She set 'em up in her athletic realm. He mowed 'em down in his. Together they were one of the first Bearcat couples, having come to campus right after the university changed its nickname from Colonials to Bearcats.

Amanda Breitfeld (volleyball) and Jeff Montani (baseball) owe their beginning to Binghamton athletics and the mutual friends who introduced them.

"Mary Wheat (softball), RJ Fetzner (baseball) and Kari Gabrielsen (tennis) share a lot of credit for Jeff and I being together," Amanda says. "In Fall 2000, Jeff was working on a project with Mary and he lived with RJ, who had been one of my good friends for more than a year."

"We were in Onondaga Hall in CIW and Amanda came in straight from volleyball practice and stopped in," Jeff recalls. "We hit it off pretty quickly about the Yankees and 'Dumb and Dumber' quotes. AOL Instant Messenger was our form of social media back then so we started chatting after that and found out we had tons of friends in common but had somehow never met."

Both student-athletes were racking up accomplishments in their sports
That fall, Breitfeld and her volleyball teammates were putting the finishing touches on a second-straight 20+ win season and repeat ECAC Championship. She was a sophomore setter for a strong team that played an independent schedule one season before the entire athletics program transitioned to Division I and the America East Conference.

Montani was one year older and had already pitched two seasons for the baseball team. In his freshman campaign in 1999, he won five games and pitched a team-high 61.1 innings. As a sophomore, he posted a 2.84 earned run average, struck out 66 in 79.1 innings and quickly earned a reputation as a hard-throwing, draft-ready right-hander.  
So while the Yankees and Mets were battling in the Subway Series that fall, Breitfeld was helping her team win eight of its last nine matches and collect its second straight ECAC title. Montani, meanwhile, had his sights set on his upcoming junior season after which he would be eligible to be drafted by an MLB team. And both were getting serious about one another. Jim Carrey might've said … "so you're telling me there's a chance."

"While the 'Dumb and Dumber' quotes ARE serious," Amanda clarifies half-jokingly, "sometime that fall Jeff met my parents at a volleyball match. We both made trips over the holiday break to visit each other at home with our families (Amanda is from Allentown, Pa. and Jeff is from Syracuse). The spring of 2001 was significant as we both knew Jeff may be drafted. Somewhere during that time we talked about it and agreed we wanted to continue to be together."

As for what qualities drew each to the other?

"Jeff intrigued me instantly," Amanda says. "He has a quiet confidence and is hysterical. We laugh together. He really loves his family and quickly won the respect and hearts of mine. When he gives a compliment he means it. I always appreciated the way he valued qualities I found important in myself."

"The volleyball shorts … I mean personality," Jeff quips. "In all seriousness, Amanda is the most authentically kind and caring person on the planet. I realized very quickly that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be happy at a level I did not know existed."

Fond memories of the social scene in Binghamton
The pair had fun at BU and cited meals at Lost Dog Café, Portobagel breakfast sandwiches, movies on the porch at LeRoy Street and the downtown social scene among their fondest memories. "One Halloween we dressed up as Steve and Terry Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, for a baseball party," Amanda recalls. They both worked in the West Gym issue room, went to each other's games and occasionally overlapped in the weight room. "We both loved our sport," Amanda says. "It is really special to be with someone who understands and respects this passion."


Montani's professional career started when he was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 36^th round of the 2001 Amateur Draft. That followed a junior year that saw him throw a no-hitter (to beat Lehigh on March 24), win six games, strike out 73 hitters in 80 innings and earn first team all-conference honors, along with academic all-district accolades.

He began his pro career with the Orioles' rookie team in Bluefield (W. Va.) and played there for two seasons before moving up to Delmarva (Md.) at the "A" level. Montani worked out of the bullpen for his six-year pro career and compiled 11 wins and 42 saves before finishing up his final stop with High A level Frederick (Md.) in 2006. Both Jeff and Amanda point to his 17-game stint in Fort Worth, Texas during 2006 as a highlight.

Meanwhile, Breitfeld finished her undergraduate career by playing on BU's first Division I volleyball team in 2001 and graduating in spring 2003. She ranks sixth in pre-Division I program history in career assists (604) and 10^th in service aces (69).

After graduation, she earned her master's and specialist in psychology degrees from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Her specialization was in deafness and learned American Sign Language and while at Gallaudet, Breitfeld helped coach the women's volleyball team (completely deaf team) as a graduate assistant. She worked six years as a school psychologist for D.C. Public Schools.

"We were long distance for six years," Jeff says. "That was very challenging for both of us but we got to see some amazing places, meet great people and have some unbelievable experiences."

When Jeff's baseball career ended in 2006, he joined Amanda in D.C.

"Living and working in D.C. was a life-changing experience," she says. "We had the opportunity to attend Barack Obama's inauguration, we worked at a wonderful sports bar on Capitol Hill, Pour House, and we made some amazing friends."    

Wedding was a BU celebration
The couple were married May 2, 2009 in Allentown and among the large contingent of Bearcat attendees were six in the bridal party alone: Kari Gabrielsen Latif (tennis), Kate Townley (basketball), Annie Crocus Boyer (volleyball), Sara DeClemente Hammoud (volleyball), Heather Fyfe Methven (volleyball) and Tom Gaube (baseball).

In 2012 the pair welcomed daughter Angela into the world and one year later, they moved to Madison, New Jersey, where son Paul was born in 2014. In 2016 the family moved to Coopersburg, Pa. to be closer to grandparents and in January 2017 they added son Lewis to the "team."


After having three children in three different states (ages 5, 4 and 1), the couple is happy to be settled in their home, a converted 1800's stone barn.

Amanda, now an avid runner, completed a graduate certificate in restorative practices and is currently working as a school psychologist in the Allentown School District. Jeff works remotely as an IT program manager for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He is no doubt closely monitoring daughter Angela as she begins her sports involvement with a season of youth baseball.

As parents of three children under the age of five, free time is limited. Both want to return to their sports someday but for now, family rules. 

"Our primary goals are just for our kids to be happy, healthy and kind," Jeff says. "They keep us extremely busy but we have a lot of laughs."    

Fun trip down memory lane
"I have nothing but positive memories of Binghamton," Jeff says. "I feel a particular pride in being part of the transition from Division III to I and seeing the legacy that Coach Sinicki has built. There are no limits on what you can athletically or from a career perspective by going to BU."
 
"We got to be at Binghamton during a time of major growth for the University and it was exciting to see a lot of changes over time," Amanda says. "I loved meeting people from New York and different parts of the country and playing the sport I love. Coach Kiriyama was focused and I learned a great deal from him. Meeting Jeff was pretty remarkable and we really found family at Binghamton among a most wonderful group of friends."