The Binghamton track and field teams competed at the Bucknell Outdoor Challenge over the weekend and despite no team scoring, the Bearcats recorded eight podium finishes and two program records were set.

“I though the meet went well overall,” said Binghamton head coach Mike Thompson. “There were a lot of solid performances across the throwers, sprinters, hurdlers [and] jumpers. It was a solid meet.”

The highlights of the weekend for the Bearcats included performances from senior Jenna Chan and redshirt freshman Brian Luciano. Chan won the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.66, setting a new school record. Redshirt freshman Brian Luciano took second place in the hammer throw with a distance of 208-1, setting not just a new freshman record but a Binghamton program record as well.

“Overall, [Luciano] was the highlight for sure,” Thompson said. “It was a huge throw for him and [for Chan], that was a great run for her as well, especially this early in the season. So those two were probably the top performances.”

On the men’s side, other top performers at the meet included senior Marcus Johnson, who placed second in the 400 hurdles, clocking in a time of 52.34. In addition, junior Joey Cardascia captured third place in the 400m race, finishing in 47.64. Lastly, in the 3000 steeplechase event, graduate student Marty Dolan finished in a time of 9:20.54, good enough for seventh place.

“Marcus was running really well,” Thompson said. “He’s very close to the school record in the four hurdles, and I know he wants to get that. So he was he was actually a little disappointed that he didn’t get the record, even though it was his personal best time. But yeah, he’s running fantastic. When he came [to Binghamton] he was kind of a 400 hurdler first, but he ended up being a better jumper in the short term, but now the 400 hurdles is really sharp and quick for him. So it’s nice to see that happening.”

On the women’s side, Binghamton recorded four second-place finishes. Junior Lucciana Robertson earned silver in the high jump with a leap of 5-5.75. Additionally, the 4×100 relay team of graduate students Gabby Hyatt and Sophia Morone along with sophomore Angie Mesa-Espinosa, and freshman Tatum Norris earned second place with a time of 46.48. Junior Hillary Abankwa was the runner-up in the 400m and senior Gianna Hoose placed second in the hammer throw with a distance of 165-11.

“It was a good day for [Robertson],” Thompson said. “It wasn’t probably what she wanted. But it was just another solid meet. She’s been very consistent this entire year. I also know that she wants to not only be consistent but hit a big jump so I told her ‘when you’re consistent that’s when the big jumps come.’ It’s a testament to how good she is that she can have an average day and still finish second. [Hoose] has been consistent this year. It’s great to see that and that was [Abankwa’s] personal best time. That’s the fastest she’s ever run. So she was very excited to get that time.”

Thompson believes that consistency is ultimately key as the team continues to prepare for the AE conference meet coming up in just a few weeks.

“We’re preparing for the [AE] meet,” Thompson said. “We’re only we’re taking a very small group in Virginia next week, and most of the team is going to Bucknell for a smaller meet. The meet in Virginia, we’re hoping that a few people can get some regional qualifying mark … Then everyone else is going Bucknell. It’s also looking for personal bests and big performances, but we’re just preparing for the conference meet in a few weeks, just continuing to improve and sharpen up as we get closer to that meet.”

Next weekend, Binghamton will send a small group to the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, Virginia while the rest of the Bearcats will head back to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to compete at Bucknell Team Challenge. First event for both meets will start at 10 a.m.