Team/individual accomplishments
Women’s soccer fall schedule released
Binghamton women’s soccer coach Neel Bhattacharjee has locked in his 2018 schedule as the Bearcats look to follow up their successful 11-win campaign last fall. The Bearcats’ 18-game regular season slate includes 10 non-league games followed by the eight-game America East component.
Binghamton opens the fall season at Atlantic 10 member St. Bonaventure on Aug. 17. Two days later, Binghamton will welcome Marist to the Bearcats Sports Complex for the home opener on Aug. 19.
The slate includes five games in August, eight in September and five in October. After working through a tough stretch of seven straight road games last season, Binghamton has a more balanced slate in 2018. The only string of more than two straight away games is a challenging three-games-in-seven-days span that begins with an Aug. 31 test at reigning NEC champion and NCAA participant St. Francis (Pa.) and also includes a Sept. 2 game at A-10 runnerup Duquesne and a Sept. 6 match at MAAC runnerup Manhattan. All three teams had double-digit wins in 2017.
The non-conference schedule also includes in-state foes Army (Aug. 24), Iona (Aug. 26), Cornell (Sept. 9) and LIU (Sept. 16). A home tilt with NEC semifinalist and 11-win team Bryant on Sept. 13 rounds out the early portion of the schedule.
The Bearcats will face teams from five different conferences—three each from the NEC and MAAC, two from the A-10 plus one opponent each from the Ivy and Patriot Leagues.
“We are excited for August to come around and begin our 2018 season,” Bhattacharjee said. “As a program we made significant progress last year and are coming off a productive spring and are now ready to take another step. This fall we have 24 student-athletes that are hungry to compete this fall. We have a strong mix of non-conference opponents that play different styles which should help prepare us for the always demanding America East competition. Many of our non-conference opponents had good runs of postseason play last season and we hope that could prepare us for potential postseason play as well.”
Conference play begins with an away game at Vermont on Sept. 23. When the stakes are raised in October, Binghamton will play three of its final four games at home, concluding with big matchups against its co-champion New Hampshire (Oct. 18) and longtime rival Albany (Oct. 21).
The top six teams advance to the America East tournament, which opens with quarterfinal games on Oct. 25.
Binghamton returns nine starters and 19 letterwinners from its historic 11-4-4 team that recorded the most wins in 13 years.
Men’s soccer fall schedule released
The Binghamton men’s soccer team has announced its 2018 schedule, which begins on Friday, Aug. 24 with a 7:30 p.m. game at Drexel. The Bearcats’ 17-game regular-season slate includes eight home games and four teams that advanced to the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Four days after facing the Dragons, Binghamton hosts Iona at the Bearcats Sports Complex on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. Other non-conference home games are against Cornell (Aug. 31), Colgate (Sept. 14) and Bucknell (Oct. 16). Colgate advanced to the third round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Also on the road, Binghamton has non-conference games at Monmouth (Sept. 4), Lehigh (Sept. 7), Columbia (Sept. 10), George Washington (Sept. 18) and West Virginia (Oct. 2). Columbia advanced to the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
America East play begins on Sept. 22 with a 7 p.m. match against Hartford at the Bearcats Sports Complex. Other home conference matches take place against New Hampshire (Sept. 29), Stony Brook (Oct. 6) and Vermont (Oct. 27).
The match against the Seawolves will be on Homecoming Weekend. In the 11 previous Homecoming matches at the Bearcats Sports Complex, the Bearcats have drawn an average of 2,000 fans.
New Hampshire, meanwhile, advanced to the third round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament while Vermont is the defending America East regular-season champions.
On the road, Binghamton has conference matches at UMass Lowell (Oct. 13), UMBC (Oct. 20) and closes out the regular season at defending conference champion Albany (Oct. 31). The Great Danes advanced to the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament while UMass Lowell was the runner up in the America East Tournament.
This year’s America East Tournament starts with the quarterfinal round on Saturday, Nov. 3. The semifinals take place Nov. 7 followed by the championship game on Nov. 11. The top six teams during the regular season advance to the conference tournament.
Volleyball fall schedule released
The Binghamton volleyball teams released their 2018 schedule on Monday. The 27-game slate includes four preseason tournaments and a trip to Cleveland State to kick off the season.
“We will be on the road quite a bit during the first part of the season, which is normal for us,” said head coach Glenn Kiriyama. “It will be nice to travel outside the region and compete against teams we haven’t played before. The talent level of these teams will be high and the competition tough. The hope is to have the team prepared for conference play as it will be extremely challenging this year as each of the squads will be much improved.”
The Bearcats open their season with three straight tournaments beginning at Cleveland State Aug. 24-25. Binghamton will then travel to Arlington, Texas Aug. 31-Sep. 1 for the UT-Arlington tournament before flying to Wyoming Sep 7-8 for the University of Wyoming Tournament. The Bearcats will then take a break from tournament play when they travel to Loudonville for a single match with Siena on Sep. 11. Binghamton will close out the preseason at the Sacred Heart Hampton Inn Invitational Sep. 14-15.
Binghamton begins conference play on the road at UMBC on Sep. 21 and then will travel to Albany on Sep. 28. The Bearcats’ will host UMass Lowell in the home opener on Oct. 5 and welcome UNH to the West Gym on Oct. 7. After Traveling to Stony Brook (Oct. 12) and Hartford (Oct. 14). Binghamton will return home for two straight AE matchups with UMBC (Oct. 19) and UAlbany (Oct. 28). They will then travel to New Hampshire (Nov. 2) and UMass Lowell (Nov. 4).
Binghamton will close out the regular season at home when they host Hartford on Nov. 9 and Stony Brook on Nov. 11.
The America East tournament will feature the top-four teams in the conference at the conclusion of the season with all matches being hosted by the No. 1 seed. The tournament champion receives automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
Kiriyama enters his 21st season at the helm. He is currently searching for a new assistant coach to replace Valerie Armstrong who recently accepted a head coaching position at MidWestern State University.
The Bearcats return America East Player of the Year, Gaby Alicea and second team all-conference selection Lexi LaGoy as well as Samantha Gioiosa who was named the conference’s all-rookie team.
Swimming & diving schedule released
The Binghamton swimming & diving program released their 2018-19 schedule on Tuesday. The 10-contest slate includes five home meets.
“We’re all excited for another season,” said head coach Brad Smith. We’re coming off a year where we had record achievements in the pool and in the classroom. Our women earned a program-high 3.38 GPA and the men a 3.37 this past spring. Our women had one of the best regular seasons in program history and our men finished second at the America East Championships in their first year back. We are going to take this season one day at a time, focus on the process and have fun. We have outstanding competition throughout that will test us and help us get to where we want to be.”
The Bearcats kick off the season on Sep. 29 with the Green vs. White scrimmage. Binghamton will then host three straight meets at home on Oct. 6, Oct. 20 and Oct. 27 before taking a short break. Binghamton will travel to Canisius on Dec. 1 to finish off the fall season.
Over winter break, the Bearcats will again travel to Florida for their winter break training trip and compete at the FIU Open Sprint Invite (time and date TBD).
Binghamton starts the spring semester slate on Jan. 10 when they travel to Marist. The women will compete at UNH on Jan. 19 and both teams will close out the regular season at home on Feb. 26 when they host St. Bonaventure.
The America East Championships will be held at WPI in Worcester MA Feb. 14-17.
Softball standout Rutherford among nation’s top-20 in hitting
The NCAA has released its final NCAA Division I softball statistics for the 2018 season and graduating senior Jessica Rutherford is ranked No. 19 with a .432 batting average.
This marks the second time in three years that Rutherford has ranked among the top 20 batters in the nation. In 2016, she was No. 18 with a career-best .441 batting average. Rutherford is the only player in Binghamton program history to twice break the .400 mark.
Rutherford, who graduated last month, concluded her career as one of the most accomplished players in Binghamton softball history. She was a three-time NFCA All-Region selection as well as a three-time ECAC All-Star.
After being named second-team all-conference by the America East in 2015, Rutherford was a first-team pick the following three seasons. In addition, she was the 2015 America East Rookie of the Year and was named to the conference’s all-tournament team in 2016 and 2018.
In the Binghamton record books, Rutherford holds two major distinctions. Her 235 hits ranks first all time as does her .391 career batting average.
Track athlete Armstrong secures second All-America honor of year
Senior Keishorea Armstrong concluded her prolific Binghamton career with a 21st-place finish in the women’s long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday evening at Hayward Field. With her performance, Armstrong will be named an honorable mention All-American by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA).
The USTFCCCA will release its list of All-Americans following the NCAA. Finishers 1-8 in each event will earn first-team honors. Second-team accolades will be awarded to places 9-16 while honorable mention distinction will go to places 17-24. Armstrong earned honorable mention All-America status at the 2015 outdoor meet and second-team honors at the outdoor championships this past March.
After fouling her first two attempts during the preliminary round of the long jump on Thursday, Armstrong landed a jump of 19-9 on her third and final attempt. The top nine finishers in the preliminary round advanced to the finals.
This marks the third time that Armstrong has advanced to a NCAA Championship meet. She was 24th in the long jump at the 2015 outdoor championships – earning honorable mention All-America honors in the process. This past March, Armstrong was 13th in the long jump at the indoor championships and received second-team All-America honors.
Armstrong will become just the fourth Binghamton athlete to earn All-America honors at least three times during the program’s 17-year NCAA Division I era. Erik van Ingen was a four-time track & field All-American from 2011-12. Rory Quiller was a three-time All-American from 2007-08 and won the pole vault title at the 2008 indoor championships. Jesse Garn, meanwhile, was a three-time track & field All-American from 2015-16.
Dating back to 2007, Binghamton has had at least one entry at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships seven times.
Armstrong will leave Binghamton as the most accomplished female athlete during Binghamton’s NCAA Division I era. In addition to being an eight-time America East individual champion, she has been the top overall point scorer at a conference championship meet four times. Her biggest individual honor, however, was being named the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Female Field Athlete of the Year during the 2018 indoor campaign.
Wegmann chosen by Seattle in Major League Baseball Draft
Completing a whirlwind few weeks that included his final collegiate start, graduation, and first foray into pro ball, left-handed pitcher Nick Wegmann was chosen by Seattle in the 34th round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on Wednesday. He will depart his current independent-league Washington Wild Things and await assignment by the Mariners.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime and it’s what every little kid dreams of,” Wegmann said after being selected. “I am still in awe of what just happened.”
Wegmann was with the Wild Things readying for their Wednesday night home game in Western Pennsylvania when he got word and had to shift gears, pack and prepare for his new professional team.
“I am so thankful for all the coaches and teammates I had at Binghamton,” he added. “They mean the world to me. I am also thankful for the Seattle Mariners and the opportunity they have given me.”
Wegmann becomes the 14th draft pick to come out of the Bearcats’ program since 1990 and eighth in the last seven years. He is the third BU pitcher to go in the last three years and his selection gives Binghamton at least one MLB draft pick in each of the last five years.
Men’s basketball announces big recruiting class
Binghamton men’s basketball will have a decidedly new look for the 2018-19 season. Seventh-year head coach Tommy Dempsey has finalized his recruiting class and eight newcomers are set to begin their Bearcat careers in the fall.
“With seven graduating seniors leaving the program, this is the first big recruiting class we have had in several years,” Dempsey said. “We have been working as a staff the past two years on this class. We knew how important this class would be to the future of our program and we could not be more excited about this group of young men!”
The class features two Philadelphia-area guards, two international recruits, two 6-foot-8 plus forwards, a graduate school transfer and two walk-ons with ties to the program.
Reporting to campus this summer are freshman Sam Sessoms (Philadelphia, Pa./Shipley HS), freshman Calistus Anyichie (Short Hills, N.J./St. Mary-Assumption HS), freshman Calvin Poulina(Leiden, Netherlands), freshman Michael Besselink (Helsinki, Finland), junior Richard Caldwell (Philadelphia, Pa./Lamar CC, Colo.), graduate forward Chancellor Barnard (Columbia, Md./Loyola Maryland), freshman Carter Stewart (Glenville, N.Y./Mekeel Christian Academy), and freshman Leo Gallagher (Binghamton, N.Y./Seton Catholic).
Track & field locks in recruiting class
The Binghamton track & field program has announced the singing of four high school seniors, all of whom will arrive as freshmen this coming fall.
Maximo Olavarria (New Windsor, N.Y.) is a hurdler from Cornwall High School. His top times are 7.59 in the 55 hurdles and 14.36 in the 110 hurdles. Olavarria won the Section 9 outdoor title in the 110 hurdles.
“Maximo is one of the top sprint hurdlers in New York and has the potential to become one of the best hurdlers in Binghamton school history,” Thompson said. “He should contribute immediately at the conference level and he has the ability to be an IC4A qualifier in the near future as well.”
Dylan DelConte (Rochester, N.Y.) is a pole vaulter from Gates Chili High School. His top performance in that event is 15-7. Delconte won the Section 5 outdoor title and was seventh in both the 2018 New York State indoor and outdoor championships.
“Dylan is one of the top high school vaulters in New York and has the potential to become an exceptional vaulter in the future,” Thompson said. “I believe he has the talent necessary to qualify for the NCAA Regional meet and could possibly go even further before his college career is complete.”
On the women’s side, Madison Krochina (Stillwater, N.Y.) is a thrower from Stillwater High School. Her top distances are 130-7 in the discus, 38-8 ¼ in the shotput and 46-0 ½ in the 20# weight throw. Krochina was third in discus at the recent New York State outdoor meet and seventh in the weight throw at the preceding state indoor meet. She was also the Section 2 outdoor champion in the shot put.
“Madison is a strong all-around thrower who will make an immediate impact for us at the conference level.” Thompson said. “Her best event is the discus but she has the potential to excel in the shot put and weight/hammer as well.”
Juliana Tobin (Westtown, N.Y.) is a thrower from Minisink Valley High School. Her top distances are 125-5 in the hammer and 45-8 in the 20# weight throw. Tobin was third in the hammer at the Section 9 meet.
“Juliana is primarily a weight and hammer thrower who will likely focus on those events at the college level,” Thompson said. “She has the potential to contribute at the conference level in the near future.”
Women’s lacrosse pair selected to all-star game
Jacqueline Kennedy and Brianne Arthur of the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team has been selected to play in the 77th Annual USILA/Nike North-South Senior All-Star game on Saturday, June 2. The Division I contest will be played at 11:30 am at Tierney Field at U.S. Lacrosse Headquarters.
“The North-South All-Star game is such an honor and great representation of these two player’s careers, ” head coach Stephanie Allen said. “The ability to step out on the field one more time together in a venue that showcases the best is so rewarding. I am so proud of Jac and Bri for all the hard work they’ve put into their game and the passion they’ve brought daily. We congratulate them on this recognition and wish them the best in the game.”
Kennedy, a first-team all-conference selection, finished the season ranked first in the America East with 3.00 caused turnovers per game, and held the number one spot in the nation earlier in the season with 3.34. She broke the single season and career record for caused turnovers, and led the team with 48 on the season. In her career, she recorded 77. Kennedy also led the team with 49 ground balls this season. Kennedy finished her career with 70 goals and 24 assists for 94 points.
Arthur, a second-team all-conference selection, lead the charge for the Bearcats this season with a single season record of 45 goals, 15 of which were scored from the 8-meter. She finished the season ranked sixth in the conference with 2.63 goals per game and tenth with 2.88 goals per game, and left among the program’s all-time top-5 in goals, assists and points.
Men’s lacrosse standout selected to all-star game
Stephen Petrelli of the Binghamton men’s lacrosse team has been selected to play in the 77th Annual USILA/Nike North-South Senior All-Star Game on Friday, May 25. The Division I-II contest will be played at 7:30 p.m. at Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium.
“We are very excited for Stephen to earn the honor of playing in the prestigious North-South all star game,” said head coach Kevin McKeown. “It is great that coaches across the country took notice of the impact that he had in his four years in our program.”
The North-South game is one of the most storied traditions in college lacrosse in which the highest caliber seniors from across the country are showcased on the same field. The contest kicks off a Memorial-Day weekend filled with lacrosse in New England as the 2018 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Semi-finals and Championships will be held 25 north of Providence at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Petrelli appeared in 47 career games for the Bearcats. He netted 19 goals in 2018 to increase his career total to 36. As a team captain, he recorded 25 points on the season and picked up 18 ground balls.
Wrestler DePrez wins Junior World Trials title
Lou DePrez of the Binghamton wrestling team earned a spot on the Junior World Team at 86 kg after taking straight matches from Kordell Norfleet at the World Team Trials this afternoon. As the first Binghamton wrestler to make the Junior freestyle team in program history, DePrez will get the chance to represent Team USA September 18-23 in Trnava, Slovakia.
“I’m very proud of Lou and the example he has set for our program,” head coach Kyle Borshoff said. “These past few months he has proved that you can compete and win at the highest level of the sport with Binghamton wrestling. Junior national champion to world team trials champion, Lou has earned his spot to compete for Team USA at the Junior World Championships this fall.”
In the best of three world team trial competition, DePrez took straight matches, 6-2 and 6-0, respectively, to earn his spot on the Junior World Team. In his two matches, the native of Hilton, N.Y. only allowed Norfleet two points to DePrez’s 12, earning five takedowns en route to his victories.
In his first match of the day, DePrez scored on a takedown early in the first period to take a 2-0 lead. Two step-out points against Norfleet quickly made the score 4-0, before a final takedown in the second sealed DePrez’s first victory of the day. In the payoff match of the afternoon, DePrez scored twice on the reattack combined with a two-point step out for finishing the takedown as Norfleet stepped out of the circle. The true freshman took the 6-0 win and the world team trial trophy at 86 KG to earn his chance to represent the Junior USA Freestyle team.
The United World Wrestling Junior World Championships will be held September 18-23 in Trnava, Slovakia.
Wrestling welcomes new assistant coach
Head coach Kyle Borshoff has officially announced the addition of Fred Garcia to the Binghamton wrestling coaching staff. Garcia will join the Bearcats as assistant coach for the 2018-19 season.
“I am excited to add Fred to our staff,” Borshoff said. “Everyone that knows him, or has worked with him, speaks highly of him as a coach, a competitor and a person. He complements our staff well and will be an integral part of helping our wrestlers develop, especially at the upper weights. He brings a unique perspective to the program through his own experiences and successes in the sport of wrestling. I look forward to seeing Fred have an immediate impact on the growth of the Bearcat wrestling program.”
Garcia comes from three years of prior experience coaching at Cleveland State. After serving as a graduate assistant his first two seasons with the Vikings, he remained on staff in 2017-18 as an assistant coach.
Undergoing a youth movement in his last two seasons, he helped a particularly young Vikings team come into their own on the mats. With Garcia’s assistance, the Vikings had an at-large bid to the 2017 NCAA Championships in Nick Corba, who went on to claim two bonus-point victories on the national stage; a feat that hasn’t been accomplished at Cleveland state since 1995.
In his first season at CSU, Garcia helped a pair of wrestlers to NCAA Championship berths. Both Riley Shaw and Sam Wheeler reached the round of 16 at NCAA’s as each hit the 30-win mark for the year. Shaw won the Eastern Wrestling League title in his classification while the Vikings went 4-2 in EWL dual action.
Garcia, a graduate of fellow Eastern Wrestling League member Lock Haven, completed a stellar wrestling career that included over 100 career wins and three trips to the NCAA Division I National Championships. A Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Champion and three-time EWL runner-up, Garcia is also a counselor and clinician for the Rob Wallers All-American Wrestling Camp, working camps throughout several wrestling hotbeds in the U.S. over the past six years.
Garcia is a native of Donora, PA, where he was an all-conference athlete in both wrestling and baseball at Ringgold High School.
Softball puts six on all-conference team
Senior outfielder Jessica Rutherford, sophomore first baseman Kassidy Seary and sophomore designated player Rozlyn Price earned first-team all-conference honors as the America East announced its 2018 all-conference softball teams on Tuesday night. In addition, senior third baseman Kate Richard was named to the second team while freshman shortstop Mikayla Alvarez and freshman pitcher Chelsea Howard were both chosen to the All-Rookie Team.
With three first-team selections, Binghamton tied UMass Lowell for first among the conference schools. The Bearcats were also one of only three schools to post multiple All-Rookie selections (with UMass Lowell and Albany being the others).
Rutherford, who ranks No. 25 in the nation with a .426 batting average, earned first-team honors for the third year in a row. She is just the fourth Binghamton player to earn first-team honors three times during their career, joining Sydney Harbaugh (2013-16), Jessica Chellis (2002-04) and Lisa Cadogan (2013-15). In her freshman year (2015), Rutherford was a second-team selection as well as the America East Rookie of the Year.
Softball hosts America East tournament for second straight year
Story lines:
- Binghamton (16-23) is the host school for the America East Tournament for the third year in a row. The Bearcats are the No. 5 seed and begin play with a first-round game against No. 4 Maine on Wednesday at 11 a.m. The winner will face No. 1 Albany on Thursday at 11 a.m. The tournament once again has a double-elimination format.
- Heading into the America East Tournament, Binghamton has won five of its past seven games. The Bearcats took two of three games at Maine April 28-29 and swept a three-game series against Hartford this past weekend.
- The Bearcats are making their seventh appearance in the America East Tournament, having last won the event in 2015. They are 9-11 all time, having also recorded third-place finishes in the other six years.
- Leading the Bearcats is senior outfielder Jessica Rutherford. She is ranked No. 25 in the nation in batting (.426) and leads the conference with 58 hits and 30 runs. Senior third baseman Kate Richard is batting .310, is tied for third in the conference with seven home runs and is second with 32 RBI.
Women’s lacrosse concludes historic season
In its first-ever America East Tournament game, the Binghamton women’s lacrosse team (8-9) put up a valiant effort before losing 16-10 to Albany (9-8) in a conference semifinal game on Friday evening at LaValle Stadium. The Bearcats overcame an early-four goal deficit but the Great Danes pulled away with a 9-2 run in the final 24 minutes of regulation.
Three Binghamton players finished with three goals—senior midfielder Jacqueline Kennedy as well as senior attackers Brianne Arthur and Tiffany Ryan. The Bearcat trio was part of an 11-member senior class taking part in its final collegiate game.
Eight women’s lacrosse players named all-conference
Eight women’s lacrosse players were selected to America East conference teams, announced Thursday night at the America East tournament banquet. Senior Jacqueline Kennedy was named to first team all-conference for the first time in her career, while four Bearcats were named second-team all-conference. Senior Brianne Arthur, junior Rebecca Golderman, senior Miriam Ghabarou and sophomore Taylor Passuello take up those four spots. Freshman Paige Volkmann was named to the America East All Rookie team and senior Jocelyn Penteck was named to the America East All Academic team.
Adding to the year of firsts, the eight Bearcats honored at tonight’s banquet marks the most all-conference selections the Binghamton women’s lacrosse program has had since its birth. Binghamton had five all conference selections in 2016, the second most in program history.
Swimming & diving adds assistant coach
The Binghamton swimming & diving program has added a new member to its coaching staff. Head Coach Brad Smith has announced the hiring of Matthew Martinez, who previously coached at the University of Notre Dame.
“We are excited for Matt to join the staff,” said head coach Brad Smith. “His experience, enthusiasm, and passion for the sport and coaching will help us continue to expand our achievements as a program in the pool and classroom.”
Martinez comes to Binghamton after spending one season with the University of Notre Dame swimming & diving program. He served as a volunteer assistant for the Fighting Irish and primarily worked with the speed and distance groups. He also had a hand in recruiting. Martinez has spent time coaching with the United State Air Force Academy Swim Camp and United States National Team/Swim MAC Elite as well.
He earned his undergraduate degree from Arizona State and his masters from Saint Louis University. While at Saint Louis, he served as a graduate assistant for the swimming & diving team.
Men’s tennis standout named all-conference
Binghamton sophomore men’s tennis player Kushaan Nath has been selected to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) all-conference team, the league announced Wednesday.
Nath was named Second Team All-MAC—one of 12 players chosen across the six-team conference. He now has earned all-conference honors in each of his first two collegiate seasons.
“Kushaan has been the most consistent, fire-filled competitor from the coin toss to the handshake that I have ever worked with,” head coach Nick Zieziula said. “He had a slow start to the year but gradually found his legs and results as the season went. He knows what he needs to do moving forward to avoid the slow start next year and if he sticks with his plan there is no telling how far he can go next year. We had a disappointing year from a results standpoint but one of the big bright spots was Kushaan and Tiago (Lourenco) at No. 1 doubles. They were 5-1 in conference play against a tough field at No. 1 and they both return next year, which we are looking forward to.”
Nath won 13 singles matches and 14 doubles matches - and his combined 27 wins were the most of any Bearcat.
Golfer finishes top-10 at conference championship
Freshman Justin Lane finished 10th overall, highlighting Binghamton’s finish at the Big Sky Championships. He was the top rookie finisher at the three-day event, which concluded on Sunday at the Boulder Creek Golf Course.
In the team standings, Binghamton placed sixth out of the eight competing teams. The Bearcats finished strong on Sunday, shooting a collective one-under par (the fourth-lowest team total of the day).
Lane’s three-day score was 70-76-72=218. He started out the tournament in third place through one round and after a rough round on Saturday, shot an even-round 72 on Sunday.
“Justin had a solid tournament,” Herceg said. “He came back from yesterday’s tough round and played well today.”
Lane finish is the second-highest by a Binghamton golfer at the Big Sky Championships since it joined the conference in 2015. Kyle Wambold was seventh two years ago.
In addition, Lane also recorded the first top-10 finish of his career. He had a pair of back-to-back 11th-place finishes earlier in the spring season.
Sophomore Ryan Rodriguez and junior Zak Ottman finished in a tie for 12th place with a three-day total of 221. Ottman shot a final round 69/three-under par in the process. His 69 was the best round by a Binghamton golfer during the tournament.
Ottman’s finish is his highest in his three appearances at the Big Sky Championships. Rodriguez, meanwhile, transferred from St. Peter’s this past fall.
This also marks the first time in Binghamton’s four years in the Big Sky Conference that they have placed three golfers among the top 15 finishers at the championship tournament.
“With the experience some of our young guys gained this weekend and a solid class coming in next fall, we are really looking forward to the future,” Herceg said.
Northern Colorado won the team championship while its top golfer, Andrew Romano, won the individual title in a playoff Southern Utah’s Fidel Concepcion. Both of them had a 72-hole score of 208.
There were 40 finishers in the Big Sky Championships.