Special events/announcements, fall 2022
Hall of Fame Class of 2022 announced
A highly-decorated group of four individuals and one team comprises the 2022 Induction Class of the Binghamton Athletics Hall of Fame, the school announced on Tuesday. Set to be enshrined on October 8 in the 26th annual ceremony are: women’s basketball great Andrea Holmes ’12, wrestling All-American Donnie Vinson ’12, tennis champion Sven Vloedgraven ’11, longtime broadcaster and master of ceremonies Roger Neel and the record-setting 1994-95 men’s tennis team.
Sports psychologist addresses student-athletes
Capping two days of Welcome Back programming for 400+ Binghamton student-athletes, renowned sports psychologist, consultant and author Dr. Jarrod Spencer shared his message of “Clearer Mind, Better Performance” Monday morning in the Events Center.
In front of an engaged audience of BU’s 21 sports teams, Dr. Spencer spoke about improving the emotional health of athletes, coaches and leaders. His presentation included engaging exercises and discussion, layered with personal experience and expertise. Spencer grew up not too far away in Bethlehem, Pa., and drew on his personal background as a football player (and regular foe of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). Spencer went on to become a record-setting tailback at Lafayette College and is now a prominent mental health advocate, having written two books and appeared on national media such as BBC, CNN, Fox News and ESPN Radio. He serves as the sports psychologist for numerous professional and collegiate athletes and teams.
Athletics scores 95 in national inclusion rating
Binghamton athletics recently received a 95 rating from Athlete Ally association - the group that tracks NCAA member athletic departments’ policies and practices around LGBTQ inclusion.
The Athletic Equality Index (AEI) was developed to measure LGBTQ inclusion policies and practices in collegiate athletics. Launched in 2017 and updated in 2019, this first-of-its-kind report provides a comprehensive look at how NCAA D-I institutions are supporting their LGBTQ student-athletes, coaches, administrators, staff, and fans. As of November 2021, the AEI has expanded to include D-II and D-III institutions.
Student-athletes return to campus
All 400+ of Binghamton’s student-athletes were in the Events Center on Monday afternoon but none of them were competing. Instead, they were on hand for the Athletic Department’s Welcome Back BBQ.
Although a handful of teams (men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball) have been back on campus since early August, Monday marked the first time many teams had seen each other since the end of the spring semester.