The Stony Brook University women’s cross country team placed second overall at the 2023 CAA Championship at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, VA on Oct. 27. Four Seawolves (Grace Weigele, Fiona McLoughlin, Grace Sisson and Rebecca Clackett) placed inside the top-15, earning All-CAA distinction. Weigele paced the Seawolves individually, finishing second overall, four seconds behind the individual winner. Weigele covered the 6K course in 21:07.50, securing valuable points for Stony Brook. McLoughlin followed closely behind, crossing in fifth, needing 21:17.60 to complete the championship event.
Sisson (21:49.80) and Clackett (21:50.40) finished 14th and 15th respectively, rounding out Stony Brook’s All-CAA performers at the CAA Championship. Nicole Garcia notched a top-20 finish for the Seawolves, completing the course in 21:58.40 to slot in at 19th place. Niamh Durcan (31st), Amelie Guzman (37th) and Julia Samuelson (84th) rounded out the Seawolves’ runners.
FINAL WOMEN’S SCORES
Elon, 36 points
Stony Brook, 55 points
Northeastern, 78 points
William & Mary, 98 points
Monmouth, 112 points
Charleston, 164 points
Delaware, 203 points
Hofstra, 288 points
UNC Wilmington, 296 points
Towson, 310 points
Campbell, 319 points
North Carolina A&T, 328 points
Hampton, 348 points
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES “This without a doubt was the best women’s team performance in a number of years,” head coach Andy Ronancommented. “The ladies were brilliant in how they went about competing today. We knew they had this type of performance in them, and excited that they pulled it out today.”
“Today was an important race where everyone on the team stepped up and competed for each other,” Weigele noted post meet. “It was a tactical race, so a large part of it was about patience and trusting ourselves. I’m proud of how we were able to compete as a team today and set a great tone for regionals.”
NEXT UP The team returns to competition on Friday, November 10 for the NCAA Regional Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
The Stony Brook University men’s cross country team defended its title, winning the 2023 CAA Championship at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, VA on Oct. 27. Six Seawolves earned All-CAA distinction, with four of the six placing inside the top-10 of the field. Carlos Santos was Stony Brook’s top individual performer, finishing in second place after covering the 8K course in 24:15.30. Evan Brennan completed the course in 24:31.10, grabbing sixth place. Steven Struk (24:37.10) and Collin Gilstrap (24:37.40) finished eighth and ninth, respectively, rounding out Stony Brook’s top-10 finishers. Michael Fama (11th) and Shane Henderson (12th) placed inside the top-15, joining the aforementioned performers as All-CAA performers. Eben Bragg narrowly missed out on All-CAA distinction, finishing 16th with a time of 25:02.80. Michael Hawkes(25:39.40) finished as Stony Brook’s eighth runner inside the top-25 at the championship event. Nick Tardugno(33rd), Henry Gartner (40th), Eric Shu (41st) and John Fontanez (49th) rounded out the Seawolves’ competitors at the 2023 CAA Championship.
FINAL MEN’S SCORES
Stony Brook, 36 points
Northeastern, 49 points
William & Mary, 77 points
Monmouth, 107 points
Hofstra, 140 points
Elon, 162 points
UNC Wilmington, 213 points
Charleston, 216 points
Campbell, 271 points
North Carolina A&T, 274 points
Hampton, 346 points
QUOTES FROM THE SEAWOLVES “I thought the guys were fantastic today. They handled the pressure of being defending champions and the very warm conditions like professionals,” head coach Andy Ronan noted. “While not all of them had their their best run, they competed for each other. I’m so very proud of all 12 guys that tied the line this morning.”
“In my time at Stony Brook we’ve been through every possible situation on and off the course. We’ve been on both ends of the stick winning and losing, but seeing a talented young group of guys just show up, face adversity, running for each other is huge. After all the hard work we put in the summer, you’re working for moments like these. This moment, being back-to-back champions, running for each other, having the grit to battle it out when it gets hard. You can’t put a price on it, you can put a price on many things in life and out in the world,” Santos commented post meet. “But being a conference champion as a team and doing it for something bigger then yourself is priceless. A legacy that lives on forever, and our job is for the young guys to keep it going. I’m confident they will. They got the taste of winning and we’re always hungry for more.”
NEXT UP The team returns to competition on Friday, November 10 for the NCAA Regional Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
Stony Brook football fell on the road in its Week 9 matchup, dropping a 48-13 decision to No. 19 at Villanova Stadium in PA on Oct. 28 against the Wildcats.
Stony Brook was led by redshirt freshman Anthony Johnson, who pulled in a career-high 11 catches for 90 yards. Redshirt sophomore Dez Williams and redshirt junior Jayden Cook each grabbed a receiving touchdown on Saturday.
Redshirt junior Roland Dempster led Stony Brook on the ground, running for 55 yards on 12 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Redshirt junior Ross Tallarico added 24 yards on six carries whilde redshirt freshman Johnny Martin added 23 yards on seven carries.
In the pass game, graduate student Casey Case completed 12-of-22 passes for 113 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Redshirt freshman Daron Bryden finished 10-of-15 passes and added a touchdown.
Defensively, graduate student Aidan Kaler finished with seven tackles, three of them solo. Redshirt sophomore Jalen Hoyle and redshirt freshman Wilensky Nicolas each added five stops, while redshirt junior Brandon Higgs added four tackles and a fumble recovery on special teams.
For Villanova, Connor Watkins completed 13 passes for 364 yards and four passing scores. In the air, Rayjuon Pringle, Jaaron Hayek and Jaylen Sanchez each hit 100 yards and caught at least a touchdown pass, with Hayek catching two. Pringle led in receiving yards with 196. Three different rushers finished with touchdowns, with Jalen Jackson leading the way with 77 yards.
“Disappointed with the final score. Our kids are competing and they’re prepared, but the performances haven’t been there. My job is to figure out how to get the performances to match, as the Saturdays haven’t been indicative of the work they players have put in Sunday through Friday,” said head coach Chuck Priore.
Up next, the team will play its final road game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 4, taking on Monmouth for a 1 p.m. kick on FloFootball. The Seawolves are 3-5 all-time against Monmouth, with a 2-2 record in New Jersey.
Competing for the second straight week, the Stony Brook swimming and diving team captured its first team victory of the season, defeating Sacred Heart in a dual meet 159-141 in Connecticut on Oct. 28.
The victory improved the Seawolves to 1-1 on the season in dual competitions.
Stony Brook’s day was highlighted by nine first place finishes, while the Seawolves also took seven second place results in the meet.
Freshman Sylvia Walker won all of her events for the second straight week, contributing four first place finishes on the day. SBU’s victories also included freshmen Jaelynn Taylor and Meredith Yuhasz.
The 200 yard medley relay team of Taylor, Alanna DePinto, MaryKate Conway and Michelle Vu kicked things off with a first place finish with a finals time of 1:51:02.
Walker won the 200 yard freestyle, touching the wall in 1:55.41. Taylor won the 100 yard backstroke in 59.87, followed by sophomore Sara Baxter, who finished in 1:01.73.
In the 100 yard freestyle, Walker completed a first place finish in 52.95. Yuhasz put up a long-distance victory, winning the 500 yard freestyle with a time of 5:16.59. Walker won the 100 yard butterfly in 59.07, winning by 2.04 seconds.
Stony Brook picked up a 1M diving victory from Mykayla Lavery, who put up a score of 240.95; Vu put up a win in the 200 yard IM in 2:14.16; and DePinto, Baxter, Walker and Conway combined for a 1:39.95 time for first place in the 200 yard freestyle relay.
“Today’s meet was a fight until the end, and our girls showed toughness and drive,” said head coach Mark Anderson. “Great day of racing by the Seawolves. On to Siena in a few weeks!”
Up next, the team competes at home for the first and only time this season in a dual meet against Siena on Nov. 18 at noon.
Speakers at the October 31, press conference, from left to right, Adriene Esposito, Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Chris Gobler, Professor at Stony Brook University, and Peter Scully, Deputy Executive of Suffolk County.
New 2023 Map Shows Record Number of Harmful Algal Blooms and Dead Zones Across Long Island
Scientists at Stony Brook University have completed their assessment of water quality in Long Island’s surface waters for 2023 and the news was not good –the announcement was made today at a press conference on the shores of Great South Bay. During the months of April through September, every major bay and estuary across Long Island was afflicted by harmful algal blooms (HABs), oxygen-starved, dead zones, and fish and turtles kills. Excessive delivery of nitrogen from onsite wastewater has been cited as the root cause of these disturbing events.
“Some aspects of 2023 were the ‘new normal’ for Long Island, but there were disturbing, unexpected outcomes as well” said Dr. Christopher Gobler, Professor of Stony Brook University. “This was the worse year for harmful algal blooms on Long Island, ever.”
Gobler explained that there was a record-setting five shellfish bed closures in five locations covering thousands of acres across Long Island due to the occurrence of blooms of the saxitoxin-synthesizing alga, Alexandrium. Saxitoxin causes the human health syndrome, paralytic shellfish poisoning. These five closures in April and May were following by an additional closure that began in May and extended into the summer that was caused by a bloom of Dinophysis in Moriches Bay that reached record densities.Dinophysis contains okadaic acid, a gastrointestinal toxin and the 2023 bloom was record-setting.
“While a Dinophysis bloom in the Flanders Bay region in 2011 had been globally deemed the most intense Dinophysis HAB ever recorded at two million cells per liter, the event in Moriches Bay exceeded 100 million cells per liter, and sustained densities in the millions for over a month.”, commented Gobler.
On the heels of these spring events came something new for Long Island, namely a HAB called Pseudo-nitzschia that contains a neurotoxin known as domoic acid that causes amnesic shellfish poisoning. The bloom covered south shore regions from Islip through Quogue across much of Great South Bay, all of Moriches Bay, and western Shinnecock Bay. Beyond detecting tens of millions of cells per liter, this bloom was also producing the toxin domoic acid, representing a new public health threat.
“This algal toxin has never been seen in Long Island waters and has had significant mortality effects on marine mammal on the west coast. Its high density in regions that had been previously flushed by the New Inlet that closed in 2023 suggests that, in addition, to excessive nitrogen loads, poor flushing contributed to this event.”, said Gobler.
And the HABs did not stop there. In mid-July, a rust tide began on the east end of Long Island, starting in Shinnecock Bay and ultimately spreading through all of the Peconic Estuary. Rust tide is caused by the alga, Cochlodinum, that is ichthyotoxic, meaning it can kill fish and has been responsible for fish and shellfish kills on Long Island. The 2023 rust tide was the earliest start ever for a Rust Tide, and this was also the longest lasting rust tide as the event extended into early October. In 2012, the Gobler lab published an article in an international, peer-reviewed journal identifying the ability of excessive nitrogen to intensify these HABs, and in a 2019 publication, they identified the increase in summer water temperatures since the 20th century as a factor allowing these blooms to occur all summer in NY waters.
The HABs also extended inland in 2023 as there were more than were two-dozen lakes and pind that experienced outbreaks of blue-green algal blooms, a serious concern for both human and animal health. The south fork of Long Island was called out for hosting the ‘Dirty Baker’s Dozen’ as 13 water bodies in this region experienced these toxic blooms in 2023. For the past seven years, Suffolk County has had more lakes with blue-green algal blooms than any other of the 64 counties in New York State, a distinction that is likely to be repeated in 2023. Blue-green algae make toxins that can be harmful to humans and animals and have been linked to dog illnesses and dog deaths across the US and on Long Island.
The 2023 water quality impairment map also documented more than 30 distinct low oxygen ‘dead zones’ across the north shore, south shore, and east end of Long Island. All life in the ocean outside of some bacteria require oxygen to persist, a fact motivating the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to strive for all water bodies at all times to have no less than 3 milligrams of dissolved oxygen. All 30 dead zones failed to meet this standard. While fish kills were not widespread in 2023, a lack of oxygen did contributed fish kills in locations on the south shore.
Over the years, the occurrence of harmful algal blooms and dead zones has contributed to the collapse of critical marine habitats such as seagrass, major fisheries on Long Island such as bay scallops and hard clams, and coastal wetlands that help protect waterfront communities from the damaging impacts of storms. Groups such as The Nature Conservancy have been working for more than a decade to revive and restore these habitats and shellfish but have been challenged by events such as those witnessed during the summer of 2023.
Excessive nitrogen coming from household sewage that seeps into groundwater and ultimately, into bays, harbors, and estuaries or, in some cases, is directly discharged into surface waters, is a root cause of the maladies of 2023. Excessive nitrogen stimulates algal blooms that can, in turn, remove oxygen from bottom waters as they decay. Suffolk County and Nassau County recently completed ‘subwatershed studies’ that identified wastewater as the largest source of nitrogen to surface waters and set goals for reducing nitrogen loading from septic systems as a defense against these impairments.
Despite the gloomy news, there were some signs of hope in the data.
“In Long Island Sound, the western dead zone in 2023 was significantly smaller than it was 20 year ago thanks to sewage treatment plants removing 60% more nitrogen and reducing the flow of nitrogen into the western Sound”, said Gobler. “This proves that reductions in nitrogen loading does improve water quality.”
Counterbalancing this high note was the growth of a second dead zone in central Long Island Sound emanating from Smithtown Bay suggesting this region now needs significant reduction in nitrogen loading.
The report on the summer of 2023 was compiled by the Gobler Laboratory of Stony Brook University that has been monitoring and sampling Long Island’s waters on a weekly basis every summer since 2014. Data was also generated by the Long Island Sound Study which is funded by US Environmental Protection Agency. The data was reported weekly on News 12 and Newsday as part of their weekly Water Quality Index.
The study was supported by the Chicago Community Trust and an anonymous donor.
Joseph Pierce, associate professor in the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literature and the inaugural director of Stony Brook University’s Native American and Indigenous Studies program. Photo courtesy Stony Brook University
Stony Brook University named Joseph Pierce, associate professor in the Department of Hispanic Languages and Literature, the inaugural director of a Native American and Indigenous Studies effort as the university plans to hire three new faculty in this nascent undertaking.
Next year, the southern flagship school of the State University of New York plans to add staff in the English Department, Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies and Anthropology.
“I have been eager for this to start,” said Pierce, a member of the Cherokee Nation who has been at the university for a decade. “We have so much to contribute to broader discussions that are happening around the world. The university is better by including Native American studies.”
Andrew Newman, professor and chair of the Department of English at SBU. Photo courtesy Stony Brook University
Andrew Newman, professor and current chair of the Department of English, who is also chair of a committee advising Axel Drees, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, described Pierce as having a “real national profile,” adding that he was the “right person to be the founding director.”
Starting next fall, students at the university can minor in Native American and Indigenous Studies, where they can study the history, art, social and political interests, languages and cultures of Indigenous peoples.
The focus on Native American Studies will emphasize transdisciplinary topics such as environmental justice and sustainability.
Indigenous scholars should have a “seat at the table,” said Newman, “as they are globally one of the demographics most impacted by climate change.”
Islands in the Pacific are disappearing, Guam is undergoing “significant environmental degradation,” and fires in the Pacific Northwest and leaking pipelines in the United States and Canada are “disproportionately affecting Indigenous peoples,” Pierce added.
Indigenous groups relate to the land in a way that’s different from others, approaching it as stewards and caretakers, Pierce said.
“We see land as a relative,” he noted. “We’re asking very different questions about what it means to care for a place and to care for the environment and to care for the life that sustains it.”
The New York City government proposed plans for flood relief on the lower East Side of Manhattan in the event of future storms like Hurricane Sandy. The proposals included building massive walls and raising elevated platforms, including clearing thousands of trees.
Numerous indigenous groups objected and protested against such plans, Pierce said.
In an email, Carl Lejuez, Stony Brook University’s provost, suggested that a significant piece of Governors Island is climate justice, so the link between the Governors Island effort and indigenous peoples “fits naturally with the goals of the New York Climate Exchange.”
Axel Drees, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at SBU. Photo courtesy Stony Brook University
Lejuez credited Drees as a “driver of this in collaboration with Professor Pierce.” Lejuez added that his office is “definitely providing support to see it come to fruition.”
The most crucial component in the start of this effort is hiring faculty.
“If we build the core faculty across the university, we can definitely consider expanding research and curriculum opportunities,” Lejuez wrote.
Student interest
Students from the Anthropology Department recently invited Pierce to give a talk about some of his current research.
“It was evident that a lot of them have an interest in working toward understanding humanity, what it means to be human,” he said. They also have an understanding of how anthropology as a discipline has sometimes historically “adopted rather unscientific and proto-eugenic methods” in describing and analyzing Indigenous Peoples.
Students are eager for an alternative perspective on the acquisition and acceptance of knowledge.
Pierce believes students have considerable interest in Native American Studies. His courses about Latin American indigenous populations are full.
“There are numerous students who are interested in Native American and Indigenous studies but don’t quite have a cohesive plan of study that’s available to them,” Pierce said. “This is remedying that disconnection.”
Long Island students grow up in numerous towns and communities with Native American names, such as Sachem, Wyandanch, Montauk and Setauket.
Newman added that the staff hopes the new effort can do some “outreach to local schools and provide professional development with kindergarten through 12th-grade teachers. It would be an important mission for the university to educate Long Island as a whole about Native culture.”
U.S. President Joe Biden presents the National Medal of Science to Stony Brook University President’s Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics Barry C. Barish at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on October 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Barry Barish, Nobel Prize in Physics Laureate and Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook University, accepted a 2022 National Medal of Science (2022 and 2023 medals were presented at the same ceremony) from President Joe Biden on Oct. 24. Bestowed during a White House ceremony honoring U.S. scientists, technologists and innovators whose achievements have greatly benefited the country and beyond, this prestigious award is among the highest honors in the scientific community.
Professor Barish was acknowledged for his “exemplary service to science, including groundbreaking research on sub-atomic particles,” said the military aide who announced the awards. “His leadership of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory [LIGO] led to the first detection of gravitational waves from merging black holes, confirming a key part of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. He has broadened our understanding of the universe and our nation’s sense of wonder and discovery.”
In addition to his roles at Stony Brook, which he assumed earlier this fall, Professor Barish is also an esteemed educator at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the University of California, Riverside, as well as a member of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Physical Society (APS), where he also served as president. His growing legacy in the field of physics has earned him a long list of accolades, including the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics, which he shared with LIGO colleagues Rainer Weiss and Kip S. Thorne. He has also received a Copernicus Prize from the government of Poland, a Henry Draper Medal from the NAS, and many more awards for his work.
“The National Medal of Science presented to Professor Barish, Stony Brook’s inaugural President’s Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics, is the latest honor marking his exceptional career dedicated to discovery, innovation and excellence,” said Maurie McInnis, president. “Joined by President Biden and other scientists and innovators during the White House ceremony, it was a proud moment for Stony Brook as he received the nation’s highest honors for science. He is truly an inspiration to his students and colleagues, and I am grateful for his teaching and mentorship that inspires all of us by his example.”
After receiving a doctorate in physics from his alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley, in 1962, Professor Barish stayed as a research fellow before taking on a fellowship with Caltech. His early career focused on high-energy physics, and he is associated with several key discoveries about the nature and behavior of microscopic particles. In the decades since, his innovative work has transcended particle physics itself to impact all sorts of specialties – from astrophysics to cosmology – making him one of the most influential physicists of his time.
“Even as a life-long particle physicist myself, it is awe-inspiring to think that human beings can detect ripples in space-time (gravitational waves) that Einstein dreamed about from two merging black holes, since even a black hole itself is incomprehensible to many of us,” said Chang Kee Jung, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. “Every time I think about it, I get goose bumps! Although this medal recognizes Barry’s scientific achievements, it also recognizes his broader contributions to the US scientific community through his services on key committees, panels and leadership positions, such as the President of APS. We are lucky to have him here at Stony Brook. Even with his packed schedule, recently he volunteered to teach an undergraduate course in addition to his graduate course, demonstrating his unwavering passion and dedication for teaching and education. He is an inspiration to all of us.”
The National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation were each awarded to a handful of high-achieving American thought leaders.
The Stony Brook volleyball team fell to Towson in straight sets (20-25, 19-25, 16-25) on Oct. 22 at TU Arena.
Abby Campbell finished with eight kills on the day to lead the Seawolves’ offense while finishing with a hitting percentage of .250. Defensively, Stony Brook got 18 digs from Julia Patsos to pace the team.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | Stony Brook jumped out to an early 8-4 lead following a kill by Ava Jackson. Later in the set, the Seawolves re-took the lead after a kill by Campbell for a 16-15 advantage. But, Towson would grab the advantage for good at 17-16, in a set that was tied up nine times before the Tigers took over in the second half of the stanza, winning 25-20.
SET 2 | The Seawolves again jumped out to an early advantage. Campbell led the way in the beginning of the set after her kill gave the Seawolves a 7-3 lead and then a service ace giving Stony Brook a 9-5 lead. However, the Tigers would tie the match at 13 and never relinquished the lead after taking a 15-14 advantage. Towson won four of the last five point to close out a 25-19 victory.
SET 3 | The Seawolves controlled an early 3-2 lead following the kill by Leoni Kunz, but could not tame the Tigers, who would rally for 10 of the next 12 points to take control of the set and grab the sweep, pulling away to a 25-16 victory.
STATS AND NOTES
Stony Brook attackers were helped by a team-high 27 assists from Torri Henry.
The loss dropped Stony Brook’s record to 10-13 overall and 5-7 in CAA action.
The Seawolves had four aces from four different players on the afternoon.
NEXT UP
The team return to the court next weekend when they host William & Mary on Oct. 28 and 29 at 1 p.m. inside Pritchard Gymnasium. Stony Brook is 1-2 all-time against the Tribe after defeating them in their last meeting in five sets on Oct. 2, 2022 in Williamsburg.
The Stony Brook women’s soccer team ended their regular season slate on Oct. 19 in Boston against Northeastern by finishing in a 0-0 draw against the Huskies at Parsons Field.
The Seawolves got the pressure early on the Huskies defense by tallying the first two shots of the match. Linn Beck and Ashley Bell both ripped shots in the first eight minutes but were secured by the Huskies. Also, Luciana Setteducate tallied a shot in the 22nd minute that resulted in a save. Later in the half, Nicolette Pasquarella would secure a save in the 32nd, 34th, and 44th minute to keep the draw into the break.
In the second half, the Seawolves tallied 10 shots compared to the eight by Northeastern and collected two more corner kicks than the Huskies but the Northeastern defense held on to ultimately force a 0-0 draw.
Stony Brook totaled 16 shots in the scoreless tie, eight of them on goal. The Seawolves faced 17 Northeastern shots, five of them on goal. Pasquarella led Stony Brook with five saves.
STATS AND NOTES
Pasquarella piled up five saves for the Seawolves out of 17 total Huskies shots. She has five or more saves in her last four matches and nine different times this season.
GabrielleCôté led the way with three shots on goal. She is second on the team with 17 shots on goal this season.
Stony Brook recorded eight shots on goal compared to the five by the Huskies.
The Seawolves picked up eight corner kicks and Northeastern tallied zero.
The tie moved Stony Brook’s record to 6-5-6 overall and 4-4-4 in CAA action.
Seven standout Seawolves were enshrined in the Stony Brook Rita & Kurt Eppenstein Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 21. The Hall of Fame ceremony honored the induction class of 2023 inside Island Federal Arena, as the inductees were celebrated for their outstanding contributions to Stony Brook Athletics.
The 2023 Hall of Fame class is comprised of Dr. Leah Fiorentino (Holland) ’76 (Swimming & Diving), Brock Jackolski ’12 (Football), Nini Lagvilava ’13 (Women’s Tennis), Courtney Lawless (Murphy) ’17, ’18 (Women’s Lacrosse), Kylie Ohlmiller ’18 (Women’s Lacrosse), Carson Puriefoy ’16 (Men’s Basketball), and Steve Waldeck ’10 (Men’s Lacrosse).
The Athletics Hall of Fame began in 1991 with the induction of its first members. On October 20, 2007, the Hall of Fame was dedicated as the Rita & Kurt Eppenstein Athletics Hall of Fame to honor the memory of Rita and Kurt Eppenstein, two quintessential New Yorkers whose lives serve as a higher lesson in ethics, character, and perseverance, and who sacrificed much to enable their son to graduate from college and law school and to enjoy the opportunities and experiences that flowed from their own American dream. Their son, Ted Eppenstein ’68, was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in the fourth class to be inducted in 1994.
Dr. Leah Fiorentino (Holland) ’76, Swimming & Diving
Fiorentino was a trailblazer for Stony Brook athletics, becoming the first woman on a Stony Brook swimming & diving team. In addition, Fiorentino was the first woman to medal at the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Swimming Association Championships. In 1973, she won the 1,000m freestyle against a field of all men. In 1974, she was on the school record 800 free relay team as she swam alongside male teammates John Brisson, Phil LeNoach, and Erik Leiber.
Brock Jackolski ’12, Football
A dynamic running back, kick returner, and defensive back, Jackolski enters the hall as one of the greatest to ever play football at Stony Brook. He starred on Stony Brook’s first national playoff team in 2011 earning All-American honors as a kick returner and was tabbed to the All-Conference First Team in the Big South as a running back. Jackolski rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons at Stony Brook and totaled 32 career touchdowns (25 rushing, five receiving, two kick returns). In addition, Jackolski holds the Stony Brook single season-record for all-purpose yards with 2,441 in 2011.
Nini Lagvilava ’13, Tennis
Lagvilava enters the hall as the greatest player in the history of Stony Brook tennis. She graduated with a singles record of 78-22, a doubles record of 36-13 for a total record of 114-35. She is Stony Brook’s all-time leader in singles wins and played #1 singles for virtually her entire career. In addition, she became the first Stony Brook player to be nationally ranked in ITA singles and is the only player in Stony Brook and America East history to qualify for the NCAA singles championship. Lagvilava won America East Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2009. She followed that up with First Team All-Conference honors in 2010. In 2011, she was named America East Player of the Year and led the team to its first-ever America East title and NCAA Tournament berth. As a senior in 2012, she won America East Player of the Year for the second-straight season and was named Most Outstanding Player at the America East Championship leading the Seawolves to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament.
Courtney Lawless (Murphy) ’17, ’18, Women’s Lacrosse
One of the greatest players in Stony Brook history, Murphy starred on some of the best lacrosse teams the school has ever fielded. Her decorated career boasts 92 wins, two All-American honors, two Tewaaraton Award nominations, five conference titles, and five NCAA Tournament berths. In 2018, Murphy set the NCAA’s all-time scoring record with 341 goals, a mark that stands as the second-most in NCAA women’s lacrosse lore today. Murphy set the Stony Brook freshman scoring record with 61 goals during her rookie year in 2014. In 2016, she broke the NCAA single-season scoring record with a remarkable 100 goals and led the country with 116 points. After tearing her ACL as a senior, Murphy came back in 2018 and helped lead Stony Brook to one of its best seasons in school history as the Seawolves earned their first-ever No. 1 national ranking in program history.
Kylie Ohlmiller ’18, Women’s Lacrosse
The NCAA’s all-time leader in assists (246) and points (498), Ohlmiller’s illustrious career helped spearhead the Stony Brook women’s lacrosse program to national prominence. She was a three-time All-American, two-time Teawaraaton Award Finalist, two-time America East Player of the Year, and four-time First Team All-America East selection. In 2017, Ohlmiller delivered her best season yet as she was named a Tewaraaton Award Finalist – becoming the first player in Stony Brook and America East history to earn such recognition. In addition, she set the NCAA single-season record for points with 164. In 2018, Ohlmiller led the nation with 157 points, charging Stony Brook to its first-ever No. 1 national ranking and an undefeated regular season.
Carson Puriefoy ’16, Men’s Basketball
A two-time First Team All-Conference selection and three-time All-Championship team pick, Puriefoy was the point guard for Stony Brook’s first-ever NCAA Tournament team in 2016. He ranks second all-time at Stony Brook with 132 games played, third in both three-pointers and free-throws made, fifth in free-throws attempted, sixth in steals and assists, and seventh in scoring. After three consecutive appearances in the America East conference title game, Puriefoy helped the Seawolves over the hump winning their first conference tournament championship in 2016. He played all 40 minutes in the conference title game against Vermont scoring 23 points en route to the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth.
Steve Waldeck ’10, Men’s Lacrosse
Waldeck was a three-time First Team All-Conference selection and a key member on Stony Brook’s 2010 NCAA Tournament team. A two-time team captain, he helped Stony Brook win its first ever NCAA Tournament game with a 9-7 first round victory over Denver in 2010. Following his senior year, Waldeck earned honorable mention All-American honors and was selected to the USILA North/South All-Star Game. He started every game over his four years at Stony Brook and became the first player in school history to be drafted in the MLL after being selected 17th overall by the Toronto Nationals in the 2010 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Draft.
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