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With defections from CAA, Stony Brook releases statement

StonyBrook

With the shakeups in the CAA over the past few weeks, some schools are looking to seize the opportunity and make the jump to a more prominent conference. A statement from Stony Brook played both sides of the ball, simultaneously selling itself and maintaining that it is remaining in the America East…for now.

“We are acutely aware that conference realignment is driving the current and future landscape of intercollegiate athletics,” the release from Stony Brook AD Jim Fiore reads. “With that reality in mind, we are constantly reviewing Stony Brook’s position in the national landscape and among our peer institutions.”

“Constantly reviewing Stony Brook’s position” would certainly indicate at least an interest in moving to another conference, but then the release gets interesting. Check out the tone of the following passage:

“We are a top 50 research institution and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU); our campus is only an hour outside of New York City; and we have a fast-rising athletics program that has proven it can compete on the national level.”

Look at all those accolades! You’ve got to be selling yourself to a conference like the CAA, right? Then they pull the rug out from under everything.

“Those factors make our university inherently attractive to many, and we are flattered that media speculation regarding conference realignment has included Stony Brook. That said, we are proud members of both the America East Conference and the Big South Conference. We have not engaged in discussions with any other conference at this time.”

Bummer.

But don’t count Stony Brook out, as they are making strong facility upgrades and, as the school said itself, have some assets that could be attractive.

The Seawolves finished 22-10 last season, including 14-2 in the America East. Their season came to an end in the first round of the NIT, losing to Seton Hall.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_