The Binghamton track and field teams headed to Jacksonville, Florida to compete in the NCAA East Region Meet over the weekend. With an opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships up for grabs, redshirt senior Aziza Chigatayeva capitalized on the opportunity and will be the sole Bearcat to race at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships beginning in just over two weeks.

“We’re all super proud of Aziza and her accomplishments over the past five years but certainly being able to finish at the national meet at the end of her career is an amazing accomplishment for her and our program,” said Binghamton head coach Annette Acuff. “The consistency is just incredibly impressive.”

On Saturday afternoon, Chigatayeva competed in the 3000 steeplechase at the NCAA East Region Meet for the fourth consecutive outdoor season. Chigatayeva managed to place third in her heat and ninth overall with a time of 10:02:11. The top three finishers in each of the three, 16 runner heats and the next three fastest times all qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. As a result, Chigatayeca automatically qualified for a bid at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing third in her heat, after she bested Duke’s senior Emily Cole.

“The division one level is so competitive,” Acuff said. “I think it just requires a certain level of commitment and investment from athletes both mentally and physically and doing all the little things that it takes.”

This was Chigatayeva’s first career qualification in her fourth attempt. Chigagateva previously failed to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in her past three outdoor seasons, with overall placements of 42nd in 2019, 23rd in 2021 and 16th in 2022.

“The stage was set for her, and I think it became a very realistic possibility [to make it to the NCAA championships] and she just made the commitment with her training and mentally to try and get there,” Acuff said. “[Chigatayeva] is by far the most consistently competitive athlete that we’ve ever had.”

After earning a spot in the NCAA Championships, Chigatayeva has become the third Binghamton female athlete to qualify. Prior Bearcats who have qualified for the NCAA championships include Keishorea Armstrong and Emily Mackay. However, Chigatayeva will be the first Binghamton athlete to compete in the 3000 steeplechase.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that she’ll compete to the best of her ability, so I think she’ll have a good shot of making that final,” Acuff said. “She’s just a fantastic competitor and she’ll leave everything on the track. She’s gonna give it her best shot.”

On the men’s side, senior Marcrene Jeannot qualified for the NCAA East Region Meet for the first time in his career, after capturing gold in the America East (AE) indoor and outdoor triple jump events. He is the second Binghamton men’s triple jumper to qualify for the meet in the past three seasons. Ultimately, Jeannot finished 31st in the men’s triple jump on Friday evening with a distance of 49-7. With only the top 12 overall distances advancing to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, Jeannot failed to qualify.

Chigatayeva will compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships which begin on Wednesday, June 7 and conclude on Saturday, June 10. The meet will be hosted by UT Austin at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.