Athletics news, spring 2022
Hall of Fame expands with two classes inducted
Binghamton University Athletics held its annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday following the men’s basketball game and more than 150 guests celebrated the Induction Classes of 2020 and 2021.
The 25th Annual Ceremony featured a total of six individuals and two teams that will join the more than 100 current members. The 2020 class comprises wrestler Dave Berry ’74, soccer coach Hristos Dimitriou, soccer player Meghan Taylor ’06 and the 1961-62 men’s basketball team.
The Class of 2021 comprises wrestler Justin Lister ’12, softball player Jami Pier ’00, cross country/track runner Erik van Ingen ’12 and the 1995 softball team.
Student-Athletes sizzle with 3.38 GPA in fall semester
Binghamton student-athletes continued their academic success with a 3.38 grade-point average for the fall semester. It’s the ninth consecutive semester the group has surpassed a 3.2 GPA. The fall achievement also marks the 19th straight semester that the group surpassed the 3.1 mark. The fall success also continued the department’s trend of outpacing the general student population on campus, which posted a 3.25 GPA.
Nearly two-thirds of student-athletes (271 of 422 individuals) recorded a 3.3 or higher GPA in the fall and more than half (212) posted a 3.5 or higher. Thirty-five individuals produced a perfect 4.0 GPA for the semester.
All 19 sports programs carried a team GPA above 3.0.
The men’s tennis team, under head coach Nick Zieziula, captured the department’s Academic Cup with a 3.80 grade-point average. It’s the program’s fifth overall Cup and second in the last three semesters.
Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon rescheduled for May 2
Out of an abundance of caution due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 17th Annual Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon presented by M&T Bank – which was originally scheduled for Monday, February 21 – has been postponed. The new date is Monday, May 2 with the time set for 11:30 a.m. at the Events Center.
Nancy Hogshead-Makar, J.D., OLY, three-time Olympic gold medal winner and civil rights lawyer will still be the featured speaker. Hogshead-Makar is the founder and CEO of Champion Women, a non-profit providing legal advocacy for girls and women in sports.
McInerny named ticket sales manager
The Binghamton University Athletic Department has announced the hiring of Brendan McInerney as its Ticket Sales Manager. He will oversee all ticketed events at the Events Center, Bearcats Sports Complex, Varsity Baseball Field and West Gym.
During the past four years, McInerney has been the Box Office Manager for the Rochester Broadway Theater League’s Auditorium Theater. In that capacity, he worked with over 10,000 season ticket holders, six house managers and over 300 volunteer ushers. In addition, McInerney collaborated with the marketing department to increase ticket sales and sales of other revenue sources.
Baseball season preview
Among the oddities that COVID-19 has brought to Binghamton’s athletics environment occurred last spring when a senior-laden baseball squad didn’t advance to the America East tournament. The Bearcats’ 2021 season was hampered by a delayed start with no non-conference games and the ensuing performances on the field lacked the program’s usual precision, as the Bearcats’ 16-20 record indicated.
Baseball defeats nationally ranked Old Dominion
Three Binghamton pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts with no walks and the Bearcats (2-2) knocked off No. 23 Old Dominion (3-1) 4-1 Friday night at Bud Metheny Stadium. It was the team’s first win over a ranked opponent since BU swept a four-game set from No. 19 Virginia Tech in 2017.
Softball season preview
The Binghamton softball team is eager to begin its 2022 campaign. With four in-season tournaments, a full conference schedule and several non-conference matchups, things are shaping up for a return to normalcy for the Bearcats.
Men’s lacrosse season preview
Coming off of a 5-4 America East campaign last Spring (finishing 5th in the America East standings), the Binghamton University men’s lacrosse team is ready for a full slate of games in the 2022 season. The 14 game schedule begins on Saturday, February 12 at Noon against Marist.
Women’s lacrosse season preview
Binghamton women’s lacrosse enters the 2022 season with an upbeat outlook and enhanced team chemistry. BU faces a rigorous non-conference slate featuring two ACC schools and several strong mid-major programs that will help prepare for America East action.
Men’s basketball coach Sanders finalist for national award
After guiding Binghamton men’s basketball to a resurgent season this winter, head coach Levell Sanders has garnered national attention. On Monday, Sanders was included as one of 15 finalists for the 2022 Joe B. Hall Award. The award is presented annually to the top first-year coach in Division I college basketball. The winner will be announced April 1 in New Orleans in conjunction with the NCAA championship game.
Men’s basketball reaches America East semifinals
Junior guard Jacob Falko scored a game-high 21 points and sophomore guard John McGriff converted an off-balance, driving layup with 30 seconds left to lead sixth-seeded Binghamton men’s basketball (12-16) to a 72-69 upset win over third-seeded New Hampshire (15-12) in an America East quarterfinal game Sunday afternoon at Lundholm Gymasium.
Two men’s basketball players receive conference acclaim
On the heels of the program’s best conference campaign in 12 years, two Binghamton men’s basketball players have been honored by the America East. Junior guard Jacob Falko was voted first team all-conference by the league’s head coaches and junior forward Christian Hinckson was named to the All-Defensive Team.
Women’s basketball pair honored by conference
Junior guard Denai Bowman and freshman forward Genevieve Coleman are Binghamton’s America East Women’s Basketball All-Conference selections for the 2021-22 season. Bowman is a repeat selection on both the first team and All-Defensive Team. Coleman was chosen to the America East’s All-Rookie Team.
Track & Field teams place third at America East Championship
Graduate students Dan Schaffer and Emily Mackay, seniors Aziza Chigatayeva and Stephanie Cassens as well as freshman Jenna Chan all won individual titles, highlighting Binghamton’s performance at the final day of the America East Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday at the Boston Track & Tennis Center. In the final team standings, both the Bearcat men’s and women’s squads placed third out of 10 teams.
Mackay earns pair of All-America honors
Graduate student Emily Mackay earned second-team All-America honors in a pair of events at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The two-day event, which was held at the Birmingham Crossplex, concluded on Saturday night.
Mackay and Coach Acuff earn regional honors
Graduate student Emily Mackay has been named the United States Track & Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) Northeast Region Women’s Track Athlete of the Year for the 2021-22 indoor season. In addition, distance coach Annette Acuff has been named the region’s Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
Four Track & Field athletes earn academic honors
Seniors Stephanie Cassens and Aziza Chigatayeva as well as graduate students Dan Schaffer and Emily Mackay have been named to the 2022 America East Indoor Track & Field All-Academic Team. They each were chosen based on a combination of their athletic and academic accomplishments.
To be eligible for All-Academic, student-athletes must have sophomore athletic eligibility, attain a 3.30 minimum grade-point average and be a contributor on their team. The squad is voted on by a committee made up of America East student-athlete support and athletic communications administrators as well as faculty athletic representatives.
Men’s swimming runnerup; women fourth at America East Championship
Senior Christopher Egan was named the Men’s Most Outstanding Diver for the second time in three years, highlighting the final day for Binghamton at the America East Swimming & Diving Championships. The Bearcat men were second out of five teams while the women placed fourth out of six squads.
UMBC, whom the Bearcats men’s team dethroned last season, took back the championship with 921.5 points. Binghamton was a close second with 874.5 points. The Bearcats women, meanwhile, scored 459 points to finish behind New Hampshire (814.5), UMBC (752.5) and Vermont (677).
Egan, McGraw advance to NCAA Zone Diving meet
Seniors Christopher Egan and Amanda McGraw concluded their illustrious careers at the NCAA Zone Diving Meet on Tuesday at the Naval Academy. It marked the first appearance for either of them at the event and the first by a Binghamton diver since Devin Zdanowski qualified in 2014.
Egan placed 44th overall in the men’s three-meter event (215.8) as well as 41st on the one-meter board (220.55). McGraw, meanwhile, was 62nd in the women’s three-meter competition (206.7).
Swimming & Diving lands four on All-Academic Team
Seniors Amanda McGraw and Ryan Board, junior Ryan Cohn and sophomore Henry Shemet have been named to the 2021-22 America East Swimming & Diving All-Academic Teams. The Bearcat quartet was honored based on a combination of academic and athletic accomplishments.
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Schaffer, Mackay earn academic honors
The awards continue to pour in for graduate students Dan Schaffer and Emily Mackay.
For the second straight cross country season, each of them have earned All-Academic honors from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA). They earned the distinction by virtue of their outstanding accomplishments both in running and in the classroom.
Golf begins spring season
Two years ago, the Binghamton golf team was gearing up for a trip to the Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate, which was hosted by Tennessee Tech. The three-day event would serve as the Bearcats’ first event of the spring season. That trip, however, would never take place as on March 12, 2020, the NCAA shut down events for the rest of the academic year due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.
It is against that backdrop that the Bearcats head to Tennessee Tech this coming Sunday-Tuesday for its first spring event of the 2021-22 campaign. With no spring season two years ago and no fall schedule last year, Binghamton is in the midst of its first full academic year of competition since 2018-19.
DePrez wins title at EIWA Championships
Binghamton wrestling finished a successful EIWA Championship Sunday, finishing in sixth place out of 17 teams. The Bearcats were led by Lou DePrez, who grabbed the third individual title of his career. Joe Doyle produced some fireworks en route to a third place finish and Jacob Nolan (fourth place at 174 pounds) and Brevin Cassella (fifth place at 165 pounds) had their highest finishes as Bearcats. All four qualified for the NCAA Championship in Detroit.
Wrestling caps season at NCAA Championship
Binghamton wrestling wrapped up the 2021-22 season Friday, as Brevin Cassella, Joe Doyle and Lou DePrez all competed at the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit. Doyle had a dominant win in the consolation bracket to highlight Binghamton’s day.
Yaeger named new volleyball coach
Seventeen-year Division I coach Allie Yaeger has been selected as Binghamton’s new head volleyball coach, Interim Director of Athletics Dennis Kalina announced on Wednesday. Yaeger comes directly from Seton Hall, where she led the Pirates program for the last decade.
“We are excited to bring in someone with Allie’s strong credentials,” Kalina said. “Her experience leading a BIG EAST program, together with her familiarity with our own program and the America East will be a huge asset for our student-athletes.”