Swin Cash to speak at Women’s Athletics Luncheon

The Binghamton Bearcats Athletic Association (BBAA) will host the 12th Annual Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon presented by M&T Bank at noon on Monday, Feb. 27, at the Events Center.

Held each year to recognize the achievements of Binghamton University’s female student-athletes, the luncheon also raises funding for scholarships awarded to female student-athletes at Binghamton University. This year, former WNBA and college basketball standout Swin Cash will be the featured speaker.

During her collegiate career at the University of Connecticut (UConn), Cash was an All-American and part of the Huskie teams that won both the 2000 and 2002 NCAA championships. UConn went a perfect 39-0 in 2002 and she was named the Most Outstanding Player of that year’s NCAA Tournament. Cash is a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to UConn’s women’s basketball “Huskies of Honor” recognition program.

Cash was selected second overall by the Detroit Shock in the 2002 WNBA Draft. Over the next 15 seasons, she played for five different WNBA teams, was named a WNBA All-Star four times (2003, 2005, 2011 & 2013) and won three league championships (2003, 2006 & 2010). Cash was also named the MVP of both the 2009 and 2011 WNBA All-Star Games.

While her WNBA career continued to flourish, Cash was also a part of the both the 2004 and 2012 United States Olympic Teams, both of which won gold medals. In addition, she was selected to the 2010 National Team that captured the gold medal at the FIFA World Championships.

Cash announced her retirement from the WNBA this past June. Over the course of her 15-year career, she averaged 11.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Cash started in every game of the season nine times throughout her career and was recently honored as one of the 20 Greatest and Most Influential Players in WNBA History.

When not playing basketball, Cash pursues her other career as a sports journalist and on-air commentator and analyst for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Turner and MSG Networks. She is presently a commentator on CBS Sports’ “We Need to Talk,” which is the first national all-female sports show. Cash is also Host of MSG Network’s “Nothing but Knicks” and an in-studio analyst for “New York Knicks Game Day.”

Cash is the founder of Swin Cash Enterprises LLC and the founder of Cash Building Blocks, LP, an urban development company that renovates and offers affordable homes for low income families. She is also the founder of Cash for Kids, a charity with the mission to “motivate, educate, & elevate” kids. Through Cash for Kids, Swin has helped thousands of children across the nation and around the world, with a particular focus on fitness, leadership and service.

Cash is the latest of an impressive group of guest speakers who have come to Binghamton for the Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon. She is preceded by Amy Van Dyken (2016), Rebecca Lobo (2015), Jennie Finch (2014), Shannon Miller (2013), Amanda Beard (2012), Julie Foudy (2011), Kara Lawson (2010) and Jessica Mendoza (2009).

Since 2006, the Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon has raised more than $250,000 to support the BBAA Women’s Scholarship Fund. The scholarships were established in 2007, and are awarded annually to two female student-athletes. The luncheon began in 2006, with just 75 attendees, and is today one of the Athletics Department’s primary fundraisers. In 2016, more than 600 guests attended the event.

Luncheon attendees will have the opportunity to meet current Bearcat student-athletes and coaches from the women’s teams and to hear them speak about the role athletics has played in their development, careers and life. In addition, guests will have the chance to bid on several auction items with all proceeds going toward the BBAA Women’s Scholarship Fund.

Tickets for the event are $60 and table sponsorships are $600.