Rising SBU Athletics Program is No Illusion

If it seems like you've been reading more about Stony Brook University athletics in the past few seasons, it's because you probably have been. Recent research from Winthrop Research Services – a data gathering service for athletic directors – shows that the Seawolves, more than any other school in the nation, has risen among its collegiate athletic standings over the past four years. Called the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup, the standings tally athletic finishes in up to 20 sports (10 men's and 10 women's) each year and after sitting at No. 269 after the 2008-2009 season, SBU has jumped up to No. 68, ahead of names such as Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, and others. The Seawolves were top-ranked team in the America East conference and fifth-highest among all Football Championship Subdivision schools.  Even as recently as this week, the Seawolves held a lead against one of the top schools in the country in its sport, taking the No. 21 Connecticut Huskies into the locker room at halftime with a lead on the basketball court. However the Seawolves ultimately fell to the perennial powerhouse, 73-62. And on the football field, SBU topped Villanova at home on Saturday, by a score of 20-10, advancing to the next round of the FCS Championship tournament. In the spring, the school made national headlines when it was considered the darling of the College World Series, topping some of the strongest programs in the nation in LSU and Miami before falling to UCLA and Florida State. A PDF of the Directors' Cup standings is attached.