A native of Elmhurst, N.Y., Lauren Caiaccia was a multi-sport scholar-athlete at Binghamton between 1992-96. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychobiology in 1996.
A talented track & field thrower and basketball forward, Caiaccia made her most significant contributions on the volleyball court, where she blossomed as an outside hitter for a program that went 81-21 during her final two seasons.
As a junior, Caiaccia led the 1994 team to a school-record 41 wins and postseason berth to the ECAC Championship. She earned all-conference and all-region accolades, and was selected as the National Player of the Week by the American Volleyball Coaches Association in late September after leading Binghamton to an upset win over SUNYAC power Cortland — snapping that team’s 70-match win streak in conference play.
In 1995, senior captain Caiaccia sparked the Colonials to a 40-9 overall record and the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament appearance. Along the way, she received all-tournament honors at six different events, leading Binghamton to a school-record 18 consecutive match victories and the program’s first SUNYAC and state crowns. Caiaccia repeated as an all-conference choice, and graduated with six school records, including kills in a match (32) and career (1,257).
In basketball, two-time team MIP Caiaccia helped the Colonials win an average of 19 games and play post-season three of four years. As a defensive specialist, she averaged 19 minutes per game as a senior, pulling down nearly eight rebounds per contest and helping lead the team to a 21-7 mark and second straight NCAA appearance.
In track & field, Caiaccia was a conference, state and ECAC placewinner in the shot put and javelin. Her throwing career was highlighted by a SUNYAC title in the javelin in 1997.
She was named the University’s “Athlete of the Year” in 1994-95 and then received both the John Bilos Award and ECAC Merit Medal in 1996.
