Special events and announcements
Cimino introduced as new women’s basketball coach
Linda Cimino was introduced as the new Binghamton’s basketball head coach on Friday afternoon at a press conference in the TAU Bearcat Room of the Events Center. She is the 13th head coach in the 41-year history of the program.
Cimino arrives from Caldwell College, where she led the Division II Cougars to a 128-100 record in eight years. This includes a 90-52 mark the past four years. She arrives with the reputation as a top-notch recruiter, a tireless worker and an excellent developer of talent.
“Linda really stood out to me as an established head coach,” Director of Athletic Patrick Elliott said. “She has demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence and student-athlete welfare. Everybody I talked to told me how great of a recruiter she was. The other thing they told me that was special is that she just works. She is tireless. Going forward, our women’s basketball program is in great hands.”
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Women’s basketball completes coaching staff
Binghamton head women’s basketball coach Linda Cimino, who was hired in April, has announced her coaching staff for the upcoming season. Mike Leflarhas been named the associate head coach and Torey Northup-Jones has been named as assistant coach. In addition, Leah Truncale, who has been an assistant coach for the Bearcats since 2009, will remain on the staff.
“I am very excited to announce the hiring of my first staff at Binghamton,” Cimino said. “This is an important hire and I am fortunate to bring in top-notch coaches and people.”
Leflar (pronounced LEF-ler) arrives from Boston University, where he was an assistant coach from 2004-12 and the associate head coach the past two seasons. During that span, the Terriers went 186-127 and captured a pair of America East regular-season titles. In addition, the Terriers advanced to five conference championship games and earned a pair of WNIT berths.
A 2002 graduate of Boston College, Leflar was an assistant coach at Penn during the 2003-04 campaign. The Quakers won the Ivy League title that season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Binghamton selected to host 2015 and 2016 America East Women’s Basketball Championships
Binghamton University’s Events Center will host the 2015 and 2016 America East Women’s Basketball Championship, the conference office and institution announced on Tuesday. The league’s Athletic Directors voted to send the women’s championship to Binghamton for the second time in conference history.
The men’s and women’s tournaments will be held separately for the first time since 2009 as the men will go to a high-seed format in 2015. The quarterfinals and semifinals of the women’s tournament will take place at Binghamton with the title game being played the following weekend at the highest remaining seed.
“The Events Center is one of the top on-campus basketball venues in the region and we are excited to take our women’s basketball championship there in both 2015 and 2016,” said America East Commissioner Amy Huchthausen. “Binghamton served as a great host in the past and we have no doubt that the Southern Tier region will provide a fantastic atmosphere for student-athletes and fans for the next two years.”
The 2015 America East Women’s Basketball Championship quarterfinal and semifinal rounds will be held March 7-8, 2015, at the Events Center, a 5,142-seat facility on Binghamton’s campus. The title game will be played the following weekend at the highest remaining seed. The last time the tournament was in Binghamton in 2007, the Events Center averaged 1,000 fans per session.
Student-Athletes honored at 67th Annual Awards Banquet
Binghamton held its 67th Annual Varsity Athletics Awards Banquet Thursday night at the Events Center. The department honored its 400+ student-athletes and celebrated the achievements of the 2013-14 year.
“You make us proud,” University President Harvey Stenger told the group in his opening remarks. “You play with energy and pride and because of that, you win every game. What you do off the fields and courts - the community service, your grade-point averages ... you are my heroes.”
Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott cited “the integrity and class” of the student-athletes and praised their dedication. “Being a student-athlete isn’t easy, with the long hours, balancing academics, the travel and other commitments. What you achieve is extraordinarily special.”
Men’s tennis accepted to Mid-American Conference for 2015
Binghamton men’s tennis has found a new home. The nine-time America East champions were accepted into the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate member beginning next fall, the conference announced on Monday. Binghamton will join full MAC members Buffalo, Ball State, Northern Illinois, Toledo and Western Michigan to give the conference six tennis-playing members, which meets the requirement for the MAC champion to retain its annual NCAA automatic berth.
“We are excited to have our men’s tennis program invited to join the Mid-American Conference as an affiliate member,” Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott said. “The MAC has a longstanding tradition of excellence throughout its sport offerings and the caliber of men’s tennis in particular is strong. Under Coach Cohen’s leadership, we believe our Binghamton program will be a great fit both academically and athletically, while representing the MAC with integrity and sportsmanship. We’re eager to begin competition in the 2014-15 year. I want to thank MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher and the member institutions for this opportunity.”
Department hosts 25th Annual golf tournament
The Binghamton Bearcats Athletic Association (BBAA) hosted its 25th annual golf tournament at the Links at Hiawatha Landing on Thursday. The goal of the event was to raise money for the general scholarship fund and over 200 individuals took part in the event.
The support was just as solid in terms of corporate partners, with over 40 organizations sponsoring the event. The major sponsors included Andrew R. Mancini & Associates, Sodexo, Hinman, Howard & Kattell, LeChase Construction, Wells Fargo Advisors, Clark Patterson Lee and BSN Sports.
“The Bearcats Golf Classic is always a great time to see all of our friends and supporters, many of them having played in the majority of the past 25 Athletic golf tournaments,” Assistant Athletic Director Bette Ann Gaube said. “The fact that proceeds directly benefit our Binghamton University student-athletes makes this a special and meaningful day.”