You don’t have to be on a team roster to play a role in Binghamton University athletics. Sometimes, you don’t even have to leave your dorm room. There are many opportunities for students to participate in free events that can be fun, supportive of our beloved sports teams and helpful to your career aspirations.
The first big event in the fall will be the annual homecoming celebration in October. And if you think that a homecoming weekend without a football team is strange or even impossible, think again.
“[First], we have the big tailgate which is going to be Oct. 3,” said Senior Associate Director of Athletics Jason Siegel. “Then we’re going to play Rhode Island in our homecoming soccer game, and then fireworks after the game like we did last year, so that’ll be our big thing for [that] Saturday. That game sold out last year, so we expect another big draw for the homecoming game.”
Soccer games, as well as every other sporting event for any of the 19 Division I teams at Binghamton, are free for undergraduate students to attend.
The athletic administration expects the events planned for this year’s men’s basketball games to exceed the success of previous ones. Late Nite Madness is an event in which the students are introduced to both basketball teams and can participate in a variety of fun events throughout the night at the Events Center. It’s the only opportunity for students to see the basketball teams in action before the regular season begins.
“[Late Nite] Madness is going to be Friday, Oct. 16. That’s a joint effort with Late Nite on campus, the [Student Association] and the Alumni Association,” Siegel said. “We’ll introduce both the men’s and women’s teams, we’ll have some surprises like we do every year. We bring in groups to perform, so that’ll be exciting.”
“Our attendance seems to grow each year for Madness,” Siegel said. “[Last year] we did a Winter Madness when students came back. We’re going to try to do that again this year with the Alumni Association … the first Saturday game when students are back in session in January, so each year it seems to grow and get better.”
The festivities don’t stop after Late Nite Madness. The ceremonies continue with the season opener.
“One of the big events will be opening night for men’s basketball,” Siegel said. “We’ll raise a NCAA banner and we’ll raise the America East championship banner.”
Both banners will be the first ever hung for the men’s basketball team at the Events Center. Last year’s team featured conference-leading scorer junior D.J. Rivera, who averaged 20.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. The roster had only two graduating seniors, so the majority of the Bearcats’ role players will be returning for next season.
“I certainly hope we have the same success,” said Binghamton Director of Athletics Dr. Joel Thirer. “I think the team has the potential to be better this year than last year. We got a lot of respect in the league, and we’re going to do our very best to stay where we are and continue to get better.”
Getting involved with the Bearcats does not stop at just being part of the game. Binghamton students can get the opportunity to further their career goals through internships in the athletic department.
“We offer internships in marketing and external services,” Siegel said. “Any interested students can apply in February. We’ll be at both job fairs, we’ll post with the [Career Development Center] and our internships last an entire year.”
Don’t feel like leaving your dorm room to go to a game? Watch it right on TV. The University has a channel that will broadcast the majority of the men’s basketball games as well as a few soccer games, lacrosse games and some others. Last year, the men’s basketball showdown against UMBC during the America East championship finals at the Events Center was nationally televised on ESPN2, while the team’s NCAA tournament game against Duke was regionally broadcast on CBS.
Overall, Siegel is thrilled about the student participation in athletics. “You can see the excitement and passion that the students and faculty and community have for the game,” he said. “All of the games are free with undergraduate student ID; [students] can go to soccer and lacrosse and basketball, men’s and women’s, for free. We can’t wait to have the students back in session and start playing. Soccer obviously is first, and once basketball season rolls around, it really ramps up. There’s a lot of ways to get involved, and obviously with last year’s attendance and the number of students that came out, waited in line, camped out for tickets, we’re looking forward to a bigger and better year.”
After a great year for Binghamton athletics, Thirer explained that he still has the same goal for the upcoming year that he did for last year.
“My goal, long term, is to win every championship in every sport,” he said. “We’re certainly going to do our very best to do that. Our athletes, our coaches and our entire staff are committed to that process.”
But just how great was the overall success for the Binghamton Bearcats last year? How do three NCAA tournament berths sound? What about an All-American wrestler? Three America East Conference Coaches of the Year? Two AE Rookies of the Year? One AE Player of the Year? Three conference championships?
One thing that players always appreciate is fan support and participation. All of the student-athletes love to see fans in the stands for their games. The motivation provided by a roaring crowd can be a tremendous boost to the players on the field and the fans feel as if they are part of something significant.
“Our [athletes] are students just like you and they really appreciate your support,” Thirer said. “So be a Bearcat, come to our games, root on your fellow students, have a lot of fun and be a part of what campus life and collegiate athletics are all about.”