The Binghamton University outdoor track and field team kicked off its season with flair over spring break as many of the athletes placed in the top five in their events.

The Bearcats first took part in the Sam Howell Invitational hosted by Princeton on April 3 and 4. Although there was no team scoring, there were impressive showings from both the men and women teams. Senior Joanel Lopez placed second in the shot put with a mark of 51-7, while freshman Nelson Hall reached fifth in the high jump with a score of 6-2.75.

The notables on the women’s side included freshman Michelle Eberhart, who tallied 37-5.25 and a first place finish in the triple jump, easily beating out runner-up Bianca Williams from Princeton. Sophomore Nandi Dozier-Lewis also participated in the triple jump and totaled 36-00.75, while junior Caitlin Wright recorded a time of 1:04.79 in the 400 hurdles and a fourth place finish.

Binghamton head coach Mike Thompson liked the efforts from both teams, and felt the passion and energy was there.

“It was the first meet, so I was happy to see people competing“, said Thompson. “There were no expectations, but it was nice to see them get into the flow of things.”

The following week, the Bearcats were involved in the Lou Onesty Invitational hosted by Virginia as well as the Bucknell Outdoor Classic on April 10 to 11. There, senior Justin Hidalgo finished fifth in the hammer throw while Hall placed fifth in the high jump.

Over on the women’s side, Wright stole the show with her extraordinary performance in the 400 hurdles once again, this time finishing second by besting her own school record set last season by more than a full second with a time of 1:01.54. Eberhart took fifth in the triple jump this time around, achieving 37-3, while freshman Kaitlin Sullivan rounded out the top performances for the women in this event with a seventh place finish and a time of 1:05.00 in the 400 hurdles.

Thompson made it clear that he was very pleased with how the women performed, specifically Wright.

“She ran exceptionally, especially on a windy day,” he said. “She really stepped up and ran a great race.”

Lastly was the Bucknell Outdoor Classic. At this event, the lone highlight came from sophomore Erik Van Ingen, who qualified for the NCAA Regional meet with his performance in the 1,500. The qualifying standard was a time of 3:47.80 and Van Ingen achieved 3:47.45 and a second place finish.

“It was great to get the regional qualifier out of the way,” Thompson said about Van Ingen. “Now he can prepare for the regional and finals.“

Next up for the Bearcats is the Bucknell Team Challenge, slated for April 18 at 10 a.m.