May 21, 2001

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook cross country/track and field program began the 2000-2001 season with new goals, new attitudes and a new direction under first-year head coach Andy Ronan.

Under his guidance, the Seawolves recorded arguably one of the most successful seasons in school history.

Eight school records fell by the wayside during the season, with Jenny Payne leading the way. Payne now has three Seawolves records to her credit and two second-place finishes. Craig Matuza also had a stellar year, setting new marks in the discus and shot put, while Mike Thompson and Jonathan Brims each set new marks as well.

Not only that, the Seawolves competed at both the indoor and outdoor ECAC/IC4A Championships with SBU recording its best finish ever at the IC4A Indoor Championships.

As the Ronan era concludes its first season, the future of Stony Brook cross country and track and field seems bright.

Jenny, Jenny, Who Can I Turn To?: Junior Jenny Payne has made quite a name for herself in just two years with the Seawolves. Last year as a sophomore transfer, Payne proved to be very valuable and consistent, recording one of the top three times in school history in the outdoor 5000m and competing at both the METS and ECAC Championships, where she posted the team's best individual finish.

But the year 2000-01 proved to be an exceptional one for Payne. The Cary, N.C., native started off the year with the fourth-best time in school history in the 5K during cross country season.

During the indoor season, Payne set a new mark in the 5000m with a time of 17:28.80, which shattered the old record by 1:28.48. She also recorded the second- and third-best times in the 3000m.

It was more of the same during the outdoor season. At the Southern Connecticut Invitational, she finished second in the 1500m with the second-fastest time in school history (4:44.05). She grabbed the season record at the METS Championships, winning the 1500m in 4:40.74.

Payne also won the 5000m in a then-school-record time of 17:30.06 at the Yale Invitational to qualify for the ECAC Championships. At the Championships, she shattered the time by more than 17 seconds, recording a time of 17:13.01 for a new Seawolves record.

With one more season ahead, Payne should continue to set new milestones in both cross country and indoor and outdoor running events.

Matuza's Magnificent: Junior Craig Matuza also had a stand-out year in field events. Already the school record-holder in the shot put outdoors, Matuza set new marks in indoor shot put and outdoor discus.

Matuza's throw of 51 feet, 5 1/2 inches in the shot put broke the old record by more than a foot.

At the METS Championships, Matuza's school-record toss in the discus (155 feet, four inches) qualified him for the IC4A Championships the next weekend.

Matuza is also second on the all-time list in the hammer event. His throw of 166 feet, two inches gave him second place at the Yale Invitational in April.

No "I" in "Team": Not only did the Seawolves have an outstanding year on the individual level, Stony Brook also got solid performances from its relay teams.

The women's 4x100 team of Dana Shepherd, Tameika Henry, Nicola Baker, and Farah Belizario etched its name in the record books not once, but twice. The team recorded a time of 49.73 at the Southern Connecticut Invitational for the second-fastest time in school history. Five weeks later, the team equalled the school record of 49.64, set last year, at the METS Championships for a second-place finish.

The men's distance medley relay team had the Seawolves' best-ever showing at the IC4A Indoor Championships. The team of Mike Thompson, Chris Hunt, Dave deWolfe and Jonathan Brims qualified for the final race in a time of 10:03.93. That time destroyed the previous mark by 16 seconds. The team finished sixth in the final, the best finish ever for Stony Brook at IC4As.

Year of Broken Records: Even with the performances by Payne, Matuza and the relay teams, other Seawolves made notable contributions.

Mike Thompson continued to be a key performer throughout the season after coming back from an injury. He set a new mark in the 1000m with a time of 2:30.83, then bettered it with a time of 2:30.5.

In his first year of competition, Jonathan Brims broke the school record in the mile (4:14.54) and also recorded the fourth-fastest finish all-time (4:19.78).

In addition to her role on the 4x100 relay team, Shepherd also recorded the third- and fourth-fastest times in the 200m in Seawolves history.

Making Their Mark: Other Seawolves showed increasing improvement and should continue to play key roles. Joe Cardinale recorded the fourth-best throw in the shot put and discus, Chris Hunt came close to qualifying for IC4As in the 500m, Nicola Baker recorded top finishes in sprint events, and Dave deWolfe continues to be a reliable distance runner.

On the Go: With the array of school records set this season, it looks like the Seawolves cross country/track and field program is off to a great start under Ronan. As most of the key contributors return next season, it seems the program is off and running.