Special events/announcements
Athletics hires pair in communications
Binghamton athletics has announced the addition of two individuals to its communications team. Leigh Martino and Sydney Harbaugh join the BU staff and will assist in the overall publicity of Binghamton’s 21 sports teams.
Martino, a 2015 graduate of Ithaca College, previously worked as the public information coordinator for the Windsor Central School District. There, she handled media relations, social media, promotional material and the website for the entire district.
Previously she served eight months in the BU athletics communications office, creating content, overseeing live broadcasts and covering home events. Martino has also worked as a marketing assistant with the Binghamton Mets Double-A baseball team, managing the club’s social media platforms and creating promotional materials.
A native of the Binghamton area, Martino was a four-year track standout at Ithaca and a member of the school’s Leadership Academy.
Martino will directly oversee the communications efforts for men’s lacrosse, swimming & diving, women’s tennis, golf and volleyball.
Harbaugh came on board on October after a distinguished undergraduate career at Binghamton. An English major who graduated in May 2016, Harbaugh is the all-time hits, runs and stolen bases leader in BU’s softball history. She was a four-time first team America East all-conference selection and the 2014 conference Player of the Year. During Harbaugh’s tenure, the softball team twice won 30 or more games, hosted two conference tournaments, captured the 2016 America East regular season title and advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2015.
She served nearly a year as an intern in the communications office, assisting with social media, video editing and event coverage. Harbaugh also spearheaded the department’s popular “Bearcat Brief” video features.
A native of Syracuse, Harbaugh will directly oversee the sports of wrestling and women’s lacrosse.
Both Martino and Harbaugh will play key roles in BU’s social media, broadcast and video platforms and have basketball responsibility.
12th Annual Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon a success
Olympic gold medalist and WNBA champion Swin Cash was the featured speaker at the 12th Annual Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon on Monday afternoon at the Events Center. The luncheon, which had an event-record 660 attendees, was geared towards raising support for the Binghamton Women’s Scholarship Fund.
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.
Elliott among select individuals honored as Athletics Director of the Year
Binghamton Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott has been chosen as a recipient of the Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced on Thursday. Elliott is one of 12 Division I ADs across the country to be recognized.
In all, the award spans seven divisions - the three Division I levels (FBS, FCS and I-AAA), Divisions II and III, NAIA and Junior College. Elliott was one of four acknowledged for their leadership at I-AAA (non-football) institutions. The 28 winners will be recognized during the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon on June 13 at NACDA’s 52nd Annual Convention in Orlando, Fla.
Athletics to hold St. Baldrick’s event for sixth straight year
The Binghamton University athletic department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is excited to announce it will host its annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraiser and head-shaving event. Now in its sixth year, the event is scheduled to take place on the Events Center concourse on Monday, March 20 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-powered charity dedicated to raising money for lifesaving childhood cancer research and funds more in childhood cancer grants than any organization except for the U.S. government. Since the Foundation’s first grants as an independent charity in 2005, St. Baldrick’s has funded more than $200 million to childhood cancer research.