Stony Brook to join CAA Football in 2013

A new era of Stony Brook Football in the premier FCS conference to begin in 2013.



Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University has accepted an invitation to join the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) as an affiliated member for Football, President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D. and Director of Athletics Jim Fiore announced Tuesday.  The premier Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) conference, CAA Football has produced 23 postseason appearances and two national champions over the last five seasons.
Stony Brook, which will remain an all-sports member of the America East Conference, will begin playing football in the CAA in 2013, when the rest of the league will be comprised of the University of Delaware, James Madison University, University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, University of Richmond, Towson University, Villanova University, the College of William & Mary and the University at Albany.  The Seawolves will be immediately eligible for the conference championship and automatic bid into the NCAA Division I Football Championship.

“Today is a proud day for Stony Brook University as we continue to elevate our intercollegiate athletics program to higher levels of excellence,” said Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D.  “Moving our football program into the CAA aligns us with the elite academic and athletic institutions in the Football Championship Subdivision.  We are excited for the opportunity to showcase our talented student-athletes, modern facilities and beautiful campus to a broader audience while also providing our students, the campus community, our fans and alumni a new and exciting level of Seawolves college football to enjoy.”
“We are honored by this opportunity to become a member of CAA Football,” Fiore said.  “We will now compete in arguably the most challenging and respected conference in the Football Championship Subdivision, while also allowing us to continue to develop regional rivalries through conference participation.” Fiore said.  “We have truly enjoyed our association and greatly respect the five-year relationship we have built as a proud member of the Big South Conference.  On behalf of Stony Brook University, I would like to thank and wish them well as they continue to grow and develop their football membership.



“Stony Brook Football has come very far, very fast over the last five years, and now is the time to elevate our program further and to put ourselves in a position to win national championships,” Fiore continued.  “The CAA has a clear pedigree and built an unrivaled tradition of excellence, and I am confident that under Coach Chuck Priore’s leadership, our football program will continue to grow and annually compete for league and national championships as members of the CAA. Clearly, as we join this outstanding conference today, our best days are ahead of us.”
CAA Football has achieved unprecedented success in FCS since taking the reins of the league in 2007.  The conference has produced two national championships, four national championship game appearances, eight semifinals appearances and more than 30 postseason wins in that span.  In 2007, the conference earned a record five bids into the NCAA Div. I Football Championship and then repeated the feat in 2008 and 2011.
Including its years under the Atlantic 10 and Yankee Conference monikers, CAA Football institutions have accumulated five national championships, four national championship runners-up, 80 NCAA playoff berths, 337 Sports Network All-Americans (since 1987), six Walter Payton Award winners, six Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year winners and six AFCA National Coach of the Year winners.
Demonstrating the incredible balance and competitiveness of the league, seven different teams have claimed at least a share of the conference championship since 2007, and all 10 of the teams that will comprise CAA Football in 2013 have reached postseason over the last five seasons.  Eight of those 10 have won at least one postseason game.

“Stony Brook Football has come very far, very fast over the last five years, and now is the time to elevate our program further and to put ourselves in a position to win national championships.” - Stony Brook Director of Athletics Jim Fiore

CAA Football will also afford Stony Brook much more national exposure. Beginning this fall, CAA Football is kicking off a five-year agreement with the NBC Sports Group that provides a minimum of five national television broadcasts on the NBC Sports Network and continues its regional television coverage using the Comcast SportsNet regional networks.
“Coach Priore has Stony Brook poised for yet another run for the NCAA Playoffs,” Yeager said.  “Welcoming the Seawolves into our league next season will present our current members with yet another challenging matchup come Saturdays in the fall.”
Boasting Long Island’s only Div. I football program, Stony Brook Athletics has been on an incredible upward trajectory since 2003.  Specific to football, since joining the Big South Conference in 2008, the Seawolves have positioned themselves as players on the national Football Championship Subdivision scene.  Under head coach Chuck Priore, the Seawolves have captured three consecutive Big South championships and earned the program’s first-ever NCAA Div. I Football Championship berth in 2011 after going unbeaten in the league (6-0).
Stony Brook, which produced a program-best nine-game winning streak during the 2011 season, then advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a thrilling 31-28 first-round win over Albany at a sold-out Kenneth P. Lavalle Stadium before losing to national runner-up and then-No. 1 Sam Houston State.  The Seawolves finished the season nationally ranked in both the FCS Coaches and Sports Network polls for the first time ever and were the nation’s top scoring offense at 38.0 points per game.
“Joining CAA Football will surely raise the profile of our program as we will now compete against the best of the best in Football Championship Subdivision,” Priore said. “As we take on premier FCS teams within our conference and continue to play a challenging non-conference schedule, we will have the opportunity to expand our recruiting efforts and find the best and the brightest to come to Stony Brook University. Our coaches and student-athletes are eager for the challenge, and we expect that this opportunity will allow us to annually compete for a national championship each year.”
Stony Brook has also chosen to compete with the best of the best at the Football Bowl Subdivision level (FBS).  Since reaching the maximum allotment of scholarships of 63 in 2010, the Seawolves have competed against the University of South Florida, University of Texas at El Paso and the University at  Buffalo.  Stony Brook will take on Syracuse University and the United States Military Academy in 2012 and is contracted to face Boston College, the University of Cincinnati and the University at Buffalo in future seasons.
CAA Football has traditionally been strong against FBS foes, producing nine victories since 2007, including four in 2009 alone, 17 over the last 10 seasons and 29 wins over the conference’s overall 34-year history.
In addition to improving its athletic standing on the field, Stony Brook is aligning itself with like-minded institutions that place an emphasis on student-athlete work in the classroom.  CAA Football has had 10 programs earn NCAA Public Recognition Awards over the last three years for ranking among the top 10 percent of the FCS in the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rating system.  This year, Stony Brook received an award from the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) for achieving the highest APR in the Big South Conference.
For the upcoming 2012 season, Stony Brook will compete in the Big South, looking to win its fourth consecutive conference championship, and will return 47 letterwinners and 17 starters from last season’s championship squad.  Since joining the league in 2008, the Seawolves have compiled a 19-4 conference record and have won 10 consecutive home Big South games.  Stony Brook’s 2012 football season kicks off on Sept. 1 against Central Connecticut State at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium at 6 p.m.

Stony Brook University - The King of Long Island

Hofstra Alumnus Brad Gerstman

Brad Gerstman: Stony Brook University –King of Long Island

The rising achievement of Stony Brook University’s athletic department under the leadership of Hofstra football alumni and athletic director, Jim Fiore, has only just begun. After being named Under Armour Northeast Region Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, (NACDA) Fiore is continuing to solidify Stony Brook’s competitive position within college athletics on a national level. Yet in the wake of such success, it is necessary to consider the ironic relationship that exists between the growing athletic program of Stony Brook and the failing decline of local rival, Hofstra University.

This spring season Stony Brook made national headlines as the men’s baseball team became the first New York program to attend the College World Series since 1980. Though the team may not have championed the series, they undeniably earned countrywide recognition for their impressive performance and budding athletic department. With a record of seven student athletes drafted to play professionally, Stony Brook’s athletic program is not only setting the bar for college athletics, but also molding young talent for the highest level of competition. At this rate, it is safe to say that this is only the beginning for Fiore and his eager band of athletes and staff.

In discussing both athletic departments, it is only fair to remember the once overwhelming success of Hofstra University. With division 1 sports teams comprised of some of Long Island’s most promising athletes, the Hempstead turnpike institution once represented the best of the best here on Long Island. Fans from towns throughout the state came to see each of Hofstra’s athletic squads rival many of the finest programs in the nation. Jim Fiore is but one of countless Hofstra student-athletes who were bred for achievement through the thriving athletic department. Now in his ninth year as acting athletic director, Jim has worked hard to quietly build Stony Brook athletics into a flourishing program, undoubtedly outshining that of his alma mater.

So what is responsible for the inverse relationship of success between both Long Island Universities? One may attribute the transformation to a game-changing year for both programs. For Stony Brook, 2003 was the year that Jim Fiore began what has since grown to be an impressively successful journey of evolution and achievement, in pursuit of a permanent position as New York’s first dominant state school. For Hofstra, it was something much different. 2003 marked the beginning of a turbulent nine years. Tarnished by the termination of a once prosperous football program and scattered with continued inconsistency, the Hofstra University athletic department has produced confusion, turbulence and a merry-go-round of coaching and leadership. In less then a decade, Hofstra men’s basketball has seen the likes of four head coaches, and most recently, the men’s baseball coach chose to depart from the University before the commencement of this year’s season. Now onto its second athletic director, Hofstra is licking its wounds while preceding director, Jack Hayes, has fled to a less competitive program at Brown University.

The irony here lies not just in the changing tides of these two rival schools, but also in the leadership of Long Island’s newly crowned king. Jim Fiore, a successful example of what was an inspiring institution, has now helped to crown an unlikely successor. Stony Brook’s commitment has proven successful through a visionary leader, while Hofstra is scrambling to regain an athletic identity.

-Bradley Gerstman, Esq.

STONY BROOK'S run to the COLLEGE WORLD SERIES and Lucy Van Dalen finish 1-2 in America East Fan Vote

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Arguably the greatest moment in America East history, Stony Brook's run to the College World Series in June is the league's 2011-12 America East Moment of the Year as voted on by AmericaEastfans through its Facebook page.

Stony Brook's accomplishment received 141 votes, 38 percent of the 373 votes cast in the second year of the award. Lucy Van Dalen winning an NCAA title in the indoor mile received the second-most votes with 32 percent of the total. Twelve America East baseball standouts getting selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, a high for the conference, garnered six percent of the vote and was third.

The Seawolves' baseball team dominated during the regular season and conference tournament, capturing its second league title in three years and earning an NCAA berth. That dominance continued at the Coral Gables Regional as the Seawolves scored 50 runs in five games and won three straight elimination contests to earn a date at 7th-seeded LSU in the Best-of-Three Super Regional. After losing a heartbreaker in the first game of the series, Stony Brook outscored the Tigers 10-3 in the next two games to again avoid elimination and became the first America East team to advance to the College World Series. The Seawolves ended their season with 52 wins, the most the country, and ranked 7th nationally.

The America East unveiled 12 nominees for the award viavideo capsules earlier this summer and fans voted for their favorite Moment of the Year by liking the corresponding video on Facebook. Voting ran from July 25-August 6.

TAILGATE INFORMATION FOR STONY BROOK AT ARMY FOOTBALL GAME

Stony Brook, N.Y. - In conjunction with the Department of Athletics, the Stony Brook University Alumni Association has announced its tailgating information for the September 29 game at Army. The Seawolves will take on the Black Knights at Michie Stadium at 12 p.m.

There are three pricing options which fans can choose from - tailgate and ticket for $50, tailgate only for $25 and game ticket only for $32.

The pre-game tailgate will take place from 9:45 to 11:45 a.m. Prior to the tailgate, fans are encouraged to watch a cadet parade on The Plains at 9 a.m.

Season tickets for Stony Brook football home games start at only $66. To purchase, visit GoSeawolves.org or call (631) 632-WOLF.

STONY BROOK FOOTBALL HAS HIGH EXPECTATIONS - Newsday

Anxious to pick up where they left off last season, Stony Brook's football players arrived well ahead of schedule for their first official practice. The warm summer sun did not seem to slow the tempo during Monday's fast-paced workout in LaValle Stadium.

"Everybody was on the field 45 minutes early,'' coach Chuck Priore said, "so obviously they were excited about being here."

Perhaps it is because the team is driven. The Seawolves are coming off their first appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, beating Albany in the first round last season before losing to then-top ranked and undefeated Sam Houston, 34-27, in the second round.

"The last time we were on the field we lost a game in the last minute of the fourth quarter,'' Priore said of that outcome. "You lose a game in the last minute of the fourth quarter, you've got to change that. You change that by practicing hard and being prepared, working the little things because at the end of the day the little things cost you games.''

Priore made that point clear Sunday night when his players arrived on campus.

Said offensive lineman Michael Bamiro: "We learned that we're a resilient team and that we can stack up with any of the best teams out there if we put our hearts into it, if we put our minds into our plays, if we focus on it.''

Expectations are high for a team that is loaded on offense -- keyed by running backs Miguel Maysonet and Iowa transfer Marcus Coker --and the probability that this is the university's last season in the Big South Conference, which the Seawolves are favored to win. Sources last week said Stony Brook will join the Colonial Athletic Association after this season. An official announcement is imminent.

Coker did not see much difference in the I-A practice world he left at Iowa, saying, "Pretty much same type of practice, intensity the same, skill level is the exact same. There really isn't much of a difference. You can just see in practice how everybody is hyped up, amped for this season.''

The beginning has been structured to yield a very meaningful end to the season.

"I think this team is ready to handle the notion that we should strive for goals that are expected of the best teams in the country,'' Priore said.

Maysonet added, "Our expectations are basically to win. We obviously want to build on what we did last year and go further into the playoffs and at the end of the day we want to win the national championship, but it all starts here. We have to prepare ourselves better than we did last year so we can make it further.''

VAN DALEN '12 ADVANCES TO SEMIFINALS

London, England - By virtue of a 4:07.04, Lucy Van Dalen '12 advanced to the semifinals of the 1,500m at the 2012 London Olympics. Van Dalen finished eighth in heat one, but her time was good enough for Wednesday's semis.

The top six in each of the three heats plus the next best six times advanced.

Van Dalen is the lone representative from New Zealand in the 1,500.

The semifinals will be at 2:45 EST. Of the 24 remaining athletes, Van Dalen competed against the USA's Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury, and Canada's Nicole Sifuentes at the Millrose Games last February.

LUCY VAN DALEN '12 finishes 8th in Heat 1, qualifies for semifinals on Wednesday!

Lucy Van Dalen '12 STONY BROOK has qualified for the semifinals in the Olympic 1500! Her time of 4:07.04 was among top 24 to advance. -- WUSB Sports Radio (@WUSBSportsRadio)

Good Luck Lucy Van Dalen '12 in the Women's 1500 Monday, 6:50 a.m. HEAT 1

STONY BROOK Football begins practice on Monday

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook football team will report to campus Sunday evening for the start of preseason practice. Practice officially will begin Monday with an 8:45 a.m. workout.

Head Coach Chuck Priore will hold 24 practices in August, including a scrimmage at Sachem North High School on August 11 at 3:30 p.m.

All practices will be held at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium and are open to the public.

Stony Brook, picked to win the Big South Conference, will open the 2012 season at home for the first time since 2008. The Seawolves will host former Northeast Conference rival CCSU on Saturday, September 1st...Pregame show on WUSB begins at 5:45 pm

Stony Brook Football reports Sunday morning...less then 30 days till Seawolves opener.

The 2012 Stony Brook University Fall sports teams are getting ready to begin the 2012 campaign...The Women's Soccer team has already started practice, while Fooball reports on Sunday and Men's Soccer comes together on Tuesday...Fall team updates will take place on the "Sports Section" which airs on the longtime home of Seawolves Sports, WUSB 90.1 FM or www.wusb.fm/sports on Sunday nights from 10 p.m. till midnight...WUSB will broadcast the 2012 Seawolves Football home opener vs. former NEC rival CCSU...pregame starts at 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, September 1st, LIVE from LaValle Stadium, which is celebrating its 10th Anniversary.

Stony Brook Athletics to host annual Movie Night at LaValle Stadium TONITE!

3rd Annual FREE "Movie Night" will feature a presentation of the Universal Pictures film Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" (PG).

Stony Brook, N.Y. - On Thursday, Aug. 2, Stony Brook University Athletics will host FREE "Movie Night" presented by Team Ardolino and Realty Connect USA at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium at 7 p.m (no raindate scheduled). The gates will open at 6:30 p.m. Admission for all spectators is FREE.The 3rd Annual FREE "Movie Night" will feature a presentation of the Universal Pictures film Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" (PG) on the stadium jumbo video board. Concessions will be available and spectators will be able to watch the movie from the stands or on the stadium field.Moviegoers are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or beach towels to watch the movie from the field of LaValle Stadium.For more information on FREE "Movie Night", call 631-632-WOLF.

Watch Lucy Van Dalen '12 on August 6th - 6:45 a.m.