Family has always been at the heart of Binghamton athletics and as we celebrate the department's (and school's) 75th Anniversary in 2021-22, let's take a look at some of the families who have a shared Binghamton experience. 
 
Early siblings
There have been dozens of sibling tandems during the 75 years with the first documented pair being George and Richard Koury, who played on the men's tennis team in the late 1940s. In 1949, the Koury brothers helped Triple Cities College win five of six matches. The first known sister combination were swimmers Margaret and Barbara Glenday, who competed in the mid-1970s. Margaret was the first female athlete to advance to the national championship meet (1975) and was an inaugural Hall of Fame selection. Barbara was BU's Athlete of the Year in 1979.  
 
All-American Brothers
The Cavayero brothers (Steve and Keith) became the first sibling All-Americans at Binghamton. Steve won back-to-back NCAA titles in 1977 and 1978 and seven years later, Keith finished off his standout career with a pair of All-America honors, highlighted by a third-place NCAA finish. Both are members of the Hall of Fame. There were three wrestling Cavayero brothers, as middle brother Rich overlapped with Steve for two years before injuries curtailed his college career. In the early 1990s, Chris and Jake Sladish duplicated that All-America distinction while leading the golf team to national accolades. Both brothers turned aside Division I golf at other schools to return home and build the Colonials into an NCAA contender. Chris was a two-time All-American who placed fifth in the country in 1993. Younger brother Jake also was a two-time All-American and the Sladish tandem steered BU to a pair of national top-7 finishes.     
 
Twins Galore
There are no less than a dozen known twins to have competed as Colonials and Bearcats - most who played the same sports. Debra and Donna Beato wreaked havoc on the soccer field as opponents tried to sort out who was covering which sister in the midfield. Both were all-region talents who led the 1991 women's team to its inaugural NCAA tournament appearance. Also in the early 1990s, twins Tom (basketball) and Mark Gustinis (tennis) patrolled different courts on campus. Both were capable on either basketball or tennis surface but Tom helped lead the men's basketball team to a 19-win season in 1991-92, while Mark played on a men's tennis team that was ranked as high as No. 13 in the country. More recently during BU's Division I tenure, Alissa and Alexa Franze played lacrosse together and Michelle and Samara Eisenberg came all the way from Florida and were the top players on BU's women's tennis team. Currently, Olivia and Victoria McKnight are elite midfielders for the top-tier women's soccer program.  
 
DePrez Brothers Set Standard
The wrestling DePrez brothers have the record for siblings competing together. Twins Vincent and Anthony DePrez and younger brother Lou were in the same lineup during the 2018-19 season. In a memorable 22-15 win over Kent State, the trio won back-to-back-to-back matches at 174 (Vincent), 184 (Lou) and 197 (Anthony) to spearhead BU's victory. That's 30% DePrez in the starting lineup and surely Kent State thought it was seeing things. After the older DePrez twins graduated, along came younger brother Sam to keep a pair of DePrezes in BU's lineup and give the family a total of four total siblings to wear Binghamton Green and Black. 
 
Patterson Trio Also Wrestled Together
Before that wrestling match in 2019, three other brothers overlapped on the mats when the Pattersons competed between 2008-10. Oldest brother and heavyweight Mike, middle brother and 157-pound Nate and youngest and 174-pound Josh held starting positions for the 2007-08 Bearcats. Six times that season, all three Patterson brothers posted wins in the same dual match. One of those matches was a 26-16 home win over an American University team that featured the Borshoff brothers (Kyle and Jasen), who a decade later would be coaching together at Binghamton. In the American dual, current head coach Kyle Borshoff posted a win at 141 pounds but it wasn't enough to offset three Patterson bonus wins - a 13-0 major decision by Nate and first period pins by Josh and Mike. Josh went on to become the program's first NCAA Division I All-American and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2017.
 
Borshoffs offer Coach and Dad combo
Kyle Borshoff and his dad Tim Borshoff are the only combination of a head coach and his dad sharing Binghamton ties. Some 42 years before Kyle took over as BU head coach, Tim made history as the first BU wrestler to reach the NCAA finals. In 1975, Tim was national runnerup at 126 pounds, leading the Colonials to a fifth place showing at the NCAA Championship. Tim was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. In addition, Kyle's older brother Jasen served as an assistant coach for nine years (2010-19), overlapping with Kyle for the final three.
 
Sinicki tandem is Coach and Son
Longtime baseball coach Tim Sinicki now shares the dugout with his son Tanner. In his 30th season at the helm, Sinicki has led the Bearcats to four NCAA Division I Regionals and is a six-time America East Coach of the Year. A former Binghamton player as well (1985), Tim now can call on Tanner out of the bullpen as the 6-foot-5 sidewinder wears the BU uniform after spending his younger days as a bat boy in the same BU dugout.   
 
Gumble Coach-and-Brother Pair
Former national champion wrestler Mark Gumble (1988), who later coached the team for nine years, also drew on family support during his Hall of Fame career. During his three years wearing a Binghamton singlet (1986-88), Mark was joined by his older brother Rick, who served as assistant coach for head coach Steve Erber. And now Rick's son Logan begins his promising collegiate career with the Bearcats in 2021-22.       
 
McKnight Sibling Total Also at Four
Meanwhile, the hometown McKnight family has sent four soccer-playing siblings to campus. Two brothers (Connor and Parker) and two sisters (twins Olivia and Victoria) have all suited up as Bearcats. Connor played from 2015-18, overlapping one season with Parker, who is in his junior season this fall. The girls began their collegiate career together and have anchored BU's center midfield some 30 years after the Beato sisters did the same.    
 
Mother-Daughter
Swimmer Sydney Atendido came to campus some 31 years after her mother, Marisa Villarini, competed on the first varsity women's soccer team in 1985. They are the only known mother-daughter BU athlete combination. 
 
Mother-Sons
Jen Gaeta Wegmann holds the honor of sharing her Binghamton athletics experience with not one but two sons. A member of the Hall of Fame after an elite basketball career (1992-94) that included a pair of All-America honors, Jen proudly watched sons Nick and T.J. play baseball at Binghamton between 2015-21. Jen has been with the University for nearly 30 years, now as a PhD teaching courses in health and wellness. With dad Tom Wegmann (former professional baseball pitcher) providing additional athletic genes, Nick was a clutch pitcher who held down a 0.78 ERA during BU's magical 2016 postseason run. T.J. was a catcher also with a flare for the dramatic, as his 2019 America East tournament grand slam would attest. The two also combined for a special day on March 5, 2017 when T.J. was behind the plate as Nick allowed just one run in 7.0 innings as BU defeated No. 19 Virginia Tech on the road. It's the only known brother battery in program history. 
 
Father-Sons
Another "First Family" in the Binghamton area ... the Gaubes, have a similar stardom. Hall of Fame pitcher Jerry Gaube was a flamethrower in the mid-1970s before signing a free agent contract with the New York Yankees in 1976. Middle son Tom Gaube pitched for the Bearcats from 2002-06 and has the unique distinction of tossing seven no-hit innings of relief against Northeastern as a freshman. Youngest son Chris was an elite runner for the Bearcats cross country and track programs from 2006-10. He captained the cross country team to its first conference championship in 2009. Meanwhile, mom Bette Anne worked in the athletics department for 20+ years before retiring in September and remains one of the most recognizable (and friendly) faces to all student-athletes and alumni.
 
Father-Daughter
Another local family, the McIvers, has strong ties to Binghamton Athletics. Father Glenn is a Hall of Famer who starred on the basketball court from 1973-78. He is a 1,000-point scorer who still ranks fourth in career rebounds. His daughter, Griffin, played softball at Binghamton (2013-16) and was a key contributor in the program's first NCAA tournament team in 2015. Glenn's other daughter, Sierra, served as assistant women's lacrosse coach with the Bearcats in 2018 after finishing up a stellar playing career at UAlbany. And mom Maria is currently the BU cheer team coach, giving the McIver family four connections back to the athletics department.  
 
Haggai brothers lift tennis program to elite status
In 2011 and 2012, Alexandre Haggai and his younger brother Ruben starred on a BU tennis team that was finishing up an incredible run of six consecutive America East championships. The brothers came to campus all the way from Reunion Island - an island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar, making them the most traveled BU brother tandem (9,000+ miles).    
 
Greenbergs dominate on the hardwood
One final local family, the Greenbergs, produced three outstanding basketball players. Father Mickey is a 1,000-point scorer who played from 1959-63 and was an inaugural selection to the Hall of Fame in 1996. Thirty years later, his son Jeremy ran point for the Dick Baldwin-led Colonial teams that averaged 21 wins a season in 1992-93 and 1993-94. Four years after Jeremy graduated, little sister Bess suited up and began one of the most decorated careers of any basketball player. When she was done, Bess had set the then-school record with 2,024 points and two Division II All-America honors. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008, joining her dad as the only father-daughter pair in the Hall.   

Cross Country, track programs have two sets of siblings
In 2021-22, the men's and women's cross country and track programs boast two sets of siblings. Twins Ryan and Kyra Guerci are joined by siblings Kaylee and Josh Stone.  

Siblings in different sports
While the list of siblings playing on the same team or across the same sport is extensive, this year there are two sets of sisters playing different sports. Junior basketball player Cassidy Roberts welcomed her younger sister Hailey to the Binghamton family when freshman Hailey joined the soccer program this fall. Also this fall, junior track sprinter Gianna DeRoberts was joined on campus by her younger sister Brielle, who is on the tennis team.