Last year, Binghamton University’s men’s indoor track and field team placed second — their best finish ever — in the America East Championships, a nice improvement from their admirable finish of third the year before. This year, the Bearcats will look forward to improving from their finish a year ago at the conference championships at Boston University.
“Last year we came in second because everyone stepped up. We could have easily been fourth,“ said Binghamton head coach Mike Thompson. “This year, we have more depth and guys want to win. We have the attitude, so how we do may depend on injuries and Albany since they are very talented.”
The Bearcats are led by returning seniors Justin Hidalgo and Joanel Lopez in the throwing events. Participating in the weight throw at the indoor conference championships last year, Hidalgo finished in sixth, while at the America East outdoor championship meet, Lopez claimed second in the shot put. As the season gets underway, great things are expected from this duo, as excelling at a high level is nothing new to them.
“They are both doing well. Joanel can score in the 35-pound weight. Justin is primarily a weight thrower, but he is working on shot put and might be able to sneak in,” Thompson said.
Binghamton also displays a fine group of sprinters, most notably sophomore Cazal Arnett. Arnett has been named Rookie of the Year for the indoor and outdoor seasons, and he has already won three individual conference titles, highlighting his elite status with two more years still to go. Senior Jimmy Massar has made the conference finals in the 400 meters outdoors, while in the outdoor 100 meters seniors Dan Walker and Geoff Campbell reached the finals not too long ago. With the depth and talent this team has, lofty goals should be in sight.
Thompson agreed with that notion, saying, “We want everyone to perform up to their capabilities. If they do that and finish fourth, there’s nothing you can do, so I don’t base it on second or third, I base it on the people we have.”
Meanwhile, the women’s team looks ahead to the season in hopes of forgetting their frustrating season a year ago. That should be easy to do, as the Bearcats have several bright freshmen who are excited to turn things around.
“They are very easy to work with. They come to practice every day and do what they are asked. They have a good attitude as a whole, but they have to step up from high school to make a difference in our conference. They can’t be satisfied with how they did in high school and they know that,” Thompson, head coach of the women’s team as well, said.
The important players to watch will be the sprinters, senior Kim Williams and junior Jasmine Hinson. Williams earned the nod for the most outstanding female track athlete, but then an injury during the indoor season was possibly why she finished as runner-up in the 200 meters during the outdoor season. Hinson has reached the finals in the 100 and 200 meters at the outdoor meet as well.
The Bearcats also have potential in the distance events. At the outdoor championship meet, sophomore Ashley Horton came in eighth in the 5,000 meters and reached sixth in the steeplechase. Sophomores Shannon Finnegan and Kim Law, in addition to senior Jamie Schulte, all return and will give Binghamton the boost they need. However, many runners are not returning for the Bearcats and Thompson notes that it is a toss-up as to how they will perform this season.
“We lost a lot of people to graduation. We need to see our players compete and see how the upperclassmen do,” he said. “I hope we finish in fifth or better because that would be right at the middle. Fourth would be really well, and so I hope we overachieve.”
The Bearcats will begin their season tomorrow, as both the men’s and women’s teams will travel to Cornell University for the Cornell Relays.