Special events/announcements winter 2020
Hall of Fame selections announced
Binghamton athletics has announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2020 and the group is comprised of two former student-athletes, one two-sport coach and an accomplished team from the 1960s.
Selected to join the 117 current members of the Hall in the 25th annual installment are wrestler Dave Berry (1970-74), women’s soccer player Meghan Taylor (2002-05), women’s and men’s soccer coach Hristos Dimitriou and the 1961-62 men’s basketball team. The induction ceremony date and format will be announced later but is tentatively planned for late spring/summer, dependent on COVID protocols.
Women’s lacrosse updates coaching staff
Head women’s lacrosse coach Stephanie Allen has completed her staff with the hiring of assistant coach Kali Hartshorn. In addition, second-year coach Kristen Boland has been elevated into the top assistant role.
Hartshorn joins the Bearcats following a decorated playing career at the University of Maryland.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kali to the Bearcat family,” Allen said. “We are very eager for the new things she can bring to our program through her experiences at Maryland and the competitive environment in which she played. Kali has a coaching approach that will work well with our team as she is young, innovative and will push our players in terms of attitude and mindset just as much as on-field play. Her expertise in the draw area, as well as, the offensive end will help bring fresh ideas and strategies to these units.”
Wrestling completes coaching staff
Head wrestling coach Kyle Borshoff has announced the hiring of Steve Mytych (MITT-itch) as an assistant coach. Mytych, a native of Northeast Pennsylvania, comes to Binghamton following a stint as an assistant at Bloomsburg University. In addition to the hiring of Mytych, third-year coach Fred Garcia has been elevated to the top assistant role.
“We are excited to add Steve to our coaching staff,” Borshoff said. “He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will help all of our athletes reach their wrestling goals. Steve has competed and coached at the highest level of our sport and I am sure he will help our athletes earn National Championships and All American honors.”
Student-athletes return to practice
There may be no formal athletic competitions on campus this fall but for the Binghamton teams, the past two weeks have been a victory in other ways. The Bearcats teams have started practice again on their fields and courts.
The process of returning to practice is starting with small groups of each team. If things continue to progress, the plan is for entire teams to begin practicing soon.
The student-athletes at Binghamton were disappointed to have the fall portion of their seasons postponed, but they are happy to be back with their coaches and teammates on a daily basis.
“There was nothing I missed more than being back on the court with my teammates and coaches,” junior women’s basketball player Hayley Moore said. “It is definitely different with the masks and all the social distancing rules, but nothing beats getting to work with my basketball family and preparing for our upcoming season. I’m excited for what’s to come with this team and to keep working hard day by day.”
“It feels incredible to be back on the field,” senior baseball player Daniel Franchi said. “Everyone on the team has been looking forward to playing ball with each other do way to long and it’s just great to be able to practice and play with this team again. We are continuing to do our part to keep everyone healthy and are just hoping we can continue to practice through the rest of the semester.”
Women’s basketball finalizes staff
The Binghamton women’s basketball program has announced the hiring of Maggie Moore as its Coordinator of Player Development. She arrives from Albany, where she has been the graduate assistant on the staff since 2018.
While at Albany, Moore was involved with several facets of the Great Dane program, including recruiting, community outreach, running the scout team and video coordination. In addition, she served as the interim Coordinator of Player Development during her first season, until the position was filled in the spring of 2019.
“Maggie comes to us from a big basketball family,” head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord said. “We are excited about her ability to help our program from an organizational standpoint. She also has two years of experience in our league and is going to be very valuable on our staff.”
“I am very thankful and honored to have the opportunity to join Coach Ord and her staff here at Binghamton University,” Moore said. “This is an amazing opportunity to learn and grow under the success of Coach Ord and I am very excited to be a part of the Bearcat Family.”
America East announces plans to return to sports competition
The America East Conference has taken a series of steps towards a return to competition as key actions were endorsed by the conference’s Board of Presidents last week. The Board approved several recommendations related to winter sports made by the conference’s Administration Group, which consists of athletics directors, senior woman administrators and select committee chairs, including basketball testing protocols and schedule formats as well as the season structures for indoor track & field and swimming & diving. Additionally, the conference finalized its scheduling framework for fall sports competing in the spring.
Fan cutouts available in Events Center for basketball games
This year, Binghamton Athletics is offering basketball fans an opportunity to join the Bearcats at the Events Center even if they cannot physically be at games. As we prepare for a basketball season unlike any other, you can get a cutout of yourself, a friend or family members in the Events Center crowd on game days!
Cutouts can be purchased for $75 at bubearcats.com/fancutouts. Further instructions can be found at bubearcats.com/fancutoutinstructions
Please review the Athletics Department guidelines prior to submitting a photo.
Women’s soccer signs eight recruits
With a large senior class set to close out their collegiate careers in the spring, Binghamton women’s soccer has signed eight high school recruits who will begin their own promising careers as Bearcats in Fall 2021. Head coach Neel Bhattacharjee announced the commitments on national signing day.
Set to join the Bearcats in Fall 2021 are Peyton Gilmore (Mullica Hill, N.J.), Erin Hogan (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.), Alexis Marsteller (Allentown, Pa.), Maria Poulos (New Hyde Park, N.Y.), Hailey Roberts (Valley Stream, N.Y.), Nicole Rago (Parsippany, N.J.), Mackenzie Ryder (Oxford, Mass.) and Kaitlyn Williams (Clinton, N.Y.).
Women’s basketball signs two high school standouts
The Binghamton women’s basketball team has announced the signing of Ella Wanzer (Amherst, N.Y.) and Genevieve Coleman (Owego, N.Y.) as part of the National Letter of Intent (NLI) Early Signing Period. Both of them will join the Bearcats as freshmen next fall.
“We are excited to welcome both Ella and Genevieve to our program,” head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord said. “Both of them are high character kids that are coming to us from competitive AAU and high school programs that will help them fit right into the culture we are building here at Binghamton.”
Golf signs recruit
The Binghamton golf program has announced the signing of Shawn Colella (Marcellus, N.Y.), who is presently a senior at Marcellus High School. He will arrive on campus next fall as a freshman.
Colella was named to the Section 3 State Team in both 2018 and 2019 before last year’s season was canceled due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, he ranked seventh in all nation point rankings for the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour (HJGT). Over the past two year, Colella has seven wins on the HJGT. His current scoring average is 73.3.
In the classroom, Colella has also stood out. He is a member of the National Honor Society and has a GPA of 94.12.
“We are very excited for Shawn to join our program,” head coach Bernie Herceg said. “He brings a lot of tournament experiences as well as winning experience to the team. This past month or so, Shawn won three events in a row. We are really looking forward to watching him compete for us in the future.”
Softball signs pair of standouts
The Binghamton softball program has received a National Letter of Intent (NLI) from Alayna (Laney) Harbaugh (North Syracuse, N.Y.) and Sarah Rende (Ardsley, N.Y.) as part of the early signing period, which ran from Nov. 11-18. Both of them will join the Bearcats as freshmen next fall.
“We are so excited to have both Laney and Sarah officially join our program,” head coach Michelle Johnston said. “We look forward to everything they will bring to the field but are more excited about the kind of people they are and their overall work ethic and character. They both are also excellent students that are a great fit for our University.”
Cross country lands pair of recruits
The Binghamton cross country & distance program has announced the signing of Lindsey Stokes (Endwell, N.Y.) and Jennifer Mui (Armonk, N.Y). Each of them will join the Bearcat program next fall as freshmen.
Stokes is currently a senior at nearby Maine-Endwell High School. As a junior in 2019, she was named Second-Team All-State by the New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA) after placing 10th overall at the New York State (NYS) Class B cross country championship meet. Stokes went on to place 26th overall at the NYS Federation Meet. In both 2018 and 2019, she won the NYS Section 4 cross country title.
In track, Stokes was ninth overall in the 2,000 Steeplechase (SC) at the 2019 NYS Outdoor Championship Meet.
Stokes’ top track times are 4:43 in the 1,500, 10:23 in the 3,000 and 7:02 in the 2,000 SC. Her top 5,000-meter cross country time is 19:09.
Mui, meanwhile, is a current senior at Byram Hills High School. She won the NYS Section 1 2,000 SC title in 2019 and went on to place 16th in the same event at the NYS Outdoor Meet.
In track, Mui’s top times are 4:48 in the 1,500, 10:28 in the 3,000 and 7:06 in the 2,000 SC.
“We are so excited to have both Lindsey and Jennifer join the Bearcats next fall,” head cross country and distance track coach Annette Acuff said. “Both ladies are excellent students, very talented, and will most definitely add the depth we need for our women’s cross-country and distance squads. On the track they have been very competitive at the state level in the steeplechase, but they also have good miler speed to really help them in their overall development at the collegiate level.”
Men’s basketball ready for unique season (season preview)
A strong sophomore class is expected to lead Binghamton basketball into the 2020-21 season – a season whose length and make-up will no doubt be affected by the pandemic.
Ninth-year head coach Tommy Dempsey returns two starters and seven letterwinners from last winter’s squad that led the America East in 3-pointers (9.6/game, 20th in nation) and ranked third in scoring. However, with the departure of point guard Sam Sessoms (19.4 ppg.) and graduated senior starters Pierre Sarre and Richard Caldwell, BU will have to replace 55% of its offensive production and 48% of its rebounding.
Athletics announces 2020 Giving Challenge
The Binghamton University Athletics Department is launching its “Athletics Giving Challenge” beginning on “Giving Tuesday” Dec. 1 and running through Tuesday, Dec. 15.
This challenge allows loyal Binghamton Athletics supporters to help provide critical support in such areas as academics, professional development, strength & conditioning, mental health services, sports medicine, team equipment & amenities. Monetary prizes will be awarded to the teams with the highest number of donors, and for the team with the highest percentage of student-athlete alumni donors. Anyone that has given a gift starting July 1, 2020 will already count towards the challenge.
The sport with the highest percentage of athletics alumni making a gift will receive $5,000. In addition, the sport with the highest number total of donors – which includes both alums and non-alums - will also receive $5,000.
All gifts of $25 or more donated between Dec. 1-15 will count towards the challenge. In addition, anyone that has given a team-designated gift after July 1, 2020 will have their donation counted towards the challenge.
The winners of the challenge will be announced by early January.
Gifts may be made online here and the results will be tracked in real time up through the conclusion of the Athletics Giving Challenge.
Binghamton Athletics, on behalf of their 450+ student athletes navigating these challenging times, sincerely thanks all potential donors for their consideration.
After nine months, women’s basketball is first BU team back to competition
Nine months ago, the Binghamton women’s basketball team saw their 2019-20 season halted prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday afternoon at the Events Center, it became the first Binghamton team in any sport to play an official game during the current academic year.
Swimming and Diving lands in-state recruit
The Binghamton swimming & diving program has announced the signing of Lauren Kuzma (Garden City, N.Y.), a current senior at Garden City High School. She signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) and will join the Bearcat program as a freshman next fall.
Kuzma was a two-time New York State (NYS) Finalist at the 2020 Championship Meet. She placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke and seventh in the 200 individual medley (IM). Her top times are currently 1:03.5 in the 100 breaststroke, 2:20.8 in the 200 breaststroke and 2:05.7 in the 200 IM.
“Lauren is going to be a great addition to our program,” head coach Jerry Cummiskey said. “We are excited to see her continue to grow into one of the top swimmers in the conference. Her impact will be felt immediately in both breaststroke events as well as the IMs as she will come to campus with times in the top 5 of the conference already. Lauren is going to be a part of a class that will help us continue to rise to the top of the conference.”
Student-athletes spread cheer for the holidays
Before leaving for the semester break, the Binghamton Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) saw to it that people left Christmas gifts at the Events Center before they departed campus.
For years, Binghamton’s SAAC has taken part in the Adopt a Family for Christmas program. Despite the difficult fall semester in terms of adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was determined to continue that tradition.
The Adopt-A-Family For Christmas program is sponsored by several national organizations, including the Salvation Army, Toys for Tots and Catholic Charities. In the case of Binghamton’s SAAC leaders who organized the event, they went through the Family Enrichment Network of Greater Binghamton.
From there, Binghamton’s SAAC was paired of with a family in need. It was provided with a wish list of needs, sizes and interests of their adopted family. While some requests were specific, other interests inspired brainstorming among the group.