Joe Nathan '97 named to sixth MLB All-Star Game

NEW YORK - Stony Brook Athletics Hall of Famer and baseball great Joe Nathan '97 has been named to the 2013 American League All-Star team and will participate in the 84th annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game July 16 at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. The selections were announced by Major League Baseball Saturday evening. Fans can watch Nathan and the All-Star Game live on FOX at 7:30 p.m.

Nathan has now been selected to the AL All-Star team six times in his career. This is his second consecutive selection with the Rangers. He was named to the team as a member of the Minnesota Twins in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009.

Nathan is enjoying another stellar season as a closer. In 39 games this season for Texas, Nathan has pitched 37-2/3 innings and allowed just 20 hits while striking out 39. He has a 1-0 record with a 1.43 ERA and 28 saves, which currently ranks second in the American League.

In his career, Nathan ranks 13th all-time with 327 saves. He is second only to New York's Mariano Rivera among active pitchers.

In five career innings at the All-Star Game, Nathan has a 1.80 ERA and has allowed only three hits while striking out four.

Nathan was a two-time Academic All-American at Stony Brook and hit .378 in his time with the Seawolves and was also inducted into the Stony Brook Athletics Hall of Fame on Dec. 6, 2006, when he became the first former Stony Brook student-athlete to have his number retired. Stony Brook renamed its baseball facility Joe Nathan Field after Nathan donated the lead gift that led to the park's renovation.

Have a Happy and Safe 4th of July!

Rayshaun McGrew joins men's hoops for 2013-14

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook men’s basketball head coach Steve Pikiellhas announced that 6-6, 230-pound forward Rayshaun McGrew (Chicago, Ill.) has signed a grant-in aid offer to attend Stony Brook University and play for the Seawolves beginning in the upcoming 2013-14 season. McGrew will have three years of eligibility remaining.

“I’m very excited to add Rayshaun McGrew to our Stony Brook men’s basketball family,” Pikiell said. “We’re getting a very physical front court player, who can shoot the ball, rebound and defend well. Most importantly, we’re getting a quality young man who will fit in well with our team and do all the right things. He adds outstanding depth to our already strong front court.”

McGrew comes to Stony Brook after two years at Cowley County Community College, a competitive junior college located in Arkansas City, Kan. He played one season for the Tigers and averaged 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds a game while shooting 53.4 percent from the field. He helped the Tigers to a 21-11 record and helped them advance to the second round of the NJCAA Region VI Men’s Basketball Tournament.

“Rayshaun is a rare kid who has a toughness on the court, works hard and is a good, genuine person off the court,” Cowley County Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tommy DeSalme said. “He is a blue collar glue guy. He does all the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet that help you win. He has a high motor, plays hard, defends well, rebounds the ball and can hit the consistent 15-foot jumper. And he’ll keep getting better offensively. Rayshaun is the type of person that doesn’t have to score to say that he had a good game. His best basketball is ahead of him, and he’ll make a great ambassador for Stony Brook.”

Prior to his junior college experience, McGrew was a four-year starter at Chicago Vocational Career Academy and captained the Cavaliers his senior season. As a senior in 2010-11, he was an All-Public League Conference and All-City selection and was also All-State honorable mention. He led the team in scoring (17.2 per game) rebounding (9.7 per game) and field goal percentage (56.7).

McGrew will join fellow newcomers Chris Braley and Roland Nyama, redshirt freshmen Ryan Burnett, Kameron Mitchell and Ahmad Walker and seven returning letterwinners to form the 2013-14 Seawolves team that will seek to build upon last season’s record-breaking squad that won a Div. I program record 25 games, including the program’s first-ever national postseason win, and captured the America East regular season championship for the third time in the last four years. Among the returnees are 2013 America East Rookie of the Year Jameel Warney, All-America East guardDave Coley and starting point guard Anthony Jackson.

Stony Brook Athletics celebrates department wide 3.08 GPA in 2012-13

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook University Department of Athletics continues to shine both on the field and in the classroom. In addition to claiming nine conference championships in 2012-13, Seawolf student-athletes as a whole achieved an overall grade-point average (GPA) of 3.08 during this academic year, the second-highest department GPA during the last six years.

"I am continually humbled by the effort our student-athletes make each and every day in the classroom and in their athletic endeavors," Stony Brook Director of Athletics Jim Fiore said. "All the credit goes to our student-athletes, coaches and academic support staff; this achievement is a reflection of their collective commitment towards the true 'student'-athlete paradigm."

In 2012-13, Stony Brook student-athletes received numerous honors for their academic achievements. Seventeen Seawolves were placed on conference All-Academic teams, which honor the best in each sport based on performance on the field and in the classroom. Olivia Burne of the women's cross country team, Eric Speakman of the men's cross country team and Brandon McNitt of the baseball team were recognized as America East Scholar-Athletes distinguishing themselves as the top scholar-athlete in their respective sports. Speakman was also a selection to the CoSIDA/Capital One District I All-Academic team.
Stony Brook annually also places numerous student-athletes on the America East Honor Roll. In 2012-13, 212 Seawolves student-athletes made the honor roll, which requires a 3.0 GPA or higher. That number represents over 40 percent of the student-athletes on campus. In addition, 82 student-athletes earned America East Commissioner's Honor Roll status for producing a 3.5 GPA or higher.

Four teams were recognized nationally for their academic progress. For the second straight year, the football team received the Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic Progress Rate (APR) Award for having the best multi-year APR in the Big South Conference. For the third consecutive year, the men's cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field teams received the NCAA APR Recognition Award for having a multi-year APR in the top 10 percent of all teams in the nation, all of them finishing with a perfect score of 1000.

In terms of single-year APR for 2011-12, four teams finished with a perfect APR score of 1000, including the men's & women's basketball teams and the men's indoor & outdoor track & field teams. Specifically in men's basketball, the Seawolves achieved a perfect single-year APR score for the third consecutive year and their multi-year APR of 985 is the highest among all Metropolitan New York City schools.

Nationally, 12 Stony Brook athletic programs boast a multi-year APR over the NCAA Div. I average of 974, and 12 programs have multi-year APRs better than the national average within their respective sports.

Both the men's & women's cross country teams were honored by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), achieving All-Academic status as a team for the sixth consecutive year.

At the annual Stony Brook end-of-year student-athlete banquet, The Wolfies, men's tennis senior Robert Forai and women's track & field senior Sandeep Dhillon were named the Stony Brook Scholar-Athletes of the Year, boasting the top male and female cumulative GPAs among the senior class.