The America East found themselves on the wrong side of the transfer market this offseason. Reigning Freshman of the Year, Vermont’s Four McGlynn, transferred to Towson. Albany lost Logan Aronhalt, their second-leading scorer last season, to Maryland while Gerardo Suero, their leading scorer a season ago, went pro. Boston U. not only lost Jake O’Brien to Temple, they lost their right to play in the America East tournament when they made the decision to jump to the Patriot League after the season. Even Binghamton, who won just two games last year, lost three of their top five scorers, had their head coach fired and is dealing with two more players getting arrested.
While it may seem like it from that description, the America East isn’t a complete dumpster fire. Stony Brook lost three of their top four scorers, but they do return Dave Coley, who should be read to shoulder more of the scoring load, and Tommy Brenton. Brenton is one of the most intriguing players in the conference, as he led the Sea Wolves in rebounding, assists and steals a season ago.
Brenton isn’t the only one to put up that statline, however. UVM’s Brian Voelkel did the same, but the Catamounts will also be dealing with losing three of their top four scorers. Luke Apfeld and Clancy Rugg will be asked to play a bigger role this year, but it may not be enough to catch Stony Brook, who brings in a talented freshmen class that will be counted on to contribute immediately.
The sleeper may end up being BU. DJ Irving might be the best player in the conference, and he’ll be joined in the back court by Maurice Watson, a freshman point guard that cracked top 100 lists heading into the season. Hartford finished strong down the stretch last year as well, while Albany will be counting on Mike Black to make up for the loss of Suero and Aronhalt.
While UVM and SBU are the favorites in the league, there is enough transition on their rosters that the regular season title could end up being up for grabs.
All-Conference Team (* denotes Player of the Year)
G: DJ Irving, BU G: Mike Black, Albany F: Tommy Brenton, Stony Brook* F: Alasdair Fraser, Maine F: Chase Plummer, UMBC
Predicted Standings
1. Stony Brook 2. Vermont 3. Boston 4. Albany 5. Hartford 6. Maine 7. New Hampshire 8. UMBC 9. Binghamton
Orono, Maine - Freshman Sarah Darmanin (Miami, Fla.) scored her first collegiate goal with 7:07 left in the second half to propel the Stony Brook women's soccer team to the America East Final with a 2-1 win at Maine on Sunday.
Coach's Reaction
"Our players have a ton of belief right now and are really coming together at the right time. We faced adversity giving up an early goal, but we didn't panic and that's really a testament to the leadership of our upperclassmen. Sometimes you have to win ugly matches and we're very happy with our gritty, gutsy performance today."
Maine got on the board just 45 seconds into the match as Nikki Misener drove down the left wing and crossed the ball to Jordan Pellerin in front for the one-time finish.
Freshman Kristen Baker (Easley, S.C.) evened the score at 1-1 at 22:06 when her free kick from 45 yards out bounced over the keeper's head and into the net.
Darmanin then produced the deciding goal at 82:53. Jumping onto the ball on the left wing, Darmanin calmly finished with a skillful chip over the keeper for her first goal as a Seawolf.
The Numbers Game
Maine held a 16-9 edge in shots.
Seawolves' keeper Ashley Castanio (Oceanside, N.Y.) made eight saves.
Stony Brook will be making its third trip to the America East Finals in program history (2002, 2008).
Sunday's victory gives Stony Brook 11 wins on the season, which is the most in a season since 2008.
The Seawolves have now knocked off the two and three seeds in the America East playoffs.
Stony Brook is just the second six seed in America East history to advance to the title game.
Playoff Picture
In Sunday's other Semifinal, No. 1 Hartford eased past No. 4 Vermont, 2-0, as Amelia Pereira and Elise Galipo provided the offense. The championship game between SBU and Hartford will be a rematch of the teams' regular season finale, which was won by the Hawks, 2-1, in overtime on Oct. 21 at LaValle Stadium.
Next Up The Seawolves will travel to West Hartford, Conn. on Sunday, Nov. 4 for the America East Final against Hartford. Game time is TBD.
Senior Kyle Essington (Chino Hills, Calif.) threw three touchdown passes to senior Kevin Norrell (Los Angeles, Calif.), and the Stony Brook ground game accounted for 416 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-17 win over Presbyterian at Bailey Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
No. 9 Stony Brook (8-1, 4-0) won its sixth straight game and is 23-4 all-time in Big South play. Presbyterian is 2-7, 0-4.
Essington completed 10 of 14 from 185 yards, including 138 to Norrell, who became the first receiver in school history to reach 1,000 yards in a season.
Senior Miguel Maysonet (Riverhead, N.Y.) rushed for 214 yards, his third 200-yard effort of the season, and two touchdowns. Junior Marcus Cokerenjoyed his best day as a Seawolf, accounting for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
"I guess there is something about them (7 TD passes in two seasons). We went into this game wanting to be efficient by completing passes and scoring points."
"It seemed like everything went right today. They loaded the box, and the coaches called the right plays to be effective. My coaches had trust me in to make the big plays."
News & Notes
Kevin Norrell now has the single-season school records for receiving yards (1,060) and touchdowns (11). Norrell joins Jordan Gush as the second Seawolf to have three receiving TDs this season.
Norrell also has accounted for at least 100 yards and a touchdown in the last four games.
Stony Brook has outscored its opponents, 114-17, through nine games.
Davonte Anderson moved into third place all-time in the school's Division I history with his ninth career interception.
Stony Brook has recorded an interception in three of the last four games.
Marcus Coker ripped off a season-long run of 58 yards. Eight of Coker's nine touchdowns this season have come from four yards or closer.
Coker and Miguel Maysonet each rushed for 100 yards in the same game for the first time this season.
Stony Brook has scored 40 or more points in nine of the last 10 conference games.
Up Next
Stony Brook will host VMI on Saturday, November 3 at 6:00 p.m. for Senior Day.
Durham, N.H. - For the first time in school history, the Stony Brook men's and women's cross country teams swept the America East Championship on Saturday at the University of New Hampshire. For the men's squad, it was the first team title in school history. The women's team captured its sixth straight title.
It was the first time since 2003 (New Hampshire) the men's and women's titles were won by the same school.
"We've waited a long time for this," said coach Andy Ronan, referring to his men's squad. "We asked the guys to give a little more and they did. Eric was phenomenal up front for us today."
Sophomore Eric Speakman (Napier, New Zealand) led four Seawolves in the top 15 with a first-place finish, taking home the title in 25:11.43. Speakman became the first Seawolf since Tim Hodge to win the individual title.
Speakman was helped by strong races from juniors Daniel Denis (Bayport, N.Y.) and Carlos Roa (Jamaica, N.Y.) and freshman Mitchell Kun (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
Denis placed fifth in a time of 25:52.25. Roa took 13th (26:02.56) and Kun 14th (26:03.50).
Junior Samuel Kimmey (Clifton Park, N.Y.) was Stony Brook's final scorer, taking 28th (26:34.71).
All five of the women's scorers finished in the top 12. Junior Olivia Burne(Palmerston North, New Zealand) led the charge, taking fourth (16:58.37). Freshman Cleo Boyd (Kingston, Ontario), who made her season debut on Saturday, finished fifth in a time of 16:59.17.
"I thought we needed to get four ladies in the top 10 to be in a chance to win," Ronan said. "They watched the guys be successful and went about their business the correct way."
Junior Lorraine McCarthy (Waterford, Ireland) placed seventh (17:09.50) and freshmanChristina Melian (Staten Island, N.Y.) took ninth (17:14.22).
Senior Kristal Conklin (Middletown, N.Y.) capped the women's scoring, taking 12th in a time of 17:23.01.
Proof that Stony Brook running backs Miguel Maysonet and Marcus Coker are for real came when the Seawolves rushed for 217 yards in a close loss at Syracuse, followed by another 273 yards at Army in their first-ever win over an FBS opponent. But Maysonet and Coker are the first to tell you they don't do it alone.
Their gaudy numbers are a reflection of an offensive line that is among the best in the country at the FCS level and one of the major reasons ninth-ranked Stony Brook is a national title contender. A big part of their success is the work of center Mike Lisi and right guard Cody Precht, two Long Islanders who started last season as freshmen and have learned the complex blocking schemes that spring Maysonet and Coker.
"Cody and Mike are the best of friends, and they hang together and study together all the time," coach Chuck Priore said. "They're focused, and that leads to a lot of success. We get out of games with very limited mistakes."
If the Seawolves (7-1, 3-0 Big South) follow form, they can look forward to another big day running the ball against Presbyterian (2-6, 0-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday in Clinton, S.C. The Blue Hose have allowed an average of 280 yards rushing this season.
"They're a little slow off the ball but very strong," Lisi said of the Blue Hose. "It will be tough to move them a little bit. You always feel confident, but you don't overlook them."
Lisi, from Franklin Square and Carey High School, was a redshirt freshman last season when he replaced departed All-American Paul Fenaroli. "He's just a class kid who never has a bad rep in practice," Priore said.
Precht was a true freshman from Centerport and Harborfields High who earned a full scholarship by winning the starting job. Priore credited him for making many of the pulling blocks that sprung Maysonet for 220 yards at Army.
You figure watching video after each game must be fun for the offensive line, but Precht said: "It's not fun all the time. You watch the film, and it's like one, two, three guys missed assignments, and still, Miguel is making us right. I'm not saying that's all the time, but he does help us out by making us look good."
Coker, an Iowa transfer, has a different style, but his blockers appreciate his power. "I never saw somebody run as hard as he does, popping linebackers," said Lisi, who often blasts those holes up the middle. "Miguel goes around guys, but Coker just goes right through guys. He really does wear defenses down."
The 2012-13 America East men's basketball season is starting out much like the last one ended with Vermont nosing out Stony Brook by a two-point margin as the favorite in the preseason coaches poll released Tuesday. It was the Catamounts who upset the regular-season champion Seawolves (22-10, 14-2 America East) in the conference tournament final in March to win the NCAA bid, and those two figure to slug it out again.
"Preseason polls don't mean a lot, but it's exciting to be picked in the top few because I've been at the other end of the spectrum," SBU coach Steve Pikiell said. "Until someone knocks Vermont off, they're the champs."
Stony Brook women's basketball coach Beth O'Boyle, whose team finished last in America East (4-26, 1-15) in her first season, is at the other end of the spectrum in the poll after being voted ninth. But she brought in her first real recruiting class and is hoping to emulate the kind of turnaround Pikiell made with the men's program.
Although the SBU men lost all-time leading scorer Bryan Dougher and veteran center Dallis Joyner, they return senior forward Tommy Brenton, who was voted to the preseason All-America East team and was last season's defensive player of the year, and junior guard Dave Coley. Pikiell added his best-ever recruiting class led by two freshmen who figure to see a lot of playing time in center Jameel Warney and point guard Carson Puriefoy.
Pikiell generally has relied on experienced players, but this team definitely will have a youthful component. "I'm anxious and nervous, but I'm excited with the talent," Pikiell said. "I don't sleep the way I did last year. That's why Tommy and Dave are so important. They've got to be the pillars because we've kind of shifted. Tommy has player of the year potential, and I think Coley is an all-league guard. He's improved as much as anyone in practice."
A year ago, Pikiell knew who four of his five starters were. This season, Warney, Brenton and Coley will start, but Puriefoy and junior Anthony Jackson are battling at point guard. Senior guards Lenny Hayes and Marcus Rouse should see time along with returning big men Eric McAlister, Anthony Mayo and forward Ron Bracey. Talented freshmen Scott King, Ahmad Walker and Ryan Burnett will scrap for minutes.
On the women's side, forward Jessica Previlon and guards Dani Klupenger and Sam Landers return. Sophomore transfer Sabre Proctor should add scoring; junior transfer Chikilra Goodman adds point guard skills, and freshman forward Brittany Snow, who was the South Jersey player of the year, adds rebounding and toughness.
"We're very young," O'Boyle said, "but we're more athletic, which is a big help."
Huntington's Julie Foster, last season's league-leading rebounder from Albany, was named to the preseason all-conference team.
America East men's poll total points (first-place votes in parentheses) 1. Vermont (5) 60 2. Stony Brook (4) 58 3. Boston University 49 4. Albany 38 5. Maine 35 6. New Hampshire 34 7. Hartford 26 8. UMBC 15 9. Binghamton 9
Men's all-conference team Tommy Brenton, Stony Brook Mike Black, Albany D.J. Irving, Boston University Chase Plummer, UMBC Alasdair Fraser, Maine Brian Voelkel, Vermont America East women's poll total points (first-place votes in parentheses) 1. Albany (5) 61 2. Boston University (2) 56 3. Hartford (2) 54 4t. New Hampshire 37 4t. Vermont 37 6. UMBC 34 7. Maine 17 8. Binghamton 16 9. Stony Brook 12 Women's all-conference team Chantel Alford, Boston University Ruthanne Doherty, Hartford Julie Forster, Albany Morgan Frame, New Hampshire Ebone Henry, Albany Mo Moran, Boston University
Men's team picked second; women's team picked ninth; Tommy Brenton named preseason All-America East.
Albany, N.Y. - Stony Brook Basketball head coaches Beth O'Boyle andSteve Pikiell represented the Seawolves at the annual America East Media Day, held at SEFCU Arena on the University at Albany campus.
The program included the announcement of the preseason polls and All-America East teams as well as speeches from America East commissioner Amy Huchthausen and Albany Director of Athletics Lee McElroy.
For the third consecutive season, the men's team was picked to finish second in the conference by the league's head coaches. Stony Brook received four first place votes to finish with 58 points, just two points behind preseason favorite and defending conference tournament champion Vermont. Boston University, Albany, Maine, New Hampshire, Hartford, UMBC and Binghamton are behind the Seawolves in the poll.
Senior forward Tommy Brenton (Columbia, Md.) was one of six players in the conference to earn preseason All-Conference honors. Brenton is coming off a spectacular 2011-12 season in which he was named America East Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-America East. Joining Brenton on the team are Albany's Mike Black, Boston University's D.J. Irving, Maine's Alasdair Fraser, UMBC's Chase Plummer and Vermont's Brian Voelkel.
Led by Pikiell, the reigning America East Coach of the Year, the Seawolves return eight letterwinners from last season's team that won the America East regular season championship and advanced to the NIT for the second tim in the last three seasons. In addition to Brenton's return, the Seawolves also boast junior Dave Coley(Brooklyn, N.Y.), the team's leading returning scorer.
The men's team opens the season Nov. 9 at Marist and plays its home opener Nov. 11 against Mount Ida at Pritchard Gymnasium at 4 p.m., as part of a Seawolves Basketball doubleheader. The Seawolves have won 14 straight games at Pritchard, a Div. I program best.
Led by O'Boyle, who is in her second season at Stony Brook, the women's team returns five seniors, including leading rebounder Jessica Previlon Brooklyn, N.Y.), and has added an influx of talent at all positions. The women's team was picked ninth in the preseason poll. Defending tournament champion Albany was crowned the conference favorite.
The Seawolves open the season with a home game against Rider on Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., and then take on Navy at home Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m., as part of a Seawolves Basketball doubleheader.
The 2013 America East Championship quarterfinals and semifinals will be held at the University at Albany's SEFCU Arena March 8-10. For the fourth straight season, the conference's men's and women's basketball championships will be held in a combined format. The championship games will be held at the campus of the highest remaining seed on March 16.
Season tickets and mini plans for the men's & women's basketball teams are now on sale through the Stony Brook Athletics Ticket Office. For more information visit the Seawolves ticket office online at www.goseawolves.org/tickets or call 631-632-WOLF.
Stony Brook's Miguel Maysonet turned in the kind of explosive performance that has become almost routine as he pursues theWalter Payton Award, given to the outstanding player in the Football Championship Subdivision, and the Seawolves' defense made plenty of big plays in a 41-10 victory over Gardner-Webb Saturday afternoon at LaValle Stadium.
Maysonet gained 169 yards on 19 carries to become the first player in Big South history to top the 4,000-yard career rushing mark, pushing his total to 4,051. He scored two touchdowns -- a tackle-breaking 52-yard run and a 75-yard kickoff return to begin the second half -- as the Seawolves improved to 7-1 and 3-0 in conference play against the Bulldogs (1-6, 0-2).
Asked after the game if he thinks his teammates have come to expect a highlight-reel game every week, Maysonet laughed and said: "I hope not. I just do what I can to help us succeed."
Marcus Coker added 62 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Kyle Essington completed 11 of 17 passes for 142 yards and touchdowns of 30 and 27 yards to Kevin Norrell, who totaled 111 yards on his seven catches.
But many of the game's most important plays came from a defense that contained Bulldogs quarterback Lucas Beatty, who completed 15 of 23 passes for 157 yards but was intercepted by safety Dominick Reyes and sacked six times. Defensive end Junior Solice, coming off shoulder surgery, saw his first extensive action, making a team-high 11/2 sacks, and Reyes had two of SBU's 13 tackles for losses, including a big fourth-down stop late in the third quarter.
"We played well on first down and got them in a lot of second-and-long situations," SBU coach Chuck Priore said. "Then you're allowed to attack. We needed more pressure on the quarterback than we had at Coastal Carolina , so we ran a few different things."
Stony Brook built a 10-0 lead with a career-best 48-yard field goal by Wes Skiffington and Maysonet's 52-yard run on third-and-2 against a G-W defense stacked in the box. "The play was designed to go outside," said Maysonet, who stepped out of one tackle and stiff-armed two more defenders down the left sideline. "Someone fell off their block, and I had to go outside. I kept it wider."
The Bulldogs cut it to 10-3, then recovered a muffed short kickoff at Stony Brook's 21. But Reyes jumped on a Beatty pass and returned it 18 yards, leading to another Skiffington field goal of 45 yards for a 13-3 halftime lead.
"That's from film study, and I had a feeling," Reyes said of the interception. "I knew they were going to run that [crossing] route."
Gardner-Webb tried the short kickoff again to start the second half, trying to keep it away from Maysonet, but he was ready. "I noticed they were kicking short, and I saw the kicker approach it the same way," he said. "I jumped and came up to catch it, and the sideline was open."
The Bulldogs quickly scored on a 47-yard run by J.J. Hubbard to cut the deficit to 20-10, but Essington responded with a 30-yard TD pass to Norrell for a 27-10 lead. Gardner-Webb had one last chance to keep it close, but on fourth-and-4 at Stony Brook's 26, Reyes strung out a pitch to Hubbard and nailed him for a 3-yard loss. The Seawolves then tacked on two more TDs.
"Dom is our quarterback on defense," Priore said. "He runs the show."
Maysonet may be the star, but the Seawolves displayed a great supporting cast.
This news release originally appeared on the Stony Brook News site on Oct. 16.
Stony Brook, N.Y. – Arthur Plowden, 45, of Amityville, N.Y., says he is “living a dream every day and feeling better than ever.” In April, 2010, Plowden became the first patient at a Long Island hospital and at the Stony Brook University Heart Institute to receive a life-saving left ventricular assist device (LVAD). The device transformed his life, which dramatically changed again in July 2012 when Plowden received a new heart at one of Stony Brook’s heart transplantation partners, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, N.Y. When Stony Brook Seawolves Men’s basketball Head Coach, Steve Pikiell, heard Plowden’s story and about his dream to play on a basketball court again, he invited him to a pre-season shooting session.
On October 11, at the Pritchard Gymnasium in the Stony Brook University Sports Complex, Plowden came ready to play – decked out in a dark sweat suit and shiny green sneakers. Coach Pikiell invited him to play a game of “HORSE” with the team, after which he and his players presented Plowden with a signed basketball, a Seawolves shirt, and two 2012-13 season tickets. Coach Pikiell also invited Arthur to spend a game on the bench with the team during an upcoming game. Arthur Plowden (holding basketball) poses with the Stony Brook Seawolves Men’s basketball team and his caregivers from the Stony Brook Heart Institute’s Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Program.
“Your story is truly inspiring, and it moved this team to invite you to shoot with them and play on a basketball court again,” said coach Pikiell, presenting Plowden with the gifts. “Some of our players have overcome obstacles in life. If they have a bad day or are having a hard time with something, I will remind them of your story and all that you were able to overcome, and that will give them new perspective.”
Plowden, energetic and animated, thanked the coach, players, and his caregivers, the specialists at the Stony Brook Heart Institute’s Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Program. He surprised everyone when he said he was a big Seawolf fan, showed the team pictures of “Wolfie” the Seawolves’ mascot on his phone, and told them that his nephew,Mitchell Beauford, played for the Seawolves basketball team from 2003-08.
“To see how far Arthur has come is really quite incredible,” said Hal Skopicki, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of Heart Failure Program, and Co-Director of the VAD Program at the Stony Brook Heart Institute. “By 2010, Arthur had end stage heart failure with his heart functioning at only 10 percent of normal. Since then, Arthur has gone from a condition that made getting out of bed nearly impossible to being able to play his favorite sport almost without limitation.” Dr. Allison McLarty, the surgeon who implanted the device that successfully bridged Arthur Plowden to a heart transplant, takes a moment to shed the scrubs and shoot a few baskets with Plowden. Looking on is Dr. Hal Skopicki.
“I am so proud of Arthur, and the way he returned to doing the things he loves to do shortly after his LVAD implantation,” said Allison McLarty, Associate Professor of Surgery, Co-Director of the VAD Program, and the cardiothoracic surgeon who implanted the device in Plowden. “He lives life with a lot of enthusiasm, hope, and energy, which has increased 10-fold as he has gotten healthier. His story has been an inspiration to us and to all of Stony Brook Medicine’s LVAD patients.”
While Plowden’s journey with heart disease began as a teenager, he remained physically active and without significant problems until his late thirties. Then one day in 2006 he woke up and felt a little uncomfortable with congestion, as if he had a cold. He decided to go to a basketball court to shoot some hoops, and, he explains, “to get myself going and maybe clear out the congestion.”
That day he collapsed on the basketball court. It was determined that he had heart failure, and, after seeing a series of cardiologists and becoming progressively weaker over the next two years, he sought out the advanced cardiac program at Stony Brook Medicine and Dr. Skopicki.
Seeing his condition rapidly deteriorating in early 2010, Dr.Skopicki and colleagues looked for new treatment options. After weeks of intensive evaluation, Drs. Skopicki and McLarty determined that Plowden was a candidate for LVAD implantation.
“I did not want to collapse again, and die on the spot,” said Plowden. “So I told the doctors to go for it and they successfully implanted the LVAD, which worked great for me for more than two years; and look at me now.” The LVAD and other heart-assist pumping devices represent a new generation of heart technology.
The LVAD is attached to the heart and aorta to assist in pumping the heart’s left chamber. It is considered by heart specialists as an intermediary device – crucial as a ‘bridge to transplant’ – for patients before heart transplantation, as in Plowden’s case, or for long-term use in patients who are not heart transplant candidates.
The VAD Program at the Stony Brook Heart Institute has been in operation in 2010. Plowden was the first heart failure patient at Stony Brook to receive an LVAD when it was implanted on April 6, 2010. To date, 17 Stony Brook patients have received LVAD.
Plowden is the first Stony Brook patient to also bridge successfully to a heart transplant. The availability of a heart came up suddenly. He received a call on his cell phone during the evening of July 2 from Kathleen Lopez-Newton, NP, and the Stony Brook VAD Program Coordinator. She had communicated moments before with a coordinator at Montefiore Medical Center, who informed her of the heart designated for transplant and a match for Plowden. In Delaware at the time, Plowden rushed directly to Montefiore, where he had the transplant the following morning.
“It’s all systems go for me now,” exclaimed Plowden as he talked about his active life. “I am back to my job landscaping, I fish all the time, and it felt unbelievable to be back on the hardwood court again.”
Stony Brook’s defense came up big once again with the game on the line, forcing a fourth-quarter fumble by Coastal Carolina and then four incompletions by Chanticleers quarterback Aramis Hillary to preserve a 27-21 Big South road win on Saturday. When the Football Championship Subdivision polls come out Monday afternoon, the Seawolves, who got 233 yards rushing from Miguel Maysonet, should have their first-ever top 10 ranking.
They were No. 11 last week in both the Sports Network and Coaches polls, and five top 10 teams suffered losses over a remarkable weekend of upsets and nailbiters. The top three teams in the rankings all lost at home, and two of those losses were to unranked opponents.
Defending FCS national champ and No. 1 North Dakota State (6-1) fell to unranked Missouri Valley Conference rival Indiana State, 17-14; No. 2 Montana State (6-1) was beaten by No. 6 Big Sky rival Eastern Washington (5-1), 27-24, and No. 3 Old Dominion (5-1) was routed at home, 38-14, by unranked CAA rival Villanova (5-2).
No. 4 James Madison (5-1) of the CAA survived a scare by edging past unranked William & Mary, 27-26, at home. But No. 5 Wofford (5-1) lost a 17-9 decision on the road at No. 7 Georgia Southern (5-1) in a Southern Conference game, and No. 8 Youngstown State (4-2) of the MVC was beaten, 35-28, at home by No. 14 Illinois State (6-1) in the same conference.
No. 9 Sam Houston State (4-2) and No. 10 Lehigh (7-0) both won conference games to keep pace with the 6-1 Seawolves. Assuming at least Youngstown State drops from the top 10, Stony Brook likely would gain a top 10 ranking.
Newsday does not have a vote in the Sports Network, but if I did, I would jump Eastern Washington to the top spot because it beat No. 2 at home, has a win over FBS Idaho and suffered its only loss to FBS Washington State by four points.
The rest of my top 16 rankings would look like this: No. 2 James Madison, No. 3 Georgia Southern, No. 4 Montana State, No. 5 North Dakota State, No. 6 Sam Houston State, No. 7 Lehigh, No. 8 Stony Brook, No. 9 Illinois State, No. 10 Cal Poly (6-0), No. 11 New Hampshire (5-2), No. 12 Appalachian State (5-2), No. 13 Wofford, No. 14 Youngstown State, No. 15 Villanova (5-2) and No. 16 ODU.
The reason for ranking 16 is that they would be seeded that way for the FCS playoffs with the bottom four playing first-round games against teams ranked 17-20. Finishing in the top eight is key because it should mean a first-round bye and a second-round home game.
Miguel Maysonet totals a career-high 233 rushing yards
Final Stats Conway, S.C. - Senior Miguel Maysonet (Riverhead, N.Y.) rushed for a career-high 233 yards and two touchdowns and senior Kyle Essington (Chino Hills, Calif.) passed for 181 yards and two touchdowns as the No. 11 Stony Brook football team (6-1, 2-0 Big South) held off Coastal Carolina (2-4, 0-1), 27-21, at Brooks Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Maysonet recorded his second 200-yard game of the season, breaking off runs of 64 and 58 yards, respectively. Senior Kevin Norrell (Los Angeles, Calif.) was spectacular again, catching seven passes for 127 yards and a touchdown. Senior Jordan Gush(Richardson, Texas) had two receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. A costly fumble by Coastal Carolina's Matt Hazel at Stony Brook 16 was recovered by senior Dominick Reyes (Hesperia, Calif.). Despite a four-and-out series from the Seawolves, the Chanticleers could did not get a first down and Stony Brook held on for the victory. Scoring Drives
1st 12:06 CCU Bennett 24 yd pass from Hillary (Catron kick), 8-75, 2:54, 0-7
"We didn't do anything special; we just executed the game plan. We ran extremely hard in the second half. We had some great blocking up front in a game that went down to the wire."
The Numbers Game
Coastal Carolina's first-quarter touchdown was just the second score Stony Brook has allowed in the first 15 minutes of a game. The Seawolves have outscored their opponents, 90-14, after one quarter of play through seven games.
Senior Wesley Skiffington, who entered the game 6-for-6 on field goals, missed two field goals (27 & 39).
Junior Marcus Coker went for a season-long rush of 18 yards in the second quarter.
Coastal and Stony Brook combined to throw 16 straight completions before an incompletion midway through the second quarter.
Senior Kevin Norrell totaled 100 receiving yards in the first half for a second straight game.
Senior Kyle Essington threw his first incompletion of the game on his eighth attempt. He started the game 7-for-7 for 156 yards and two TDs.
Senior Miguel Maysonet's third-quarter run of 58 yards made it three seasons with 1,000 rushing yards.
Up Next
Stony Brook will host Gardner-Webb on Saturday, October 20 at 4:00 p.m. The Seawolves are 3-1 all-time against the Runnin' Bulldogs, including a 76-28 win in Boiling Springs last season.
After near misses the past two seasons, the players believe this finally could be their time.Practice for the 2012-13 college basketball season begins Friday andStony Brook Universityhas a very clearly defined goal: Make the NCAA Tournament.
"Every practice, every workout we're going with the mindset to get to the tournament,'' senior forward Ron Bracey said Thursday as the team gathered to honor heart transplant patient Arthur Plowden ofAmityville. The 44-year-old, who became the first patient to receive a lifesaving cardiac implant at the university's heart institute, fulfilled a dream by shooting hoops with the college team.
Bracey said the team is driven to make the NCAAs. "That's on our mind every day, every drill, every rep, everything we do,'' he said. "We're going to do whatever we need to do to make sure we get there this year.''
Fifth year senior forward Tommy Brenton added, "I really want to get to the NCAA Tournament and add that to my resume. I won a state championship in high school, in prep school we won the national championship. In college, I want to get to the NCAA Tournament.''
That feeling has been conveyed to newcomers, such as 6-8 freshman power forward Jameel Warney, the team's star recruit. Warney averaged 17.0 points and 13.5 rebounds at Roselle (N.J.) Catholic last season, but said he felt the loss when host Stony Brook (22-10) was defeated by Vermont, 51-43, in the America East championship. The Seawolves had an exciting finish to the season as they drew Big East member Seton Hall in the NIT and played well in a two-point loss.
"It's another year, we have to put that [Vermont loss] behind us and go win the championship this year,'' Warney said. "I just believe in the program here a lot. The coaching staff is amazing. I think I can survive well around this environment.''
Coach Steve Pikiell said of Warney, "You never promise a starting position, but he's as good a freshman as we could ever bring in. He's got great hands, catches everything.''
After Bracey, Brenton and Warney, others expected to see significant playing time include guards Dave Coley, Carson Puriefoy and Anthony Jackson and forwards Eric McAlister, Anthony Mayo and Scott King. Guards Marcus Rouse and Leonard Hayes provide strong senior depth.
Pikiell, in his eighth year, realizes the expectations on his team, saying, "When I first got the job here we weren't talking about March. Now we talk about March, our players talk about March. We've had two league championships, now we've got to have that great weekend.''
Everyone knows Stony Brook coach Chuck Priore wants to run the ball with Miguel Maysonet and Marcus Coker. And that's what makes the passing of quarterback Kyle Essington so effective.
Here's the secret Priore knows about his run-oriented offense: "Something we need to do is throw the football to win championships. Winning comes this way -- you stop the run and you run the football. But to win the big ones, you've got to be able to stop the pass and throw the ball."
Essington proved he could hit the big pass in the FCS playoffs last season, and when Priore gave him the green light to come out slinging last Saturday, he threw five touchdown passes in a 49-7 win over Charleston Southern. Now the Seawolves (5-1, 1-0 Big South) face possibly their toughest conference game of the season Saturday at Coastal Carolina (2-3, 0-0).
The Chanticleers will have to stop more than the run. "This will be a great opportunity to make a statement for our team and let everyone know that, hey, we're coming in to dominate and play at our best level," Essington said. "This is a great opportunity to show everyone we're really a championship team."
Earlier this season, Essington led Stony Brook into the Carrier Dome and connected on a 63-yard bomb to Kevin Norrell for a 7-0 lead over Syracuse. The rest of that game didn't go as well. He finished with only four completions in 19 passes thanks to five drops, including one that would have been a TD, and two interceptions.
"I knew we had to get better," Essington said. "We weren't on the same page, the wide receivers and myself. I think we've done a good job of fixing that."
Since that game, Essington has completed 33 of 52 passes for 569 yards, six touchdowns and only one interception in wins over Colgate, Army and Charleston Southern. Although Coastal Carolina's Aramis Hillary is the total offense leader in the Big South, Essington is the pass efficiency leader at 179.1 to Hillary's 145.88.
Describing his play in the past three games, Essington said, "I think I've just become more confident and am delivering the ball where it's supposed to go. We're finally getting into a good rhythm, which is great. We're going with a full head of steam into Coastal, so I'm happy."
Priore is happy, too, to have a quarterback who is a strong leader and who understands Stony Brook's offense. "With the motions, the formations, the type of run checks and pass checks we have, it's much more complicated than it looks to the naked eye," Priore said. "It looks like we just hand the ball off. But there's a lot Kyle takes advantage of."
