The Binghamton University track and field teams set multiple records at the ECAC/IC4A Indoor Championships in Boston over the weekend, while two Bearcats were also honored with awards by the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Monday.
Two weeks ago at the America East meet, the 4×400 relay team of seniors Cazal Arnett, Christian Smith and Andy Haupt and sophomore Casey Gilbert set a school record with a time of 3:11.58. In Saturday’s preliminaries for the same event, they broke that record and posted a new time of 3:10.44. The group finished fourth overall in the event at 3:11.30.
Senior Adam Quinn also broke a Bearcat school record in the 5,000 with a time of 14:23.34. Current teammate and sophomore Jeff Martinez previously held the record of 14:26.58, which he set last year. Quinn placed eighth on Sunday after he finished fifth in the same event at the aforementioned America East meet.
Other notable men’s performances included ones from senior Casey Quaglia, who placed third in the mile with a time of 4:05.90, and sophomore Adam Helman, who finished eighth in the pole vault.
As for the women, sophomore Jenna Marrione placed fifth in the pole vault.
On Monday the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its Region Athletes and Coaches of the Year for the 2011 season. Notable Binghamton recipients include Annette Acuff, who was awarded Men’s Assistant Coach of the Year and senior Erik van Ingen, who was named Men’s Track Athlete of the Year in the Northeast region.
Acuff has been coaching Bearcat distance athletes for 11 years and this season led the squad to a second-place finish at the AE Conference Championships. Binghamton’s coaching staff was named the 2011 America East Staff of the Year for its success.
Van Ingen, also a recipient of the America East Conference Most Outstanding Track Performer, set new school records in four different events this year including those in the 1,000-, 3,000- and 5,000-meter events. He also broke his own record in the mile from last year with a time of 3:57.11, which currently ranks fifth in the country.
He will be among the athletes competing at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships, which are set to kick off this weekend in College Station, Texas. His time of 3:57.11 time in the mile at the Boston University Valentine’s Meet on Feb. 12 earned him an automatic invite to the tournament.
Action is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Friday at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium and is scheduled to continue at noon on Saturday.