Special events/announcements, fall 2020
Student-athletes begin return to campus
Eric Madenberg didn’t seem phased at all with the COVID-19 testing and move-in process when he arrived at his scheduled time Wednesday, Aug. 19, to start his Binghamton University career.
In fact, the 18-year-old first-year student from Great Neck on Long Island made it through his COVID-19 test, picked up his room key and was back with his parents at the car before heading for his residence hall in less than 49 minutes.
Upon arrival at the Binghamton University Events Center, Madenberg and other incoming students were routed around stanchions, reminding him, he said, of Disney World. “But there’s no ride at the end.
After being directed to table 4 to check in, it was off to table D, where he was met by a volunteer wrapped in personal protective equipment (PPE), to see if he would pass his COVID test — one that he administered himself, swabbing each nostril for 15 seconds before putting the swab back into its package and handing it off to be analyzed.
Madenberg made it through with just one sneeze. “I didn’t think we would have to do it ourselves,” he said, “but the process seemed organized and safety protocols were in place.”
Fall sports competition postponed
The America East announced on Friday that it will postpone fall sport athletics competition and championships for the duration of the first semester. The conference Board of Presidents made the unanimous decision, citing the health and safety of its member institutions’ communities, the importance of successful institutional campus reopenings and the overall well-being of its student-athletes.
“This was not an easy conclusion for our membership to reach but it was made with care and diligence and with health and safety as the highest priority,” America East Commissioner Amy Huchthausen said. “For the last several months, we have been working extensively with our membership to prepare for the fall sports season. We have remained optimistic that we could safely conduct a fall sports season, however, there are several external factors outside of our institutions’ control that will limit and disrupt our ability to deliver our student-athletes an experience they deserve. While several outstanding issues and questions remain, we are hopeful that creative thinking and solutions will emerge in concert with improved measures to reduce the risk associated with COVID-19 as the academic year unfolds.”
Video culminates 50th Anniversary Celebration of Women’s Athletics celebration
The 50th Anniversary of Women’s Athletics at Binghamton historical video has been released, capping a year of celebration. The comprehensive, narrated 20-minute video features highlight clips and photos plus more than a dozen interviews with key student-athletes, coaches and administrators. The key moments, individuals and teams that helped shape the first 50 years of women’s athletics at Binghamton are explored.
The video marks the culmination of a year of celebration, which included feature profiles, interviews and video highlights. Visit the 50th Anniversary Central page.
‘Cat Couples: Billy Bereszniewicz and Emma Kurth
A Jersey girl and Boston boy met in Binghamton and the rest as they say … is history. Women’s soccer player Emma Kurth ‘14 and baseball player Billy Bereszniewicz ‘14 met as freshmen student-athletes in 2010 and now as they hit the 10-year mark of their relationship, the couple is planning their Summer 2021 wedding – a date pushed back a year due to COVID.
This is a love affair between two prominent, talented student-athletes - a facilitator and a table setter. A collaborator and an agitator. A steady midfielder and a driven center fielder.
Student-Athletes of Color for Success (SACS) group is launched
When Brittany Korsah made her recruiting visit to Binghamton during her senior year in high school, she decided that she was meant to be a part of the track & field program. This was back in 2015. As an African-American athlete, however, she noticed the lack of similar people within the University and the athletics program. That lack of representation created challenges for students of color. She wanted to be a part of a solution.
“I knew that Binghamton University was where I should be,” she said. “But I also thought that people of color like myself should have a better representation. Everyone who comes here should feel comfortable and included.”
As Janelle Williams was working on her senior thesis last year, she also thought about the same issue. As a sociology major, her senior thesis was entitled “The Invisibility of Black Women in Collegiate Sports” and made her think about ways she could contribute to the overall culture at Binghamton.
“The more I was doing research, the more I thought we needed to have space for student-athletes of color here in the athletics department,” she said. “Doing my thesis really motivated me to do something about it.”
In the fall of 2019, Williams, Korsah and some of their other African-American teammates started talking about that topic as a group. It was there that an idea was hatched.
Student-athletes return, begin fitness screening
For the first time in six months, Binghamton’s student-athletes are back on the Bearcats Sports Complex turf.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic led to the shutdown of intercollegiate athletics back on March 12, Binghamton has been unable to have any kind of structured practices or training sessions on their facilities. With the university off to a good start this year in terms of adapting to the new normal, however, the Bearcat athletes began baseline screening tests this week.
Baseline screening is one of the first components of the student-athletes return to campus each fall. In any other year, it wouldn’t be all that big of an event. But for the student-athletes across all sports, this week’s screening was a step in the right direction.
Men’s basketball welcomes back standout Bruce
Head coach Tommy Dempsey will welcome back a familiar face when his 2020-21 men’s basketball squad hits the floor this fall. Returning after two years away is 6-foot-9 senior center Thomas Bruce, who will give the Bearcats an instant boost at both ends of the floor. Before Bruce was forced to sit out for an extended period of time, he was one of the most dominant big men in the America East, earning back-to-back All-Defensive Team accolades in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
“It’s really exciting to get Thomas back out there,” Dempsey said. “He’s always been one of our favorite players, as a person more so than anything. I’m happy he’s healthy coming back from the injury. We certainly missed him and can’t wait to get him back on the court. Thomas is an elite defender and a ridiculous athlete who can go get rebounds and protect the basket. He also can score around the basket, catch alley-oops and he’s a terrific passer and unselfish player. While he’s been away, he’s been able to work on his own game and that will benefit us this year. He’s been in the gym for many months playing basketball ... so he’s ready to go.”
Golf team earns national academic award
The Binghamton golf team has received the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Team Academic Award for the 2019-20 season. To earn the accolade, a team must have compiled at least a 3.0 GPA during the entire academic year.
“It’s an honor for our team to receive this award,” head coach Bernie Herceg said. “I’m very proud how the players remained focused during these troubling times and persevered. They did a tremendous job. We look forward to competing again in the future and continuing to maintain our academic excellence.”
This marks the second academic award that has come the Bearcats way for the 2019-20 academic year. Current senior Nacho Glagovsky was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic Team back in the spring.
In addition, all 10 players on last year’s roster earned at least a 3.3 GPA during the spring 2020 semester despite the transition to online learning in Mid-March.