. It was the final regular season home contest for the four seniors who leave Stony Brook as the winningest class in school history. The victory put the Seawolves' record at 33-11 (13-4 America East), tying the school record for most wins in a season, which was set last year.
SBU used a trio of two-run innings to score its six runs, starting with a pair of unearned runs in the third. With junior Crista Cerrone (Floral Park, N.Y.) having already scored on a wild pitch, Oberto knocked in the first RBI for the senior class with a single to center field. Fanelli, who improved her school record for career steals by swiping second after reaching on an error, scored on the single.
Junior Kendall Blumenthal (Frederick, Md.) became the fourth Seawolf to have 25 or more RBI this season when she knocked in a pair of runs with two outs in the fifth inning. A walk and a fielder's choice put runners on first and second for the first baseman who drove a 2-1 pitch to left center field for a bases clearing double. Oberto and Kestranek both scored on the play.

In the bottom half of the sixth inning, Fanelli and Fleury both knocked in runs for the Seawolves. After junior Vicki Kavitsky (Cherry Hill, N.J.) bunted for a single, Fanelli lined a two-out double over the shortstop's head, plating the runner from first. Fleury followed that with a single right down the left field line, scoring the pinch runner, freshman Suzanne Karath (Fishkill, N.Y.), and giving Stony Brook a 6-1 lead.
Junior Alyssa Struzenberg (Cooper City, Fla.) retired the side in order in the top of the seventh to record her 19th win of the year. She recorded nine strikeouts while allowing only four this and three walks. The complete game was her 16th of the season.
Stony Brook will travel to Albany this weekend for a crucial three-game series. If the Seawolves, who have already secured a spot in the four-team America East Championship, win two of the three games against Albany, they will win their first ever America East regular season title.

STONY BROOK TRIPS UP #20 ALBANY, 13-12, SEAWOLVES TIE UMBC FOR SHARE OF REGULAR SEASON AMERICA EAST TITLE

Stony Brook, N.Y. - After combining to score 12 goals through the first three quarters, Stony Brook and Albany totaled 13 in an explosive fourth quarter, and when the smoke had cleared it was Stony Brook that held off 20th-ranked Albany, 13-12, in America East men's lacrosse action in LaValle Stadium. The victory gave the Seawolves a share of the regular season America East championship with UMBC with a 4-1 conference record, its best since the 2006 season. UMBC won the regular season meeting with SBU and will be the No. 1 seed in next week's America East Championship. Stony Brook will be the No. 2 seed and will host No. 3 Albany on Wednesday, April 29 at LaValle Stadium.
"What a heck of a ball game that was," said Stony Brook head coach Rick Sowell. "After losing that tough one on Tuesday to Hofstra we wanted to put ourselves in a position to finish the job this time. I am proud of the way the team came back in just a couple of days from that loss and play a tough Albany team the way we did. A great win for the Stony Brook program."
Stony Brook (8-5, 4-1 America East) entered the fourth quarter with a 7-5 lead after breaking a 5-5 tie with goals from junior Tom Compitello (Hauppauge, N.Y.) and freshman Robbie Campbell (Delta, B.C.) that came just 15 seconds apart. The fourth quarter fireworks started when Albany (7-6, 3-2 America East) scored two quick goals in the first four minutes of the quarter to tie things back up a 7-7.
A four-goal run was Stony Brook's answer to the Great Danes two scores. Compitello scored back-to-back goals 39 seconds apart to put the Seawolves back on top, 9-7. Junior Chris Scott (North Babylon, N.Y.) then assisted on goals from sophomore Timmy Trenkle (Commack, N.Y.) and sophomore Jordan McBride (New Westminster, B.C.) that gave SBU an 11-7 bulge with 3:37 left in the game.

Albany was not done on this night, storming back with three goals in just over a minute's time. Seven seconds after McBride's tally, Matthew Cushing scored for Albany to cut the deficit down to three. One minute and three seconds later a goal from Corey Small, his first since the first goal of the game, brought Albany back to within one at 12-11.
As quickly as Albany had scored, Stony Brook answered with what proved to be the game-clinching goals. Sophomore Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, B.C.), who had scored the first goal of the second half, put two in the net just nine seconds apart, the first coming off an assist from McBride, that pushed the Stony Brook lead back to three at 13-10.
Just when it seemed that Stony Brook had the game easily in hand, Albany came back out of a time-out and scored with 1:41 remaining to make it a two-goal game. With time running down the Great Danes had another chance. Junior goalie Rob Camposa (Syosset, N.Y.) stopped one shot, but Dave Brock picked up the rebound and scored with 12 seconds left. Albany won the ensuing face-off, but turned the ball over as time was running out as Stony Brook hung on for the win.
Albany started the game with a 2-0 lead, but with 4:51 left in the quarter freshman Kyle Belton (Langley, B.C.) scored Stony Brook's first goal of the night to put the Seawolves on the board. Campbell followed with his first score of the night to tie things up, but Joe Resetarits scored with one second left in the quarter, and then again at the 11:35 mark of the second to put the Great Danes back on top by two.
Stony Brook blanked Albany the rest of the half, with Camposa stopping four shots in the quarter. With the Seawolves' defense putting the clamps on Albany, the SBU offense had time to come back again, with Trenkle and Campbell scoring unassisted goals that knotted the score at 4-4 at halftime.
Crowley gave Stony Brook its first lead of the night with his goal at 11:01 in the third, with Campbell and Compitello later adding their third quarter scores that set up the wild fourth.
Campbell, Crowley and Compitello all finished with three goals to lead Stony Brook, with Campbell setting a career-high with his goal total and Compitello matching his previous career-best. Camposa, who started his first game of the season due to an injury to junior Charlie Paar (Huntington, N.Y.), finished with 14 saves. The win for Stony Brook broke a five-game losing streak to Albany and was the first for the Seawolves over a ranked team since they defeated Delaware last season. Resetarits led Albany with three goals.
Stony Brook and Albany, just as they did last season, will square off again in the first round of the America East Championships on Wednesday, April 29 at 7:00 p.m. in LaValle Stadium. Tickets for the semifinal matchup are can be purchased through the Stony Brook Athletics website at www.goseawolves.com or by calling 631-632-WOLF.

Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr. announced as next President of Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University officials today announced their selection of Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr. as the next president of the university.
The decision will not be finalized until the State University of New York Board of Trustees convenes to approve the selection of Dr. Stanley, but SUNY Public Relations official David Henahan said that Chancellor-Elect Nancy Zimpher would not have endorsed Stanley if she did not have a “high level of confidence” in him.
Richard Nasti, the Stony Brook graduate who chaired the presidential search committee, was also confident in Stanley’s ability to fill the role.
“He has a leadership style that tries to empower people,” said Nasti in a phone conversation. “He will bring with him the best people and empower them to do their jobs.”
Stanley is currently working at Washington University in St. Louis, where he serves as Vice Chancellor for Research.
Stanley’s background is largely focused in the medical fields. After graduating from the University of Chicago with a Bachelor’s Degree in biological sciences, he attended the Harvard University Medical School.
His postdoctoral work was done at Washington University, where he began focusing heavily on immunology. In addition to his current role at Washington University, he serves as the Director and Principle Investigator at the Midwest Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, which, according to their website, is “dedicated to improving national defenses against bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases.”
Stanley’s appointment indicates that the university administration is making serious efforts to improve its hard sciences and medical programs and elevate the status of Stony Brook as one of the nation’s top public research universities. Washington University currently ranks 12th in the country as a research university by US News and World Report.
The renewed focus on sciences and the medical professions could be a contentious issue with students and faculty in the arts and humanities majors, who have already expressed their frustration with President Kenny for seemingly neglecting their departments in favor of the more research-oriented programs.
But Nasti said that the committee was mindful of the needs of the humanities departments.
“We were very focused on those questions,” Nasti said. “And we would not have recommended Dr. Stanley if he did not have a solid grasp of the things that make the university great.”
Nasti also noted that the search committee, which included a broad array of university representatives, recommended Stanley to the SUNY Board unanimously.
“There was significant representation by faculty from the west side of campus who are much better equipped to address those concerns,” he added.
The transition from Washington University to Stony Brook will likely take some time. Washington University has slightly more than 12,000 students, only half of which are undergraduates. That is a fraction of the size of Stony Brook, which has almost twice the number of students and close to three times as many undergraduates.
But the change in environments is not a big concern to Nasti.
“Dr. Stanley is a tremendous leader and a tremendous manager,” he said.
Those skills will be of great necessity to the next president. Stanley will inherit a university that faces increasing budget cuts and tuition increases, as well as an athletics program that is in the middle of a great period of growth and improvement.
Now that the search committee has made its decision, Stanley’s appointment rests with SUNY Board of Trustees.
David Henahan could not give an exact timeline for when the Board would meet, but in a press release made public by the university today, the university indicated that the trustees would be convening in “the near future.”
Stanley would take the reigns of the university the day that President Kenny’s term ends on July 1st. But his transition would start much sooner.
“We are currently putting a transition team together,” Nasti said. “The day he gets approved, I will guarantee that Dr. Stanley will be more at Stony Brook than at Washington University.
Welcome aboard, President-Elect Stanley.

STONY BROOK FOOTBALL ANNOUNCES 2009 SCHEDULE

Stony Brook Football Announces 2009 Schedule

Seawolves Will Open September 5 at Hofstra

April 14, 2009

Stony Brook, N.Y. -

An ambitious schedule that includes games against four opponents that received votes in the final NCAA FCS national polls, one against an NCAA Championship participant and an expanded Big South Conference slate highlight the 2009 Stony Brook University football schedule as announced today. The Seawolves will open the 2009 season at Hofstra University on September 5 and will open at home on September 19 against Brown University.

"Our 2009 football schedule will be the University's most challenging in our youthful history," remarked Head Coach Chuck Priore. "We are excited about our second season in the very competitive Big South Conference and a non-league schedule that includes the likes of Hofstra, Colgate, Massachusetts and Ivy champion Brown. The Seawolves 2009 season presents us with challenges, as well as, motivation as we prepare during the remainder of spring practice and through the summer months."

"Clearly this is a very challenging schedule for our football team," added Sony Brook Director of Athletics Jim Fiore. "It is an exciting time for our athletic program to have teams of this caliber on our schedule as we continue to evolve and grow our football tradition. The 2009 campaign will be a great opportunity for our student-athletes and staff to compete against high quality opponents while also allowing us to continue to expand our geographic presence."

Stony Brook will begin the season with two games on the road before playing its first contest in LaValle Stadium. After squaring off against Hofstra in a game that will mark the 13th time the two Long Island schools have met, the Seawolves will travel to Colgate for a September 12 game. The Raiders, whom the Seawolves defeated in 2008, won the Patriot League title and played in the NCAA Championships and finished with a 9-3 record.

After opening at home against Brown, Stony Brook will be back on the road for a game at Massachusetts that will be the second time the two teams have played. The following week Stony Brook will begin its second season of play in the Big South Conference when it hosts Presbyterian College from South Carolina on October 10.

Stony Brook will then embark on its longest trip of the season when it travels to the Great Plains for a game at the University of North Dakota that will be the first meeting between the two schools. The Seawolves will then return to Big South play as they make their first-ever visit to the Virginia Military Institute on October 17. Stony Brook will then host Coastal Carolina on October 24 before finishing the month with a trip to Gardner-Webb on October 31.

After an open date on November 7, Stony Brook will venture back down South for a game at Charleston Southern on November 14 before finishing the season at home on November 21 when it will host defending Big South champion Liberty.

Four teams on the 2009 schedule received votes in the final polls from the 2008 season, including Liberty, which finished 14th, and Colgate which was ranked 16th. Two teams will be first-time opponents for Stony Brook in games that will occur on back-to-back weekends; Presbyterian and North Dakota. The Blue Hose and Fighting Sioux are also the only two opponents on this season's schedule that SBU did not play in 2008.

2009 Stony Book Football Schedule

Date	Day	Opponent	Place	Time
Sept. 5	Saturday	at Hofstra	Hempstead, N.Y.	TBA
Sept. 12	Saturday	at Colgate	Hamilton, N.Y.	TBA
Sept. 19	Saturday	BROWN	STONY BROOK	6:00 p.m.
Sept. 26	Saturday	at Massachusetts	Amherst, Mass.	TBA
Oct. 3	Saturday	PRESBYTERIAN*	STONY BROOK	3:00 p.m.
Oct. 10	Saturday	at North Dakota	Grand Forks, N.D.	2:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. CST)
Oct. 17	Saturday	at VMI*	Lexington, Va.	1:30 p.m.
Oct. 24	Saturday	COASTAL CAROLINA*	STONY BROOK	6:00 p.m.
Oct. 31	Saturday	at Gardner-Webb*	Boiling Springs, N.C.	1:30 p.m.
Nov. 14	Saturday	at Charleston Southern*	Charleston, S.C.	1:30 p.m.
Nov. 21	Saturday	LIBERTY*	STONY BROOK	1:00 p.m.

 

                                                               
                                       
                                         
                                                      
                          
                
                                     
                           
              

 

 

* Big South Conference game 

BEST OF U...SBU'S HOLLY AND LUCY VAN DALEN

Courtesy: America East Communications

America East believes that the student-athletes represent the best and brightest of each of the conference's nine member universities . In order to recognize the contributions these student-athletes make to their classrooms, their campuses and their communities, America East will highlight a different student-athlete each month over the course of the 2008-09 school year in a "Best of U." feature.
April's installment of "Best of U." focuses on Stony Brook University's Holly and Lucy Van Dalen, sophomores on the cross country and track & field teams. The identical twin sisters both recently broke separate school records in the 3,000 and 800 meter events last week at the Quinnipiac Quad Meet. Both were named to the Cross Country All-Academic Team last fall, while Lucy also earned the honor for the outdoor track season. The story was written by Stony Brook Athletic Communications Assistant Craig Schroeder.

Nine-thousand miles. Sounds like a long distance. But for twin sisters Holly and Lucy Van Dalen, it’s all relative. If you are talking about the distance from their hometown of Wanganui, New Zealand to Stony Brook, N.Y., it can seem like a world away-- they have only been home three times since arriving on campus in 2007. If you are talking about running, the sophomores have already covered that distance since joining the Seawolves’ cross country and track & field teams -- they each run anywhere between 50 and 70 miles a week. But if you are talking about how far you would be willing to travel to pursue your goals, for the Van Dalens, it’s been worth every mile.
“We love being at Stony Brook,” said Holly, “it suits our needs, both academically and athletically, very well.”
The identical twins have chosen almost identical academic paths, focusing their studies around sociology. Holly is a sociology and English major with goals of becoming a high school teacher, while Lucy pairs her sociology major with a minor in child and family studies, hoping to become a social worker in the future.
When choosing their academic paths, the sisters decided to follow their passions, according to Shannon Logan, Stony Brook’s academic advisor for cross country and track & field. “They picked majors that they are truly interested in. They want to have professions where they will make an impact on people’s lives, and sociology will help them achieve that goal.”
In the mean time, the Van Dalens are having quite an impact on the Stony Brook athletic department. It’s been less than two years since their arrival and they already have five America East titles, three appearances at the NCAA Nationals and eight school records between them. They have also had a positive impact academically. Individually, they were two of only 76 female student-athletes in all of Division I to be named to the USTFCCCA Cross Country All-Academic team. They also led the Seawolves women’s team to a combined GPA of 3.36 and a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team honor.
“Naturally, we aren’t geniuses,” laughed Lucy, “but with some work we do pretty well in class. Our parents have always been very supportive and never put too much pressure on us. Also, the academic advisors here are amazing. The support they give to the student-athletes is just insane. They have really been accommodating of our passions for both running and academics.”
Balancing their passions for athletics and academics so successfully is what impresses their academic advisor the most, who says they are an excellent example for all student-athletes.
“They truly are making the most out of the opportunity given to them,” said Logan. “The way they have been able to succeed at such a high level in their sport while also achieving in the classroom shows great balance and discipline.”
Self-discipline, a skill most college students struggle with, comes naturally to the Van Dalens; a credit to their running background.
“We have a very structured schedule because of our running,” said Holly. “For instance, sleep is very important for us, so we make sure we get our work done during the day.”
“We aren’t putting our studies off and then trying to pull all-nighters, because we can’t,” added Lucy.
Stony Brook’s head cross country and track& field coach, Andy Ronan, sees their influence rubbing off on teammates, who are starting to buy into the daily structure the Van Dalens use to keep their athletic and academic schedules balanced. The results have been telling.
“The day they arrived on this campus was a turning point for this program,” said Ronan. “We went from a regional program to a national one because of the attitude and work ethic they bring to both practice and the classroom.”
What may be most impressive about the Van Dalens is their desire to improve. While they are pleased with what they have achieved to this point, they are in no way satisfied and look forward to the challenges ahead.
“In running there is always a better time you can post or a stronger race you can run,” started Lucy, “and in class there’s always a better grade to aim for,” finished Holly. “We’ve found things we are passionate about and a place that supports those passions which is helping us strive to be the best in both.”

STONY BROOK MEN'S LACROSSE TAKES DOWN HARTFORD, 15-11 IN RAIN

Seven-Goal Third Quarter Powers Seawolves to Win

West Hartford, Conn. - Stony Brook scored seven times in the third quarter to break open a game that was tied at halftime and went on to claim a 15-11 victory over Hartford in America East men's lacrosse action on a cold and rainy day. Sophomore Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, B.C.) scored three goals and had a pair of assists to help the Seawolves to their second straight conference win.
"We got off to another good start today," said Stony Brook head coach Rick Sowell. "We let them back in it, but we fought back and got the offense rolling there in the third quarter. It is always good to go on the road and pick up a conference win in these kind of conditions."
Stony Brook (6-4, 2-1 AE) wasted no time from the get go, scoring four times in the first two and a half minutes. Less than a minute in Crowley took a pass from behind the goal from fellow sophomore Jordan McBride (New Westminster, B.C.) for an easy shot from directly in front to put the Seawolves quickly on top. Eight seconds later the pair reversed their roles as Crowley raced in with the face-off and found McBride for the score. The pair connected again just 22 seconds later, with Crowley putting away the shot for a 3-0 lead. Sophomore Adam Rand (Niantic, Conn.) then won his fourth straight face-off and got the ball to freshman Robbie Campbell (Delta, B.C.), who came in from the right side and buried his shot for a 4-0 SBU lead less than three minutes in.
That would be it for the Stony Brook offense for nearly the rest of the half, however. Hartford (0-10, 0-3 AE) finally got on the board on a goal from Ryan Compitello at the 6:32 mark of the first. The Hawks then scored twice in the final minute to pull back to within a goal at the end of the quarter.

Hartford knotted things up at the 8:04 mark of the second, but freshman Jared LeVerne (Jericho, N.Y.) answered that with his first career goal after charging in on the Hartford goalkeeper from midfield. The Hawks, however, came back to score in the final minute of the half to tie things at five-all.
Forty seconds into the third quarter Hartford took its first and only lead of the game when it took advantage of an SBU turnover and got a goal from Aidan Genik, his second of the game, to make it 6-5. Stony Brook took advantage of a man-up opportunity to tie things back up at the 9:50 mark on a goal from sophomore Timmy Trenkle (Commack, N.Y.) and regained the lead when LeVerne scored just 11 seconds later.
Hartford tied the score at 7-7, but Campbell and McBride scored 11 seconds apart that put the Seawolves back on top, 9-7, with 6:12 left in the quarter. After the Hawks cut the SBU advantage back down to a goal, Stony Brook's offense put it into high gear in the final two minutes of the quarter, scoring three times to push the Seawolves' lead up to 12-8 entering the fourth.
It was a lead that held up for Stony Brook, as freshman Kyle Belton (Langley, B.C.) scored twice in the first half of the final quarter to ice the game for the Seawolves. Crowley ended his day with a team-high five points, while McBride, Campbell, LeVerne, Belton and freshman Jack Hewitt (Eden Prairie, Minn.) all scored a pair of goals for SBU. Junior defender Steven Waldeck (Levittown, N.Y.) led the team with seven ground balls, while also adding a goal and an assist. Rand was outstanding in the face-off circle, winning 24 of 28 attempts. Junior Tom Compitello (Hauppauge, N.Y.) led SBU with three assists, while his brother, Ryan, led Hartford with three goals and two assists.
Stony Brook will return home next week, hosting America East rival Binghamton at 7:00 p.m. (WUSB) in LaValle Stadium.

STONY BROOK BASEBALL BEATS #11 VIRGINIA, 6-2 WEDNESDAY NIGHT!

Seawolves defeat a ranked opponent for the first time since joining Division I in 2000.

Charlottesville, Va. - Stony Brook University's baseball team scored five first inning runs on its way to a 6-2 victory over the No. 11 Virginia Cavaliers tonight at Davenport Field. It is the Seawolves first victory over a ranked opponent since joining the Division I ranks in 2000. Sophomore Nick Thode (Huntington Station, N.Y.) and senior Steven Mazzurco (Selden, N.Y.) each recorded two hits and an RBI to lead the Seawolves. Stony Brook improves to 13-12 with the victory while Virginia falls to 27-6.
UVA starter Jeff Lorick retired freshman Pat Cantwell (West Islip, N.Y.) and sophomore Chad Marshall (Paris, Ontario) to start the first but Thode then singled and moved to second when Lorick walked junior Jeremy Nowak (Cheektowaga, N.Y.). Mazzurco, senior Michael Tansey (Valley Stream, N.Y.) and senior Keith Fier (Armonk, N.Y.) then each followed with run-scoring singles to put SBU up 3-0.
Junior Robert Dyer (Selden, N.Y.) then knocked a two-run double to left-center field to push Stony Brook's lead to 5-0. The Cavaliers cut the Seawolves lead to 5-2 in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Steven Proscia and an RBI double from Franco Valdes.
But SBU answered with a run in the fifth though as Marshall led off with a single, moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt and then came home on a run-scoring single from Thode. The Seawolves bullpen took over from there as freshman Tyler Johnson (Chatsworth, Calif.), junior Jordan Purington (Westbrook, Maine), freshman Nick Tropeano (West Islip, N.Y.) and Nowak combined to hold the Cavaliers scoreless over their final five at-bats to secure the victory for the Seawolves.

Johnson picked up the victory for Stony Brook, hurling a scoreless fifth. Lorick took the loss for UVA, allowing five runs and five hits in his 0.2 innings of work.

The Seawolves return to action on Friday, traveling to take on UMBC for the beginning of a four-game series. First pitch for Friday's doubleheader is set for 2 p.m.