Three seconds remained, and all that was left was a ‘Spring Fling.’

At the end of Saturday’s dramatic win against Albany, senior defender Tom Wilmot cradled the ball with mere moments left on the clock. The referee blew his whistle and Wilmot launched a celebratory ‘pass’ into the clouds near midfield.

As the celebration ensued, the ball landed innocently on the battleground the Bearcats had finally defended.

It was the first game Wilmot’s Bearcats had played on the East Gym Complex with class in session all season long and, ironically, it would be the last lacrosse contest ever played there, as a new facility will be built for the fall of 2007.

And what a send-off it was.

See, three years ago, two Albany freshmen named Merrick Thomson and Frank Resetaritis celebrated wildly on that very field after toppling the top-seeded Bearcats, 10-4, in the America East Championship game. Thomson had three goals that day; Resetaritis had two assists.

Flash-forward three years. Thomson and Resetaritis have grown into one of the most dangerous scoring duos in the country. Their Great Danes have spent almost the entire season nationally-ranked, sitting as high as No. 2.

Albany’s been the front-runner all year long. They were undefeated, including five wins over ranked teams, until a tight 17-13 loss at No. 16 Syracuse last week, and came into this game having already clinched the AE’s top seed.

Binghamton, on the other hand, has had tough luck all year long. A 4-2 loss to No. 20 Drexel. A 10-7 loss at No. 3 Virginia. Most recently, an 11-10, heart-breaking double-OT loss at No. 14 UMBC. Our lacrosse team is really, really good.

But still, they hadn’t won the big one. At 0-3 against ranked opponents, their record was not indicative of what they knew they were capable of doing. This was the one they wanted more than anything, to prove that they belonged, that they were not ‘just Binghamton,’ but rather, ‘Binghamton.’

And on Saturday, they proved all the doubters, myself included, wrong.

This wasn’t a game won by luck. This wasn’t a game decided by the referees. No, this was a game decided by heart, by guts. This was not a game for the weak-stomached.

The teams pounded on each other for 59 minutes and 57 seconds, and when the referee’s whistle stopped play one last time with just three seconds remaining, the better team controlled the ball.

Lacrosse playoffs don’t begin until Thursday, but this moment was one for the ages, right alongside recent championships won by men’s soccer, men’s tennis and volleyball. For Wilmot, and the rest of BU’s seniors, this win provided sweet revenge against the most bitter of rivals.

The campus-wide celebration in the Peace Quad was pretty cool, but Saturday afternoon’s REAL ‘Spring Fling’ was what Binghamton athletics is all about.