Sports: Athletics program ranks fourth in America East in overall success

On the heels of the school's most successful year as a Division I program, Binghamton University placed fourth in the America East Commissioner's Cup. The Cup standings are determined by placement during the regular season and at conference championships for the 22 sports the America East sponsors. The Bearcats, who finished last in each of their first two years of membership, jumped up to fourth place in the 10-team league in 2003-04.

In addition, they had four athletes named America East Player of the Year (Graham Munro and Stefan Gonet, men's soccer; Dan Hanegby, men's tennis; and Kevin McKeown, men's lacrosse). In all, Binghamton had 61 all-conference selections. Three coaches were chosen by their peers as America East Coach of the Year (Rich Conover, women's basketball; Michael Starke, men's tennis; and Ed Stephenson, men's lacrosse).

Student-athletes continue academic achievement
Binghamton student-athletes continued their long-standing tradition of academic excellence in 2003-04, achieving an average grade-point average of 3.02 for the school year. Counting the fall and spring semester, Binghamton's athletes have now surpassed the 3.0 mark in 10 of the last 11 semesters. Since moving to Division I in fall 2001, the average semester GPA stands at 3.06 for student-athletes.

Pacing Binghamton's academic success among its sporting peers was the women's basketball team, which was ranked No. 9 out of 325 programs across the country, with an average GPA of 3.33.

Binghamton has captured the America East Academic Cup twice in its first three years in the conference.

Basketball

Basketball schedules announced
The 2004-05 men's and women's basketball schedules have been released, with both teams preparing for their first full seasons in the new $33.1 million Events Center. The men's team will play 13 home games prior to hosting the 2005 America East Championship March 4-6. The women have 15 home dates including the Binghamton/Time Warner Classic on November 27-28.

The men's team, coached by Al Walker, will open the season with a pair of home exhibition games against St. Rose November 3 and Brockport November 8. One week later they will face Michigan in the first round of the preseason NIT.

The 18-game conference slate begins two weeks earlier than last season. The Bearcats will play a home-and-home series with each of the other nine America East members, with four of their first five America East contests on the road. They finish with a home game against two-time defending regular-season champion Boston University February 27.

The 2004-05 non-conference schedule also features games against an NCAA tournament team (Syracuse) and two postseason NIT teams (Michigan and Kent State).

The women will open with home exhibitions against Le Moyne November 9 and St. Rose November 12. Their conference slate begins with a stiff test at home January 5 against reigning America East champion Maine. Head coach Rich Conover's squad has five home games set for Saturdays, including three straight weeks in late January.

Both the men's and women's conference dates may be altered slightly when the America East television package is finalized and released later in the fall.

For ticket information call 607-777-SLAM.

Invitation to preseason NIT a major coup

The men's basketball team will open its 2004-05 season with the highest-profile game in school history. On November 15, the squad will head to Ann Arbor to play Big Ten member Michigan in the first round of the preseason National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

The prestigious NIT event features a 16-team field, with first-round winners advancing to second-round games November 17-18 on campus sites. The semifinals and finals are held November 24 and 26 at Madison Square Garden. Should the Bearcats upset Michigan, they would travel to play the winner of the first-round game between College of Charleston and Colorado. That second-round matchup will be televised by ESPN November 17.

"It's a tremendous honor for our University and team to be invited to play in the Preseason NIT," Walker said. "We're all looking forward to the opportunity to match up against one of the great programs in college basketball history in Michigan."

Soccer

Men's soccer team opens season No. 22 in nation
For the first time in its young Division I tenure, the highly successful men's soccer team will enter a season as a nationally ranked program. The Bearcats, who under head coach Paul Marco finished last season ranked No. 26 among NCAA Division I teams, are ranked No. 22 in the first National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas poll. Earlier in the summer, College Soccer News also ranked the Bearcats No. 22 in its preseason poll. In addition, Binghamton is the preseason pick to repeat as America East Conference champion.

Binghamton finished the 2003 campaign with a 12-3-7 record, won the America East Conference title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The Bearcats led the entire nation in shutouts and fewest goals against.

Wrestling

Wrestling program reinstated
Binghamton University President Lois B. DeFleur was joined by State Sen. Thomas W. Libous to announce
that $230,000 in additional funds, specially earmarked for the intercollegiate wrestling program, has been allocated to Binghamton's operating budget by Gov. George E. Pataki.

"This funding will enable the University to preserve our commitment to our academic priorities, while providing support to reinstate our wrestling program," said DeFleur. "This is a positive outcome for the University --
a win-win for all of us."

Libous stressed that the funding is for the long term. "We've always believed that if we could fund wrestling at the appropriate level that we then could move forward in a way that this University and its students could be proud of, so the commitment was made," he said. "We made it very clear that the money would need to be there every year. This is not a one-shot deal."

Joel Thirer, director of health, physical education and athletes, will now begin work to reinstate wrestling
for the 2005-06 season. "Our goal is to build a program that is as good as -- or better than -- ever," he said.
Binghamton will conduct a national search for a full-time head coach and apply for reinstatement to the Colonial Athletic Association as an associate member for wrestling. Once a head coach is on board, a search will begin
for a staff and recruitment of student athletes to field a team for the 2005-06 season.

University Shines during Rainy Empire State Games

On the evening of July 28, Marty Wyckoff '94, Endicott, an All American wrestler while at the University, expected to be jogging around the infield of Binghamton's NYSEG Stadium with Hudson Valley high jumper Felicia Hodges. They would both bear the torch that would open the Empire State Games, New York's version of the Olympics.

Instead, he and Hodges carried the flame into the new Events Center on campus, which became the site of the opening ceremonies when heavy rains made it necessary to turn an outdoor event into an indoor one. And so, with just a bit more than a day's notice, a facility with seating for 4,300 accommodated 10,000, including about 5,600 athletes. A live television feed into the Anderson Center made it possible for the overflow crowd of friends and families of the athletes to view what was described as an extraordinary kick-off to the Games.

This abrupt -- and huge -- change of plans was perhaps the most visible example of the preparation, ingenuity and turn-on-a-dime teamwork on the part of the University community and the 900 volunteers from Greater Binghamton. They helped make New York's version of the Olympics a success and not simply to those who participated. The Games brought an estimated $10 million into the local economy and they gave many young people and their parents their first exposure to Greater Binghamton and the University.

The University housed all but 200 athletes in its residence halls and made available its facilities for playing 11 of the 28 sports in which athletes competed. University staff assisted with transportation, food service, information and parking logistics for spectators. Hinman Library became the Games' data-entry center. Physical Facilities representatives dug in especially hard to adapt the Events Center for something more than Bearcats basketball. Said Games director Fred Smith, "I'd give them [Binghamton organizers and Binghamton University] three gold medals." Added Larry Kassan, opening ceremonies coordinator, "The Events Center staff was just amazing." Correspondents from news organizations throughout the state who covered the four-day event echoed these comments.

The University, while a gracious and accommodating host, also viewed the Games as an opportunity to showcase everything that makes it unique. Awaiting athletes upon arrival were brochures and other information about Binghamton. Campus tours were available to them and their families. Greater Binghamton warmly welcomed its guests and reminded those who may be thinking about relocating or retiring about the quality of life and lower cost of living available in the area.

All this effort paid off. The father of a lacrosse player from Saratoga Springs praised the facilities. "We were really impressed with the campus," said Dan Ims. "BU definitely stepped up a few notches on the list of potential colleges."

Of course, the Games are, after all, about sportsmanship and competition, and there were plenty of stories to go around.

For some athletes, like recent Union-Endicott grad and Binghamton first-year student and soccer player Adam Chavez, these were their first Games. For Oneithea Lewis, Long Island Region, they were her eighth. Lewis is 44 -- old enough to compete in the masters division (age 30 and older) although she doesn't, preferring to pit herself against women at least half her age in the open division. She won gold medal number 20 in discus and hammer.
Men's basketball spectators were given a glimpse of March Madness, watching players who suit up for Syracuse, Loyola, Maryland and Villanova run up and down the Events Center court on a muggy day in July.

The men's volleyball team from the Long Island region was motivated by a tragedy to perform beyond expectations. While teammate John Ries was participating in the opening ceremonies, his father died suddenly in a local hotel room. Wanting to do somethinig special for Reis, the rest of the players, minus another starter due to an ankle injury, made it to the gold-medal match. They didn't capture the gold, but their coach, Michael Legge, drove home to present to Reis, at his father's wake, the silver medal the team had won.

Some athletes left campus with medals, many with new friendships and most with a memorable experience. And perhaps there will be those -- like the three Empire State Games alumni who won medals at the summer Olympics in Athens -- who will be thinking about their experiences at Binghamton when they compete in Beijing in 2008.