Contact: David O Brian ([email protected])

VESTAL, N.Y. Following an outstanding indoor campaign, the Binghamton track and field teams will try and duplicate their success this coming weekend at the America East Outdoor Championships. The two-day meet starts on Saturday and is being hosted by Vermont.

At the conference indoor meet in February, both Bearcat squads earned a runner up finish. It marked the highest combined finish by the Binghamton programs since they joined the America East in 2002.

The Binghamton women s team has now placed second overall at the past two America East meets, including last year s outdoor event which it hosted. The men, meanwhile, have been the outdoor runner up in three of the past four years.

MEN S OUTLOOK

As in previous years, the distance group will be counted on to score significant points for Binghamton. The 10,000 will have graduate students Jeff Martinez and Jason Santos as well as juniors Andrew Roache and Matt Johnson. All four of them have been top-eight finishers in an event at least one of the last two conference meets.

Senior Ben Snodgrass won the indoor 5,000 title and is entered in the same event this weekend. He is joined by fifth-year senior Vasili Papastrat, who earned all-conference honors during the cross country season, and junior Ethan Hausamann.

Junior Jared Rousell was sixth in the 3,000 steeplechase last season. Freshman Erik Holt is the team s top entry in the mile while junior Josh Miller and freshman Adam McIe are both entered in the 800.

Another historically strong event for the men is the pole vault, where freshman Peter Fagan, sophomore Joe Miceli and junior Chris Nock should all place in the top eight. Elsewhere in the jumping events, sophomore Jon King was fifth in the high jump at the 2013 conference meet, while juniors Eric Zeigler and Matt Traylor are entered in the long jump.

In the sprints, freshman Jon Alkins was the America East Most Outstanding Men s Rookie at the recent indoor championships. He won the 200 and will try and sweep both the indoor and outdoor titles in that event. Alkins is also entered in the 100. Sophomore Temi Bajulaiye, who was the conference s top men s indoor rookie in 2013, will be in the 400.

One group that has consistently improved this season on the men s side is the throwers. Graduate students Jacob Platel was a top-three finisher last year in the hammer while freshman Brandon Bordeau and junior Pat Heikklia were second and third respectively in the shot put at this year s conference indoor meet.

Miceli is also entered in the decathlon.

WOMEN S OUTLOOK

Without question, the jump events are the strength of the women s team this year. At the indoor meet, Binghamton took six of the top eight places in the triple jump alone. This includes a first-place finish by freshman Keishorea Armstrong and a runner-up performance by senior Sara Wickes. Juniors Alexx Baum and Tonnika Forrester, senior Paige Ware and freshman Sarah Osaheni all return for this weekend s outdoor event. Baum, Ware and Wickes also recorded top-eight finishes in the indoor long jump.

Freshman Sarah Haley is the America East indoor pole vault champion and will be joined by junior Christy DiMichele and senior Camille Ginyard, who tied for first at the 2013 conference indoor championships. In the high jump, sophomore Tori Shaffer was the runner up at the indoor meet while freshman Jackie Cruden tied for fifth.

The sprints meanwhile, are anchored by four proven point scorers. Armstrong, who is entered in both the 100 and 200, was third in the 200 at the indoor championships. Junior Ivory Taussig, meanwhile, was fifth in both the 100 and 200 at last year s outdoor championships. Seniors Erika Kisel and Kathleen Klein are the Bearcats top entries in the 400.

Binghamton has equally strong teams in both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays this year. Klein and Taussig are entered in both events. Baum and Armstrong will join them in the 4x100 while Kisel and Osaheni complete the 4x400 quartet.

In the distance events, sophomore Alexis Hatcher and Lizzie Greiner were both top-eight finishers in the 3,000 steeplechase last year. Senior Caitlin Jelinek is entered in the 1,500.

Sophomores Caysie Capano and Kenyon Merriwether are the top throwers this year. Both of them will compete in the discus and hammer.

In the pentathlon, senior Jessica Goldberg and junior Daniella Olusoga were both top-five finishers at last year s conference outdoor championships.