Stony Brook Seawolves men's lacrosse
| Stony Brook Seawolves men's lacrosse | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Founded | 1978 |
| University | Stony Brook University |
| Conference | America East Conference |
| Location | Stony Brook, New York |
| Coach | Jim Nagle (since 2012) |
| Stadium |
Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium (capacity: 8,300) |
| Nickname | Seawolves |
| Colors | Red, Blue, and Gray |
| NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals | |
| 2010 | |
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |
| 2002, 2010, 2012 | |
| Conference Tournament Champions | |
| 2002, 2010, 2012 | |
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |
| 2002, 2010, 2011, 2012 | |
The Stony Brook Seawolves men's lacrosse team represents Stony Brook University in NCAA Division I men's college lacrosse. Stony Brook currently competes in the America East Conference and plays its home games on Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium. After a breakout season in 2010 in which the team played in the NCAA Quarterfinal and was ranked as high as eight in the polls the Seawolves weren't able to equate their success in 2011 and fell at the doorstep of the NCAA, losing 11–10 against Hartford at the conference championship game. In 2011, head coach Rick Sowell departed to Navy while Jim Nagle from Colgate was announced as the new leader of the program. In his first year at the helm he led Stony Brook to another conference championship and a return to the NCAA.
Stony Brook has been the most successful team in the conference the last four years reaching the Conference final each year, and advancing to the NCAA twice.
Stony Brook University fielded a men's club lacrosse team, founded by student Frank Ross, starting in 1978. Ross played lacrosse throughout high school and on arriving at Stony Brook found a netless goal in the woods north of G Quad and no team. In the spring of 1978, posters were placed around the University and a general meeting was held that spring with a very large turnout. The team assembled for its first practice on the field west of H Quad near the intramural fields. Approximately 35 players showed up.
The club's first coaches were volunteers that offered to coach at the first meeting. The head coach was Bert Campbell and assistant coach Vince Droser. Without funding, the team was limited to local scrimmages and practice was in pinnies. In general, there was a lack of support for the club particularly by the phys ed department. However, Stony Brook's track and field coach Paul Dudzick had a vision and helped guide Ross in growing the team.
After the first season, Ross approached the student government, Polity, and drew up a charter for the club and petitioned the government for funding. With the backing of Benedict College senator Steve Finklestein, Polity awarded an initial funding of $500. With this, helmets, gloves and other equipment were purchased. With limited funds, the club hired their first coach, Dave Schmitz, who played lacrosse in college. Dave was embraced by the team but his different style of coaching was not well received by the phys ed department.
Each spring, Ross was able to increase the funding by Polity by $500 for a final total of $2000 his senior year. In his junior year, an add was placed in the local three village paper advertising for a paid lacrosse coach. Two candidates responded and the position was awarded to Coach John Ziegler who was the athletic director The Stony Brook School just on the other side of the tracks from the University. Coach Ziegler was able to leverage games against an increasing caliber of schools. During its first four years, Stony Brook was able to compete against Hofstra's B team, SUNY Albany, Dowling, St. John's and various clubs including Montclair in New Jersey. One of the oddest games the club played was against Columbia University on a small lawn across from the lion statues and no windows were broken.
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