The ice bath in the Events Center Sports Medicine Department does not sound like a common place for a married couple to meet for the first time. But that was how things started out for Adam Quinn and Caitlin Jelinik. It was August 2010 during the cross country teams' preseason.

"I still tell people that my first memory of meeting Caitlin was when both team were waiting for the ice bath after practice her freshman year," Adam says.

"I have the same memory," Caitlin says. "But I'll add that I still remember Adam being one of the first people on the guys team to introduce himself to me and the other incoming freshman.

Quinn was in his senior season on the men's team. It was a veteran squad that won the America East championship the previous year and would be the runner up at the conference meet that fall.

"I always tell everyone how lucky I was to have competed at Binghamton when I did," he said. "I feel that everyone on the team at that time was all on the same page and had the same mindset.  We were all dedicated to the team and making each other better on and off the track. Combine that mentality with Coach Acuff and Thompson's support and passion, I truly feel lucky to have been at Binghamton during that time."

Jelinek, meanwhile, joined the women's team when they were in a building stage. Three years later, however, the track & field team earned their first-ever runner-up finish at the America East Outdoor Championships. That meet, which was the culmination of three years of growth, was held on the Binghamton University campus.

"That was such a memorable day," she said. "My teammates had some great performances and to top it off it was awesome to be competing at home."

For most of their careers, Adam and Caitlin were just friends. Things began to change in the spring of 2012. It was Adam's last semester at Binghamton and while Jelinek was wrapping up her sophomore campaign.

"Our relationship started after I graduated from Binghamton," Adam said. "After graduation I was still training for regionals and there was a smaller group of the team still on campus that would get together on occasion. It was at these get togethers where we learned of each other's love for the Adirondacks, fishing, and good beer. That summer we hung out a few times in the Adirondacks and continued talking until officially becoming a couple that winter."

Adam went off to medical school at Stony Brook the following year but things continued to blossom with Caitlin. While she was still competing at Binghamton, he was training for the Lake Placid Ironman Triathlon.

"During my first year of medical school I began training for the Lake Placid Ironman," he said. "Caitlin was a huge support during that time and was the one who initially convinced me to sign up for the race. It was certainly a tough year studying and training and made even more difficult by the fact that our relationship was long distance, but Caitlin was always supportive of my busy schedule and knew how much competing in the race meant to me. I had a few races leading up to the Ironman and she always made the trip to come and watch!"

Caitlin also got support from Adam during her junior and senior seasons at Binghamton.

"Adam has great accountability and is a great training partner," she said. "Whenever we visited each other during my junior and senior years, we would run together and he'd even help me do workouts. He came to every race he could and was there cheering me on."

Once Caitlin graduated in 2014, both she and Adam were busy launching their careers. Caitlin joined Adam at Stony Brook and worked as a research assistant. They then moved to Vermont for Adam's residency and during that time, Caitlin earned her Master's Degree in Public Health.

Eventually, they settled in Burlington, Vermont. Fittingly enough, that was the same town that Adam and the men's cross country team won the America East title in 2009. Caitlin started working as a public health analyst at the Vermont Department of Health while Adam became a full-time Emergency Physician at two local hospitals in Upstate New York.

With their careers established, Adam and Caitlin had wedding plans set for the Spring of 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, their plans had to change.

"It was certainly difficult," Adam said. "We had a vision of having a large wedding with all of our friends and extended family at a beautiful venue in Lake Placid. We had almost everything planned out when the pandemic came to the U.S. and we realized that a large gathering would be a terrible idea (later found to be impossible given the restrictions/shut downs). We made the decision pretty early on to downsize dramatically. Luckily, the venue was able to refund our deposit and we worked closely with our other vendors to modify what they would be doing to still make the day special, but also to keep everyone safe."

"Well, as soon as the pandemic hit, the vision of our original wedding plans kind of went out the window," Caitlin said. "We went with the flow and decided to downsize and have something small at my parents house on Schroon Lake. Honestly, it worked out better than we expected."

The wedding at Caitlin's parent's house took place in August 2020. Looking back, things worked out better than either of them expected.

"It may not have been the wedding we initially planned, but it was still a perfect day," Adam said. "We had the wedding at Caitlin's parents house in the Adirondacks with both our parents and our siblings that lived in the state. Because of the change we were able to have everyone's dogs at the wedding, make our favorite foods, and really take the time to relax and enjoy our day.

"I echo what Adam says," Caitlin said. "Honestly, we were very happy we decided to go with something very small and intimate."

It's been a decade since Adam and Caitlin first met and they have truly been through a lot together as a couple. They steered through a long-distance relationship, demanding post-graduate programs and the challenges of planning a wedding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both of them are quick to point out the other person's special qualities that have played a pivotal role during the last 10 years.

"Caitlin is very spontaneous, fun and always willing to go on an adventure," Adam said. "She is also one of the kindest and most genuinely nice people I have ever met."

"Adam is thoughtful, empathetic, and extremely hard working," Caitlin said. "He is always down to plan and go on an adventure that takes things to the next level."

Adam and Caitlin are settled in Vermont but Binghamton University will always have a place in their hearts. Besides meeting each other, they are thankful for many other things about their college days.

"I could not have asked for a better team, coaching staff and supportive environment than when I was at Binghamton," Adam said. "To develop life-long friends, create some of the best memories of my life, be well prepared for the next step in my career as a physician, as well as meet my future wife - I can honestly say I would not be the same person I am today without Binghamton University."

"One of my proudest decisions was that I ended up at Binghamton," Caitlin said. "I am so thankful for all of the opportunities – athletically, academically and personally."