Wednesday, May 23, 2012 73° - Binghamton, NY

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With 2 years left, van Ingen shines

As the Binghamton University track and field teams conclude their seasons next month, they have very little to be upset about with the way they have performed thus far. Senior Joanel Lopez and sophomore Cazal Arnett have been phenomenal this season, but the performance of sophomore transfer Eric van Ingen should not go unnoticed, as he poses a true threat to his competitors.

Van Ingen’s top performances in his freshman season include finishing fourth in the 1,500 meter with a time of 3:51.40 and placing sixth in the 800 with a time of 1:53.97. While these were respectable efforts, this has been van Ingen’s breakout season as he has destroyed his own previous performances and some school records.

Beginning with the Great Dane Classic in late January, van Ingen competed in the men’s distance medley race along with teammates Chris Gaube, a junior, and freshmen Michael Schieck and Jesse McCormick. The quartet notched a first-place finish and won by 12 seconds, proving the importance of each person. The team also shattered a school record by 18 seconds at the Penn State National Open.

Individually, van Ingen achieved sixth in the 800 with a time of 1:51.89, a new school record, at the Penn State Open, edging out Frank Savinon’s old record of 1:53.08. He also qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships at the Collegiate Invitational in February by achieving a time of 4:02.39 in the mile, destroying the old school record by 14 seconds in the process. The next meet for van Ingen was the America East championship, where he once again met the qualifying standard with a second-place time of 4:03.26 in the mile. Additionally, he broke his own mile time at the Notre Dame Invitational and won the 1,500 at the Princeton Invitational, meeting the qualifying standard yet again.

Competing alone or with a teammate, what van Ingen has accomplished this season has been nothing short of remarkable. He still has two years to go, and I believe that he will continue to excel and show everyone that he is a force to be reckoned with. The hard work and dedication he gives to the sport is great to see from a young talent with enormous potential.

The sky is the limit for this kid and as the season winds down, I expect to see great things from him in the future.

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