The LIU women’s volleyball team is heading to “The Big Dance.” The Sharks earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament and won the Northeast Conference championship after defeating Farleigh Dickerson University in four sets. Camelia Melendez, a junior from Caguas, Puerto Rico, won MVP with 30 kills for the entire tournament.

On Board! Magazine highlighted the work of Doctor of Education students Lars Clemensen and Michael Carlson, who serve as superintendent and assistant superintendent of Hampton Bays Union Free School District, respectively. The publication features innovative practices in education and spotlighted the district’s use of trauma narrative exposure therapy to help immigrant students process their journey to America.

The New York Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance awarded LIU student athlete Kevin Wilson with the Departmental Major of the Year Award. Wilson is studying Health and Physical Education and played running back for the football team. In 2022, he earned placement on the NEC Fall Commissioner’s and Academic Honor Roll.

Super Bowl Champion and fashion icon Victor Cruz spoke with LIU students at the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports and Entertainment, offering career insights and discussing his remarkable career. Cruz is a current ESPN analyst and a former Pro Bowl wide receiver for the New York Giants. His fashion ventures have earned him recognition by GQ, Vogue and Vanity Fair and he was the first athlete to ever design and release a lifestyle shoe with NIKE.

The LIU men’s soccer team punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament and claimed another NEC championship, defeating Sacred Heart University 1-0. This is the second time in three seasons the Sharks have made the NCAA Tournament. NEC Player of the Year Emil Jaaskelainen scored on a header off a corner from NEC Tournament MVP Alan Martinez for the game-winning goal.

Dr. Mahendra Dedhiya, director of the School of Pharmaceutics, received the Distinguished Scientist of the Year Award from the American Association of Indian Pharmaceutical Scientists. The award recognizes exceptional dedication and profound contributions to the field of Pharmaceutical Drug Delivery development.

Twelve-time Grammy Award winner John Legend delivered a special solo performance at the Tilles Center Gala on Veterans Day. The Gala recognized Long Island businesswoman Anne Shybunko-Moore, CEO and Owner of GSE Dynamics Inc., a woman-owned small business and defense manufacturer who has supported the United Veterans Beacon House which provides housing for Long Island veterans. Ten local veterans were given free admission to the event as part of the Tickets for Troops Program.

The LIU community mourns the passing of track and field coach Simon Hodnett, ’05. Hodnett led LIU to 10 Northeast Conference championships during his career as head coach, earning his most recent team title at the 2019 NEC Men’s Indoor Championship. A 10-time NEC Coach of the Year, he coached nearly 500 All-NEC honorees during his 15 years in Brooklyn. Hodnett coached six individual Division I indoor and outdoor track and field All-Americans, three Olympians, one Indoor World Relay Gold medalist and one Outdoor World Relay Bronze medalist.

Long Island University announced the hiring of Elliott Charles as Deputy Director of Athletics. Charles, a Long Island native, previously served as director of athletics at Chicago State University from 2019 through 2022. Prior to that he held high-level athletics administrative positions at Clemson, Alabama, Florida A&M, South Florida, and Northern Illinois. Charles called his new position “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”