Athletics news, fall 2022
New baseball complex featured by national agency
Binghamton’s new $60 million baseball complex continues to draw national attention. The renowned facilities agency Sports Dissected recently came to town from Texas and toured the expansive complex to showcase on their Youtube channel, which has more than 315,000 subscribers.
The Sports Dissected crew of director Marcus Sarate and host Leland Bruce received a full tour from 31-year head coach Tim Sinicki and produced a 15-minute showpiece here. The video drew more than 16K views in the first 24 hours.
Two men’s basketball players earn academic honors
Binghamton men’s basketball players Dan Petcash and Ogheneyole Akuwovo have earned 2021-22 “Honors Court” distinction by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the group announced recently. Each player exceeded the 3.2 GPA standard for inclusion.
Petcash is majoring in psychology and appeared in 21 games with 13 starts. He averaged 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds and shot a team-best 47 percent from three-point range.
Akuwovo is majoring in human development and played in 27 games with 17 starts. He averaged 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds and shot a team-high 58 percent from the floor.
The Bearcats are on campus for the summer and preparing for season number two under head coach Levell Sanders.
Men’s basketball releases non-conference schedule
Binghamton men’s basketball released its 13-game non-conference schedule on Friday. Head coach Levell Sanders begins his second season at the helm in 2022-23 and his squad will play teams from six different conferences, highlighted by marquee games at Maryland, La Salle and Fordham.
The Bearcats open the season with a home game against Cazenovia on November 7. Binghamton will play seven non-conference games at Dr. Bai Lee Court at the Events Center, where the program has been among the league leaders in attendance for nearly two decades. Also coming to Vestal will be Sacred Heart (Nov. 19), Columbia (Nov. 23), Loyola (Nov. 30), Stonehill (Dec. 3), Colgate (Dec. 7) and Oneonta (Dec. 17).
Full men’s basketball schedule released
The America East released its 2022-23 men’s basketball conference schedule Tuesday morning and Binghamton will open on the road on New Year’s Eve. The Bearcats begin their conference slate at first-year member Bryant on Dec. 31 in Smithfield, R.I.
Each team will play a 16-game, double round robin schedule from late December through late February. The top eight teams advance to the postseason, which begins with quarterfinals on March 4. Semifinals are on March 7 and the championship game will be held on Saturday, March 11.
The Bearcats will play four of their first six America East games on the road but will finish the regular season with four of six at the Events Center. All games will be broadcast on either ESPN+ or ESPN3.
2022-23 basketball season tickets and Junior Bearcats kids club membership are now on sale at www.bubearcats.com/tickets. Individual game tickets will go on sale at the beginning of October.
Distance runners claim BU’s Athletes of the Year for 2021-22
Dan Schaffer and Emily Mackay have been named the Binghamton University Male and Female Athletes of the Year for 2021-22. The distance running duo – each of whom grew up in the local area – turned in dominant cross country and track seasons and in the process, achieved the highest honors both on the track and in the classroom.
Mackay and Schaffer’s greatest accomplishments this year came at the recent NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Mackay earned first-team All-America honors with a sixth-place finish in the women’s 1,500 while Schaffer was an honorable mention selection with his 24th-place finish in the men’s 5,000. One week later, Mackay and Schaffer were each named COSIDA Academic All-Americans, which represents the most significant academic honor in intercollegiate athletics.
Cross country teams earn regional rankings
The United States Track and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) has released its bi-weekly Northeast Region Poll and both the Binghamton men’s and women’s teams are among the top 15 teams. The Bearcat women are ranked a program-best ninth while the men check in at No. 15.
The women’s team, which won the Iona Meet of Champions last Friday, is in the Northeast Region rankings for the third straight year. The Bearcats finished the 2021 season at No. 10, which at the time, was their highest-ever ranking.
Graduate student Sophia Ryan led a 1-2-3 Binghamton finish at Iona. She was followed by fellow graduate student Aziza Chigatayeva and freshman Sydney Leitner.
On the men’s side, the Bearcats are also regionally ranked for the third straight season – and the ninth time since 2008. Binghamton was No. 14 in the final poll last year.
The men’s team was fourth at Iona, with senior Ryan Guerci (fourth place) and junior Josh Stone (seventh) emerging as Binghamton’s top individual finishers.
Up next for Binghamton is the Lehigh Paul Short Run on Sept. 30.
NOTE: The men’s team highest-ever regional ranking was No. 8 in the final 2009 poll.
Five golfers receive conference academic honors
Recent graduates Justin Lane, Nacho Glagovsky and Scott Kleeschulte as well as rising sophomores Shawn Colella and Tynan Jones have been named to the 2021-22 Big Sky Conference All-Academic Team. The announcement was made on Wednesday afternoon by the conference office.
For the 2021-22 season, the following All-Academic Team criteria were voted on by the league’s Athletic Directors— a student-athlete must have met/or exceeded the following minimum requirements: 1) Be on an active roster for their institution; 2) Achieved a 3.2 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at the conclusion of the most recently completed term; 3) Completed at least one academic term at his/her current Big Sky institution.
This marks the third straight appearance by Glagovsky on the Big Sky All-Academic Team and the second in a row by Kleeschulte. It marks the first appearance for Lane, Colella and Jones.
“We’re very proud of what these players accomplished,” head coach Bernie Herceg said. “Our championship season gets very demanding—especially as we near finals week—and the effort they put in was outstanding and it paid off as they were able to accomplish their academic goals. Congratulations to our players.”
Binghamton has posted nine Big Sky All-Academic Team selections over the past two years.
Golf season preview
Binghamton golf kicks off the fall season Saturday morning at the Alex Lagowitz Memorial tournament, hosted by Colgate. Saturday’s action will see 36 holes of golf played by each competitor followed by one final round of 18 Sunday. The two-day event will feature 14 competing teams and is located at Seven Oaks Golf Club.
Cross country schedules announced
The Binghamton cross country program has announced its 2022 schedule, which begins with the Colgate/Harry Lang Invitational on Sept. 3. The Bearcat men’s and women’s teams will compete in all of the same meets.
The trip to Colgate marks Binghamton’s first appearance at the Harry Lang Invitational since 2019. Two weeks later (Sept. 16), the Bearcats return to the Iona Meet of Champions – also for the first time since 2019.
On Sept. 30, the Bearcats take part in the prestigious Lehigh Paul Short Run, an event they have entered every year since moving up to the NCAA Division I level in 2001.
This year, Binghamton returns to the ECAC/IC4A meet for the first time since 2015. That event is scheduled for Oct. 14 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
The championship portion of the 2022 season begins with the America East Meet on Oct. 29, which will be hosted by UMBC for the first time since 2016. The NCAA Northeast Region Meet is slated for Nov. 11 at Van Cortlandt Park and the NCAA Championships will be run on Nov. 19 at Oklahoma State.
Men’s soccer adds half-dozen newcomers for fall
Binghamton men’s soccer has announced that six incoming student-athletes will join the team in advance of the 2022 season. The Bearcat’s class includes three freshmen and three transfer students that will provide an instant impact into the program. It will be the program’s 21st season with Paul Marco at the helm.
“We are extremely excited to welcome such a talented class to our program. Not only are these six young men hugely gifted soccer players,” Marco said. “They are also truly exceptional competitors. More importantly, these six student-athletes’ personalities stood out as players we believe will come in and continue to add to our program’s culture. All six are talented, driven and ready to make an impact once they get on campus in the fall.”
Men’s soccer daily update
Final Thoughts Before Hofstra
We caught up with some of the players after training on Monday to get their thoughts heading into tonight’s match against Hofstra. The Bearcats are coming off a pair of ties heading into tonight’s game against the Pride
“We’re all looking forward to the match Tuesday night against a good opponent it’ll be a great opportunity to show what we’ve been working on on in the last week as well as the entire season so far. The open week last week and the match against Canisius have allowed us to take a big step forward, we’ve been working hard on the training pitch to get ready for this match and the start of conference play next weekend.”
- Will Noecker
Swimming and diving announces 2022-23 schedule
The Binghamton swimming & diving program has announced its 2022-23 schedule, which begins on Saturday, Oct. 8 with the annual Green-White intra-squad meet. Both the Bearcat men’s and women’s teams will take part in all 11 eleven meets on the schedule.
Binghamton begins its regular season on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Canisius. One week later (Oct. 22), the Bearcats host Bucknell.
Other home dual meets for the Bearcats are against Bryant (Oct. 29), Cornell (Nov. 4), St. Bonaventure (Jan. 21) and Marist (Jan. 28).
On the road, Binghamton also travels to dual meets at Colgate (Oct. 28) and UMass (Dec. 3).
For the third time in four season, Binghamton travels to the Rhode Island Invitational. This year’s meet will be held Nov. 18-20.
The America East Championships will be hosted by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Feb. 22-25.
Men’s tennis caps year with six scholar-athletes
Binghamton men’s tennis added to its academic haul by placing six individuals on the ITA Scholar-Athlete list, the association announced recently. Achieving distinction for maintaining a 3.5 or higher cumulative GPA were Adi Ben-Ari, Michael Pawlowicz, Dan Pergel, Joshua Roe Flannelly and Shourya Verma.
Additionally, the team finished the school year with a 3.73 grade-point average - tops among all Binghamton teams. The 3.73 easily surpassed the 3.2 need to gain All-Academic Team distinction from the ITA.
The Bearcats, under head coach Nick Zieziula, captured the Fall Academic Cup with a 3.80 GPA and followed that up with a 3.66 during their busy spring competition season. Men’s tennis has won the Academic Cup five times, including each of the last two fall semesters.
The team returns to campus next month and opens its fall season by hosting The Star Group Championship Sept. 23-25 at the Lane Tennis Center on campus.
Three track & field athletes receive academic honors
The accolades continue to pile up for Emily Mackay, Dan Schaffer and Aziza Chigatayeva.
The three distance running standouts were named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honorees for the 2021-22 track & field season. In order to earn the distinction, a student-athlete must have attained at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA and have advanced to at least the NCAA Outdoor Regional Meet or NCAA Indoor Championships.
In addition, both the Bearcat men’s and women’s teams earned USTFCCCA Team Academic status, which is awarded to all programs that maintain a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0 through the most recent academic year.
New softball assistant arrives to campus
The Binghamton softball team has announced the hiring of Michaela Transue as an assistant coach. She joins a Bearcat staff that also includes head coach Jess Bump and assistant coach Jennifer Petteys.
Since 2018, Transue has been on the staff at Missouri. She was a graduate assistant during the 2019 season, was a volunteer assistant in 2020 and 2021 and was an assistant coach this past season.
A 2018 graduate of Hofstra University, Transue was an infielder and was named first-team all-conference in her final season. During her career, she had 25 doubles, two triples and 18 home runs. The Pride went 137-64-1 during Transue’s career, made three NCAA Tournament appearances over that span and won Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) titles in 2015 and 2018.
“I am thrilled to announce the addition of Michaela to our staff, and welcome her back to her hometown,” Bump said. “She is one of the brightest young coaches in the game, and is passionate about player development and empowering women to reach their goals on and off the field. It is clear that her high level playing and coaching experience, along with her strong ties to the Binghamton area and the Northeast are going to lead to her making an immediate impact on our program as we continue to compete for America East Championships.”
Transue grew up in the Binghamton area, graduating from nearby Chenango Forks High School in 2014. She was a four-time New York State (NYS) Class B All-State selection and batted .562 as a senior.
Softball team earns academic honors
For the 12th time since 2010, the Binghamton softball program has earned Easton/Team Academic honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association (NFCA). In addition, 13 players from last season’s team have been named Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes.
Binghamton was one of 150 NCAA Division I programs (out of 301 total) to earn the Easton/NFCA Team Academic Award for the 2021-22 academic year. The Bearcats tied for the 31st-highest GPA with a 3.518.
Volleyball season preview
Binghamton volleyball enters the 2022 season with seven new faces and first year head coach Allie Yeager at the helm. The team kicks things off Friday evening against Maryland Eastern Shore as a part of the Bearcat Classic, which also features contests against Boston College and Siena.
Women’s basketball announces non-conference schedule
The Binghamton women’s basketball program has released the non-conference portion of its schedule, which begins with a Nov. 7 game against Bloomsburg at the Events Center. The 13-game slate is highlighted by six home dates as well as trips to Syracuse on Nov. 14 and the Florida Atlantic Tournament Nov. 25-26.
Two of Binghamton’s other five home games come against service academy programs. The Bearcats face Army on Nov. 10 and Navy on Dec. 7. The remaining home contests come against Pitt-Johnstown (Nov. 16), Fairfield (Dec. 3) and former America East member Hartford (Dec. 20). The matchups against Navy and Fairfield mark the first in Binghamton program history.
Binghamton and Syracuse square off for the first time since 2012. The game also marks the Bearcats’ first against a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) since they faced Notre Dame in December 2018.
The Bearcats’ visit to Florida Atlantic, meanwhile, will be their first there since 2006. Binghamton will battle the host Owls on Nov. 25 and Butler the following day.
Other road games for Binghamton during non-conference play are at Canisius (Nov. 19), Cornell (Nov. 30), Siena (Dec. 5) and St. Bonaventure (Dec. 9).
The America East Conference portion of the Bearcats’ schedule will be announced at a later date.
2022-23 basketball season tickets and Junior Bearcats kids club membership are now on sale at www.bubearcats.com/tickets. Individual game tickets will go on sale at the beginning of October.
NOTE: Binghamton also has a home exhibition game against Roberts Wesleyan on Nov. 4
Women’s basketball releases full 2022-23 schedule
The America East has released its 2022-23 women’s basketball conference schedule, which has Binghamton opening up at UMBC on Dec. 29. All nine conference schools will play a home-and-home schedule against the rest of the other teams.
Binghamton’s America East home opener is against Bryant on New Years Day. In addition to the Bulldogs being a first-year conference member, the game marks the first time in their program history that the Bearcats will play on Jan. 1.
Four of Binghamton’s first seven conference games will take place at the Events Center. In addition to Bryant, the Bearcats also host NJIT (Jan. 11), defending America East champion Albany (Jan. 18) and defending regular-season champion Maine (Jan. 21) during that stretch.
The rest of the Bearcats’ home conference games are against UMBC (Feb. 1), New Hampshire (Feb. 8), UMass Lowell (Feb. 18) and Vermont (Feb. 22).
Other road games for the Bearcats are at New Hampshire (Jan. 4), UMass Lowell (Jan. 14), Vermont (Jan. 25), Bryant (Jan. 28), Albany (Feb. 11), NJIT (Feb. 15) and Maine (Feb. 25).
The America East Tournament will continue to be hosted by the higher seeds for each of the three rounds. The quarterfinals are set for March 1, followed by the semifinals on March 5 and the title game on March 10. The top eight teams will qualify for the America East Tournament.
Binghamton released the non-conference portion of its 2022-23 schedule last week. The Bearcats open up their regular season on Nov. 7 against Bloomsburg at the Events Center. There are 13 regular-season, non-conference games on Binghamton’s schedule this year, including six home dates.
2022-23 basketball season tickets and Junior Bearcats kids club membership are now on sale at www.bubearcats.com/tickets. Individual game tickets will go on sale at the beginning of October.
Women’s lacrosse welcomes new assistant coach
The Binghamton women’s lacrosse program has announced the addition of Sophie Leva to the coaching staff Monday morning. Leva comes to BU by way of the University of Indianapolis, where she was a graduate assistant for the Division ll National Champion Greyhounds. She will primarily work with the team’s goalies.
Women’s soccer season preview
Binghamton women’s soccer has three all-conference players and several more key contributors back from an eight-win campaign, but its postseason fortune may equally hinge on a new-look defensive lineup.
Head coach Neel Bhattacharjee enters his seventh season just two years removed from a title-game appearance. His team’s promising 2021 season was cut short in the America East quarterfinals, ending the careers of three starting defenders and four-year starting keeper Haylee Poltorak.
Women’s tennis fall preview
Binghamton women’s tennis kicks off its 2022 fall season at the Navy Bill & Sandra Moore Invitational this weekend. The Bearcats will join seven other teams in the three-day event, held at the Brigade Sports Complex in Annapolis. Matches will take place at both the Tose Family Center (indoor) and the Fluegel-Moore Tennis Stadium (outdoor). The invitational begins Friday at noon and will run through Sunday. Competition on Saturday and Sunday is set to begin at 9 a.m.
Players from George Mason, Lehigh, Monmouth, St. Bonaventure, Mary Washington, Johns Hopkins and the host Midshipmen will join the Bearcats in five singles and three doubles draws.
Wrestling announces 2022-23 schedule
Binghamton wrestling released its 2022-23 schedule Tuesday afternoon, featuring several familiar and new opponents. The Bearcats will again take on a tough regular season slate, which includes the likes of N.C. State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Cornell, Princeton and Lehigh to prepare for postseason wrestling come March.