Special events and announcements
Binghamton University Athletics family at heart of video project
Jaehyuk “Jake” Lim knows a thing or two about personal challenges and being separated from family.
The athletics communications intern took on an ambitious project as the capstone to his seven-month internship at Binghamton. His video feature centered on the emotions and pressures of being a Division I student-athlete and the importance of family support. But Lim could have just as easily been the subject of the video. His own journey, from Seoul, South Korea, to Binghamton was born of courage and has been filled with personal growth.
But modesty comes naturally to Lim so his story takes a backseat to those of his subjects. For now.
His idea was to interview the parents of senior volleyball and men’s soccer players to elicit their sentiments of pride and to extract the emotional bond that ties so many families to their sons, daughters and the Binghamton athletics family as a whole. Lim had the student-athletes sit down to presumably watch a video of their career highlights. What they saw instead, was a personal message from their parents. With their final collegiate games now in the rear view mirror, the student-athletes’ reactions to seeing their parents’ recorded messages ranged from surprise, to smiles and even emotional tears.
“That’s what we were hoping for,” Lim says with an innocent smile, knowing the natural reactions, captured with a hidden Go Pro camera, were the essence of the project.
Student-athletes achieve 3.10 GPA in fall
Binghamton student-athletes continued their achievement in the classroom by averaging a 3.10 GPA for the fall semester. It marked the 18th consecutive semester the department has surpassed the 3.0 plateau and the fifth straight term that BU student-athletes have reached the 3.1 threshold.
More than 63 percent of the University’s 447 student-athletes (283) recorded a 3.0 or higher GPA. Nearly 30 percent (130) achieved a 3.5 or higher.
The women’s cross country team captured the department’s Academic Cup for the second straight semester with a 3.52 GPA. That mark led 16 teams that came in above the 3.0 level.
“We’re very proud of the academic success of our student-athletes,” Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott said. “We continue to raise the bar in the academic arena, and the steadfast commitment and performance of our student-athletes is truly remarkable.”
A total of 12 student-athletes spanning 10 different teams earned a perfect semester GPA of 4.0.
Dionne named faculty athletics representative
Binghamton University has named Shelley Dionne as its new NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, the school announced. Dionne succeeds Jim Stark, who served in the role for five years.
Dionne is an associate professor in the School of Management and associate director in the Center for Leadership Studies on campus. She has been a professor at Binghamton for 17 years.
“We are excited to have Shelley serving in the FAR role,” Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott said. “Her commitment to academic excellence and student welfare, along with her expertise in leadership, allows for a dynamic collaboration which will positively impact our student-athletes and the entire athletics department.”
As outlined by the NCAA, the FAR is a member of an institution’s faculty or administrative staff who is designated by the institution’s president or chancellor or other appropriate entity to represent the institution and its faculty in the institution’s relationships with the NCAA and its conferences.
“I am honored to be an active participant in Binghamton University’s commitment to the academic integrity of their student-athletes,” Dionne said. “I look forward to working with the athletics department, faculty and administration to ensure our student-athletes have a positive and productive academic experience at Binghamton.”
Student-athletes receive academic honors
Binghamton student-athletes continued their high academic achievement during the fall semester, as witnessed by two different measures.
The department’s AD Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes who produce a 3.3 or higher grade-point average. In the fall 2014 semester, 176 individuals met the high standard, including representatives from all 21 programs. Men’s soccer (15) and women’s track (15) tied for the most honorees with women’s soccer (14) and men’s track (14) just behind. The 176 AD Honor Roll recipients represents 42 percent of the total number of student-athletes (415) at the University.
Additionally, the America East released its Honor Roll and Commissioner’s Honor Roll on Wednesday and BU’s fall sports teams were well represented. A total of 63 fall athletes were awarded Honor Roll status (3.0 and above GPA) and 41 of those made the Commissioner’s distinction (3.5 and above).
The women’s cross country team had the highest percentage of its roster honored (89%) among all sports and schools in the America East. The conference champion men’s cross country team boasted 14 Honor Roll members, 10 of which earned the Commissioner’s high honors. Women’s soccer had 17 members of its roster reach the 3.0 threshold.
Binghamton wins contest for top home basketball arena
Binghamton University won the first-ever #OurHouse Rules contest this week. Binghamton created a video to show why it has the best home-court advantage in America East basketball.
Binghamton received 1,132 votes to win the contest, beating second-place Stony Brook by 248 votes. Over 2,800 votes were cast in the poll.
The Bearcat men’s basketball team has led the America East in average home attendance in 10 of the last 11 seasons, while the women’s program has paced the conference in each of the last four years.
Bearcats logo among top-10 “Most Intimidating”
The Bearcats logo has earned a spot among the Top-10 “Most Intimidating Sports Logos” in college and professional sports. The website gamedayishere.com lists the Bearcat No. 6 on its list, which also includes the NBA’s Chicago Bulls, NFL’s Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles and NHL’s Nashville Predators and three other college logos.
GameDay is Here had this to say about the logo:
“The Binghamton Bearcats may not be a household name, but their logo definitely sets them apart from most other college programs. The green beast has just one intention here, to do bodily harm to whomever is in its path.”
“Celebrating Women’s Athletics” luncheon moved to April 27
The Binghamton Bearcats Athletic Association (BBAA) will host the 10th annual Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon presented by M&T Bank at noon Monday, Feb. 2, at the Events Center. Held each year to recognize the achievements of Binghamton University’s female student-athletes, the luncheon also raises funding for scholarships awarded to female student-athletes at Binghamton University.
This year, former Olympic Champion and WNBA standout Rebecca Lobo will be the featured speaker. Currently, she is an analyst on ESPN.