Off the back of a historic 2023 season that was headlined by the program’s first-ever America East conference championship, the Binghamton women’s cross country team shows no signs of slowing down in 2024.
It was no secret in the AE last year that Binghamton’s Sophia Ryan was one of the strongest performers on the course. Ryan was often the leading performer for the Bearcat women at meets no matter the field, including netting a 29th place finish in a field of 393 runners at the Lehigh Paul Short Run by clocking in a 21:04.5. Coming into Maine for the conference meet, it was easy to chalk Ryan as an all-conference shoo-in — yet, Ryan proved to be just one part of what would become the biggest day in program history.
As the team crossed the line, it became clear immediately that they had accomplished something special. Ryan secured fourth place with a 17:46.00 and was joined by junior Sydney Leitner in seventh and sophomore Brynn Hogan in 13th, who put in the best meet time of her Binghamton career, in receiving all-conference honors. Hogan represented the overall theme of the meet for BU, with each runner punching in their best possible times to propel the squad to the top of the leaderboards. These efforts were rewarded with the program’s first-ever conference championship and AE women’s coaching staff of the year honors for Binghamton head coach Annette Acuff.
With Ryan now graduated, Acuff’s 25th year at BU will be defined by leaning on the remaining runners who took her program to new heights last year. Headlining this year’s roster is Leitner, who after a down year where injuries threw her out of rhythm will look to tap back into the pacesetting speed she displayed during her freshman season. Also returning is Hogan, who could emerge as one of the AE’s most capable runners if she can maintain her success from the conference meet. Retaining most of last year’s core, the team has shed its underdog status and is instead the frontrunner in the AE for 2024.
BU will kick off this season at the Colgate/Harry Lang Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 31. First race is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Harry H. Lang Cross Country Course in Hamilton, New York.