This weekend, the Binghamton University indoor track and field teams split up for meets at Penn State, Colgate and Boston University, with several Bearcats putting forth solid performances.
Erik van Ingen’s performance at the Terrier Invitational at Boston University highlighted the team’s accomplishments. The senior finished the 3,000-meter run in 7:58.72, which not only placed him fourth in a heat that included 103 participants but also set a new school record in the event. University of Maine’s Riley Masters, an All-American, placed second with a time of 7:53.11 while Iona College junior Leonard Korir took first with a time of 7:51.40.
At the Penn State National Open, senior Adam Quinn and sophomore Adam Helman secured No. 4 finishes in their respective competitions. Quinn completed the 5,000-meter run in 14:52.67 while Helman went 4.95 meters in the pole vault. Junior Robb Quiller placed sixth in the pole vault with a mark of 4.80 meters.
The men’s 4X400 meter relay team of seniors Christian Smith, Andy Haupt and Cazal Arnett and sophomore Casey Gilbert finished sixth with a time of 3:15.39.
On the women’s side at Penn State, sophomore Jessica Hennig finished third in her heat and 26th overall with a time of 57.89 seconds in the 400-meter dash. Freshman Camille Ginyard came in sixth with a 3.45 meter pole vault.
Binghamton was a more prominent presence at the Colgate Class of 1932 Invitational, where the Bearcats notched six first-place finishes en route to a men’s victory and a women’s runner-up placing. The men finished 33 points ahead of host Colgate while the women lost to Colgate by 32. SUNY Oneonta finished third in both competitions while Syracuse University, SUNY Cortland and Hamilton College rounded out the competition.
Six Bearcats won individual titles. Sophomore Jacob Platel won the men’s pole vault event. Junior Chris Veney won the men’s long jump with a distance of 6.65 meters. Sophomore Dustin Ross won the men’s 400-meter dash with a time of 50.39. The men’s 60-meter hurdles was won by senior Jesse Fuca with a time of 8.57. In the women’s triple jump, freshman Sara Wickes won with a distance of 11.06 meters. Senior Casey Quaglia won the men’s 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:44.55.
Other notable performances at Colgate included junior Colin Anderson’s career-high 35-pound weight throw of 15.74 meters on the men’s side and junior Abigail Oakes’ 20-pound weight throw of 14.49 meters on the women’s side. The women had 11 top-three finishes, while the men had 14.
Binghamton head coach Mike Thompson, who spent the weekend with the Bearcats at Penn State, is pleased with his teams’ progress.
“I think that they are a little ahead of where they are normally at this time of year,” he said. “It just seems that most people are running a little better and competing a bit better than they usually do at this point.”
The Bearcats will try to continue the trend of progression when they participate in the Collegiate Invitational at the New York City Armory this Friday and Saturday. Competition is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday.