Jayden at the Brook earlier this summer (PC: Marcus Stroman)
Incoming 8th-grader Jayden Stroman, though he still has five years left of high school, may already be on the minds of the Duke Baseball and Basketball coaching staffs. Kevin Connelly, a writer for the Duke Athletics blog, Ball Durham, said as much in an article published yesterday:
Marcus Stroman is the most famous alumni to come out of the Duke baseball program, but there could be more Stromans on their way to Durham.
Granted, there still is a lot of time to go between now and when members of the Class of 2025 begin to commit, but reports have surfaced that Jayden Stroman, Marcus’ younger brother, will play two sports in high school.
Long Island Sports Fanatic first reported that the youngest Stroman will attend The Stony Brook School, which is a grade 7-12 college preparatory school in Stony Brook, New York, and play two sports, baseball and basketball.
Jayden Stroman has explained his relationship to his brother Marcus as “very close” as one could imagine the two will only get closer now due to the proximity of the two.
Marcus, an original New York native, was traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the New York Mets at last season’s MLB Trading Deadline and will be spending his second season in Queens beginning this week.
The eldest Stroman attended Duke from 2010 to 2012 and then went back to school to finish his degree, graduating in 2016.
Not only does Stroman have a strong relationship with Duke baseball head coach Chris Pollard, but he also has a significant relationship with Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski as the Hall of Fame coach allowed the All-Star to sit in on some practices in 2019 watching Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and company.
Stroman also said he had a lengthy conversation with Krzyzewski following the practice in which he called him a “god”.
It might be time for the Duke recruiting gurus to watch some baseball and basketball in New York as the Blue Devils could potentially have a legacy athlete soon arrive in Durham.
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Stroman Featured on ESPN & MLB.com
Jayden at the Brook last week (PC: Marcus Stroman)
One of our newest Bears is coming to campus this fall with an ESPN highlight already under his belt.
Yesterday, Jayden Stroman, our incoming 8th-grader, was featured on numerous platforms including ESPN.com and MLB.com after hitting two mammoth home runs for his travel team earlier this week.
The blasts were newsworthy in their own right, but the fact that they came off the bat of Marcus Stroman’s little brother is what caught the eye of the sports world. Marcus currently pitches for the New York Mets and enters the shortened 2020 season on the heels of his first All-Star Game appearance a season ago.
On Monday, Jayden mashed a pitch to deep right-center that apparently never appeared to come down. Marcus tweeted out the highlight to his 485,000+ fans:
One day later, the younger Stroman was back at it again, sending this poor offering to the underworld:
The moon shots caught the eye of MLB.com‘s Michael Clair:
Few players have as much swagger on the field as Marcus Stroman. He pops and wiggles on the mound, and isn’t afraid to show emotion after getting big outs.
Looks like his little brother, Jayden, is already a step ahead of him. The youngster — who won’t even graduate high school for another five years — recently got hold of a pitch and drove it out of the park. He punctuated that with a killer bat drop and slow walk into his trot. This is an advanced home run celebration usually reserved strictly for professionals.
This wasn’t a one-time thing, either. Jayden did it again the next day. This one was even more impressive given how much air he got under the ball. The catcher practically fell on his back to watch it soar.
Even the undisputed best player in the game, 3-time MVP Mike Trout, was impressed with Jayden’s power:
The dingers were also picked up by TSN, one of Canada’s leading sports outlets.
Jayden and his travel squad were the first to play on the the newly renovated Jeff Adams Field over the last few weeks, getting a field for the brand new sod. Marcus even stopped by last week to snap a few pics:
Stay tuned for more highlights once Jayden puts on the Blue & White this year.
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Spring Postseason Honors
Nancy Man in action in 2019 (PC: Agnes Zhou)
The 98th spring athletic season at the Stony Brook School was cut short due to COVID-19, meaning our badminton, boys’ track, and girls’ track teams did not have the chance to defend their 2019 PSAA titles. The lost season was especially hard on our seniors who were unable to walk off the field for the last time on their own terms. As a result, the PSAA announced that every senior in the league would receive All-PSAA recognition.
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Badminton
- All-PSAA: Philip Cai, Leslie Kang, Martin Lee, Lisa Li, Nancy Man, Caleb Spreckels, Lydia Sun, Grace Wang, William Wang, Bob Wu, Rosemary Wu & Kevin Zhang
Golf
- All-PSAA: Chris Kang, Wolf Moller & Steven Saraniero
Boys’ Lacrosse
- All-PSAA: Jake Aretz, Ian Blunt, Nathan Freeman, Peter Simone
Girls’ Lacrosse
- All-PSAA: Diana Barbacena, Margaret DiRuggiero, Nadia Hall, Arden Madden, Wura Obasanjo & Lulu Ota
Boys’ Tennis
- All-PSAA: Brandon Gicquel & Wensan Yin
Boys’ Track & Field
- All-PSAA: Adetona Adesina, Nick Bertrand, Riley Corcoran, Tony Dai, Ruize Gao, Jiacheng Hong, Leo Hsu, Yan Huang, Myles Johnson, James Liao & Sam Painter
Girls’ Track & Field
- All-PSAA: Andrea Egbuchulam, Rashel Likoskendaj, Kelly Moore & Mint Zhai
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Etienne Named Big 10 All-Academic
Yesterday afternoon the Big Ten Conference announced their All-Academic teams for the 2020 spring season and Jyles Etienne ’17 earned the distinction for the Indiana University Track & Field team.
To be selected to the team, an athlete must be on a varsity squad, enrolled as a full-time student, and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. The junior carries a 3.222 cumulative GPA after strong fall (3.825) and spring (3.600) semesters.
Etienne was looking ahead to a strong spring on the high jump mat after taking the Big Ten Indoor Championship in February, but those hopes were dashed by COVID-19. He enters his final season with the Hoosiers with his sights set on new heights.
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On This Day In History | 2007
Carmel hands off to Cox during a 2007 dual meet vs. Hampton Bays
On this day 13 years ago, the 4 x 100 meter relay team of Jon Bute, Mike Cox, Terrance Anderson, and Peter Carmel, broke the school record at the NYSPHSAA State Championships, held in Kingston, NY.
The Bears bested the mark of Matt Spooner, Marc Vega, Larry Wilson, and Matt Mattimore, set in 1995, with a time of 43.34 that gave them a second place finish in Division II, just .31 behind Dryden. In addition, Carmel took 8th overall in the Division II 100-meter dash in a time of 11.34.
4 x 100 Meter Results
- Dryden – 43.03
- Stony Brook – 43.34
- Holland – 43.50
- Malverne – 43.56
- Byron-Bergen – 44.12
- Sullivan West – 44.17
- Christian Brothers Academy – 44.63
- Beekmantown – 45.06
- Watervliet – 45.16
- Norwood-Norfolk – 48.54
- Woodlands – DQ
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Etienne Named USTFCCCA All-American
This week the U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released their All-American list for the indoor track & field season, and Jyles Etienne ’17 made the list after a championship season in the high jump.
Here is the press release from Indiana University:
Etienne checked in at No. 9 on the NCAA performance list in the high jump and had a mark of 2.23m (7′ 3.75″). Earning his first Big Ten individual title, Etienne won the high jump with a personal best matching height of 2.23m (7′ 3.75″). He opened the season by winning in the high jump at the Hoosier Open with a fourth-best in program history height of 2.23m (7′ 3.75″).
The explosive junior is one of nine Hoosiers to earn the All-American distinction. It is Etienne’s first All-American honor at the collegiate level after twice receiving the nod while at the Brook in 2016 and 2017.
The honor is hopefully a satisfying capstone to an abbreviated season brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. After winning his first Big Ten Championship, on Leap Day no less, the Bahamian Bounder was in New Mexico for the NCAA Championships when the event was cancelled due to heightened concerns around the virus.
Etienne now looks ahead to his final season in Bloomington with hopes of conquering the national stage after establishing himself as one of the best jumpers in the country.
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Class Night 2020
The 2019 PSAA Girls’ Cross Country Champions
This evening our community would have gathered in Swanson Gymnasium for the annual Class Night festivities, celebrating the academic, athletic, and student life achievements from the 98th year of the Stony Brook School. Though we could not be together to celebrate the amazing athletic achievements from the 2019-2020 school year, we are still honored to announce the recipients of these awards.
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Major Athletic Awards
Thomas W. Brohard, Jr. ’25 Wrestling Award
Named in honor of the SBS faculty member who is credited with bringing interscholastic wrestling to Long Island schools. This annual cash award, endowed by Thomas W. Brohard III ’65, the late John S. Cather ’35 and his widow Edith Cather, is given to offset the college expenses of a wrestler.
- Adetona Adesina
The Bear Blanket
Presented to athletes who demonstrate a consistent contribution of quality performances in athletic competition based on a points system and an application.
- Emmanuel Ajewole
- Diana Barbacena
- Rebekah Detwiler
- Brandon Gicquel
- Leslie Kang
- Wura Obasanjo
- Elizabeth Robbins
- Colin Scanlon
- Niamh Scanlon
- Sarah Wong
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Fall Athletic Awards
Marvin Goldberg Boys Cross Country Award
Endowed by the late David W. Cloos, M.D. ’61 and Nancy Cloos Babin.
- Performance: Riley Corcoran
- Contribution: Zack Xu
Girls Cross Country Award
- Performance: Sarah Wong
- Contribution: Diana Barbacena
Golf Award
Given by Daniel ’04, Michael ’05, David ’08, and Sarah ’09 in honor of their father, SBS coach and faculty member, Michael G. Hickey.
- Performance: Chris Kang
- Contribution: Wolf Moller
Fall Dinghy Sailing Award
- Performance: Steven Hardee
- Contribution: Isabella Seminario
Brandon Stuckey Boys Soccer Award
Endowed by Phyllis and Schuyler Stuckey with love and pride for their son, Brandon Stuckey ’93.
- Performance: Owen Sobel
- Contribution: Brandon Gicquel
Girls Soccer Award
- Performance: Sophia DiLavore
- Contribution: Madison Logan
Girls Swimming Award
- Performance: Rebecca Crane
- Contribution: Anya Caraiani
Buyers Girls Tennis Award
- Performance: Sadhana Sridhar
- Contribution: Marta Bennett
Volleyball Award
- Performance: Elizabeth Robbins
- Contribution: Leslie Kang
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Winter Athletic Awards
Taft Boys Basketball Award
Endowed by Lyman Taft ’45.
- Performance: Owen Sobel
- Contribution: Rex Eshirow
Girls Basketball Award
- Performance: Niamh Scanlon
- Contribution: Wura Obasanjo
Boys Swimming Award
- Performance: Hunter Markowitz
- Contribution: Steven Saraniero
Norman J. Wiedersum Wrestling Award
Endowed by Norman J. Wiedersum ’39.
- Performance: Eze Barrah
- Contribution: Forest Kaplan-Walbrecht
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Senior Day | Spring 2020
Riley Corcoran in action in 2019 (PC: Bruce Jeffrey)
COVID-19 has robbed us of many things as a society and as a school, including a spring athletic season that will never be played. Our hearts especially break for our seniors who were unable to walk off the field as Bears on their own terms. Our hope is that they find solace in the fact that giving up their season kept many people safe during this pandemic.
Despite the setback of a lost season, the response of our coaches and athletes has been incredible. The strength, perseverance, and optimism is palpable from this amazing group of Bears.
We are unable to honor our seniors in person this year, so we decided to virtually thank our Class of 2020 for everything they contributed to our program. Not only did they spearhead unprecedented success, including a record six league championships in the spring of 2019, but they did so in a way that made all of us so proud.
To the Class of 2020, we love you, we will miss you, and we’re so grateful that we got to see you wear the Blue & White. God’s blessings as you leave the Brook. Don’t forget about us; we certainly won’t forget about you.
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Boys’ Badminton
Tony Bi, Philip Cai, Martin Lee, Caleb Spreckels, William Wang, Bob Wu & Kevin Zhang
Girls’ Badminton
Leslie Kang, Lisa Li, Nancy Man, Lydia Sun, Grace Wang, Rosemary Wu & Kelly Zhang (Mgr.)
Baseball
Emmanuel Ajewole, Jack Carr, Riley Corcoran, Chris Kang (Mgr.) & Joe Wozny
Boys’ Lacrosse
Jake Aretz, Ian Blunt, Nathan Freeman, Peter Simone & Avalon Zborovsky-Fenster (Mgr.)
Girls’ Lacrosse
Diana Barbacena, Margaret DiRuggiero, Nadia Hall, Arden Madden, Wura Obasanjo & Lulu Ota
Sailing
Dinghy: Jack Crager & Hannah DiLavore
Keelboat: Jerry Chen, Ning Guan, Boumie Oruene, Steven Tang, Chris Zhang & John Zhou
Boys’ Tennis
Marta Bennett (Mgr.), Brandon Gicquel, Sadhana Sridhar (Mgr.) & Wensan Yin
Boys’ Track
Adetona Adesina, Nick Bertrand, Riley Corcoran, Tony Dai, Ruize Gao, Jiacheng Hong, Leo Hsu, Yan Huang, Myles Johnson, Deanna Kelly (Mgr.), James Liao & Sam Painter
Girls’ Track
Andrea Egbuchulam, Rashel Likoskendaj, Kelly Moore & Mint Zhai
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SBS Featured in Long Island Lacrosse Journal
This week Long Island Lacrosse Journal profiled our school, our lacrosse programs, and our decision to move toward accepting post-graduate student-athletes.
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The Stony Brook School is about to conclude their 98th year as an institution. While their athletic programs are continuing to rise, the most important thing to them is character. Athletic Director Dan Hickey says that their motto is “character before career.” The Stony Brook school provides a great academic opportunity for students in grades 7-12 and is a Christian school.
The diversity in their student body is unlike any other, with students not just coming from all over Long Island, but all over the world. The students that make up the school come from 26 different countries with many religious backgrounds where they have the opportunity to dorm during the school year. Part of the growth of their athletic programs has been the switch from Section 11 to the Private Schools Athletic Association. The variety in the sports that they have to offer is second to none. Last year they brought home 13 championships which is the most in the league in a single year.
Being the only school in the Long Island and New York City area to accept post grad athletes, this gives athletes an opportunity for Long Islanders to stay and play locally. After a 10-year absence from lacrosse, Hickey brought the program back four years ago and is looking to see it return to what it was in the 1990s which saw them win multiple championships. A huge part of their growing lacrosse program is Vanessa Windsor who is the coach of the girls lacrosse team and Brian Hildebrand, the boys head coach. Part of Windsor’s love for the game of lacrosse is that it teaches life lessons and that you have to come together as a team. The Stony Brook school’s care for their students is much deeper than just what they achieve in the classroom and in athletics. It’s about what their students are able to contribute to the world.
LILJ Co-Founder, Mike Winkoff conducted an interview with the Stony Brook Schools Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach, Vanessa Windsor, and the Stony Brook School’s Athletic Director, Dan Hickey on April 22nd, 2020. See above to check out the interview.
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McCormick Named to 2023 Watch List
McCormick in action last year (PC: Dylan Van Law)
On Sunday, Long Island Lacrosse Journal released its Class of 2023 watch list, and freshman Ava McCormick was listed among Long Island’s best talent from the public, private, and catholic leagues. In addition, McCormick was the only PSAA player to make the list.
Last year, as an 8th-grader, McCormick scored 23 goals and added 10 assists, highlighted by a 5 goal/3 assist performance in a 14-5 win over Avenues. Her consistently high level of play at midfield helped lead the team to its first postseason appearance in program history. LILJ also honored her teammate, Morgan Ruggieri, on the 2022 watch list.
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