Led by a strong performance from the graduating seniors, Binghamton came away with an impressive showing at this weekend’s America East Track and Field Championships in New Hampshire. The men’s team finished a program-best third out of nine schools, while the women came in fifth place.
The Bearcats started strong on day one, with seniors Paddy Hennessy and Adam Goldberg notching first-place finishes for the men, while Jamie Stitt recorded a first-place mark for the women’s team.
Hennessy’s first-place distance of 188-11 in the hammer event set a new school record, and qualified him for the NCAA Regional and IC4A Championships.
Also for the men, junior Rory Quiller finished second in the pole vault and senior Luke Shafer came in second in the high jump. Justin Halleck placed third in the hammer. On the women’s side, sophomore Katie Wilmer and freshman Katie Radzik both notched third-place finishes.
Day one ended with the men in third place and the women in fifth — positions in the standings that they would not relinquish. On the second day, the Bearcats managed only one first-place finish, with sophomore Aja Phipps winning the high jump, but consistently high scores kept Binghamton high in the rankings.
Overall, the women’s team was strong in many events. Sophomore Dayna Johnson finished second in the heptathlon and third in the triple jump, which qualified her for the ECACs. Keisha Short placed second in the 400m, and freshman Kim Williams finished second in the 200m and third in the 100m. Williams’ second-place finish was a school record and qualified her for the ECACs as well.
For the men, Quiller, senior Nick Tillman and senior Hasani Hampden managed second-place finishes, with Quiller and Hampden qualifying for the IC4As. The team of Hampden, Goldberg, senior Joe Flucus and freshman Jimmy Massar came in second in the 400m relay, while junior Kevin Hall finished third in the shotput with a distance of 51-3, improving on his own school record.
Athletes who qualified for the ECAC and IC4A Championships will compete this weekend at Princeton. The NCAA East Regional will begin on May 26.