VESTAL, N.Y. – The Binghamton swimming & diving teams are off to a solid start this season, coming off a tri-meet victory over Niagara and Siena. When the Bearcats host Colgate on Saturday at noon, however, they will seek to do more than just extend their winning ways.

With the help of the athletic department's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), Binghamton will be hosting its first-ever Code Pink meet. The purpose of the event is to create and spread awareness for breast cancer. With October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the timing could not be more appropriate.

In addition, the meet was originally slated to be the swimming & diving teams' Code Green event. Every year, each Binghamton team designates one of its home competitions to be its Code Green event, in which fellow student-athletes are encouraged to rally around that particular team. With that in mind, the event has now been renamed a Code Pink event.

Senior Brooke Pettis, who is a member of both the women's swimming & diving team and SAAC, first considered the idea towards the end of last season.

"I had the idea at the end of the year last year," she said. "I've seen it done with other teams and pools that I have visited in the past and thought it would be a great opportunity for our team."

Pettis talked to both the swimming & diving teams and SAAC in the hopes they would get behind the idea. She has not been disappointed.

"Since I am also a part of SAAC it seemed to be an event that they could really get behind and help with," she said. "I am super grateful for all the help from SAAC in helping out during our meet."

Assistant Athletic Director Linda Reynolds works with SAAC. She has been impressed with how Pettis and the swimmers have taken command of this event.

"It's incredibly rewarding for me personally when our student-athletes take the initiative to put a program together and get behind a cause," she said. "The swimming and diving teams taking on the Breast Cancer Awareness initiative is indicative of their passion for making a difference."

In honor of the event, Binghamton will special pink caps with the Binghamton logo. The Patricia Saunders Aquatic Center will be completely decorated and pink ribbons will be handed out to spectators.

Representatives from SAAC will be staffing the tables beyond the bleachers with several themed events. There will also be a wheel of questions with statistics to engage people and raise awareness/knowledge about breast cancer. There will be free food and also lots of breast cancer awareness themed giveaways.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to make a donation to the Roswell Cancer Research Institute, located in Buffalo. It is a place that Pettis got a lot of support for when she brought up the idea of taking donations.

"The Roswell Cancer Research Institute is a place that means a lot to me," Pettis said. "I asked around and I got a lot of support for this particular place to donate to so I decided on providing information to donate. This information will be readily available at the tables on Saturday."

Binghamton head coach Brad Smith has seen the work Pettis and her teammates have done to organize the event. Like Reynolds, he is impressed with the swimmers' initiative and dedication to the event.

"I am really proud of our team for organizing the event with the help of SAAC and Linda Reynolds to support family, friends and all those affected by breast cancer," he said. "It will be an honor to wear the pink caps and decorate the natatorium this weekend."

Pettis and the Bearcats will be busy in the pool on Saturday but look forward to hearing how the event turns out. It is her hope that it will continue in the coming years.

"Being that I am a senior, I'm hoping this event can be an annual thing, and I have a great feeling that it will be carried on," she said. "I think it's a wonderful cause, and if we can combine it with a swim meet and create an event that draws in a crowd, raises awareness, and provides fun all at the same time, it feels like a win-win."

For the Binghamton Athletic Department, meanwhile, the wish is for Code Pink to inspire other similar events.

"Brooke Pettis has really rallied the teams to embrace Code Pink," Reynolds said. "More importantly, she has set an example for others to follow. I hope others see how one small idea can really take on a life of its own and impact the larger Binghamton community."