Former graduate student Keishorea Armstrong finished her illustrious Binghamton track and field career with a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on June 7 to participate in the women’s long jump event. Following fouls on her first two attempts, Armstrong tallied a jump of 19-9 on her third attempt to finish in 21st place.
Armstrong’s 21st-place finish was enough to earn her the honor of All-American honorable mention. This is the third time in Armstrong’s career that she earned All-American honors, having taken home an honorable mention in 2015 and a second-team All-American honor this past March.
Although Armstrong won the All-American accolade, only the top nine finishers advanced past the preliminary round of the women’s long jump event. Taking home the title in the end was senior Keturah Orji of the University of Georgia, who logged a jump of 21-10 ¾ inches.
The All-American honorable mention that Armstrong earned this year makes her the fourth member of the Bearcats track and field team to earn All-American honors three times in their Binghamton careers. She joins the ranks of Erik van Ingen, Rory Quiller and Jesse Garn in earning that distinction.
Armstrong kicked off her Binghamton career in the 2013-2014 school year when she came to the school as a freshman. Her tenure began with an auspicious start when she won the triple jump at the America East (AE) Indoor Championships, her first of many AE titles.
As her career at Binghamton continued, Armstrong emerged as one of the leaders of the track and field team as she continued to win championships. Her success translated to both indoor and outdoor meets, doing especially well with the long jump and triple jump, but participating in other events as well.
As her fifth year as a Bearcat comes to a close, Armstrong leaves the school as one of the most decorated athletes in Binghamton athletics history. Armstrong wraps up her career with a total of eight AE titles. She was the highest scorer at an AE championship four times total, and she was named the Northeast Region Female Field Athlete of the Year for 2018 by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association.
Armstrong’s appearance in the NCAA outdoor championship was not just successful for her, but also continued a streak for Binghamton, which has now sent at least one athlete to the championship seven times since 2007. Three of those trips belong to Armstrong alone, where she won each of her All-American awards. With all of her accomplishments and her lasting effect on the Binghamton track and field program, it is widely considered that Armstrong will leave Binghamton as one of the most impactful and impressive athletes in the history of the program.