AUSTIN, Texas – Graduate student distance runner Aziza Chigatayeva concluded her Binghamton career with a 22nd-place finish in the opening round of the 3,000 Steeplechase (SC) at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Thursday night at Mike Meyers Stadium. With her finish, Chigatayeva will receive honorable mention All-America honors from the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) at the conclusion of the meet on Saturday.

Running in the second of two 12-runner heats, Chigatayeva was 11th in her heat – and 22nd overall – with a time of 10:22.86. The top five runners in each heat – plus the next two fastest times – advanced to Saturday's finals. Oliva Markezich of Notre Dame won Chigatayeva's heat and clocked the fastest overall time of 9:40.81.

The USTFCCCA will award first-team All-America honors to places 1-8 in each event at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the conclusion of the meet. Places 9-16 will earn second-team distinction while places 17-24 will receive honorable mention status.

The All-America honor caps a prolific career for Chigatayeva, who was making her first career appearance at a NCAA Championship meet. She was a four-time NCAA East Region qualifier in the 3,000 SC and won the event four consecutive times at the America East Outdoor Championships. In addition, Chigatayeva won five America East individual track titles during her career and placed in the top-five of five straight conference cross country championships.

With Chigatayeva leading the way, the Binghamton women's cross country team placed a program-best second overall at the America East Cross Country Championships last October. She was the individual runner up in that race. At the most recent conference outdoor championships last month, Chigatayeva scored a team-best 18 points, leading the Bearcats to their first runner-up team finish since 2013.

Chigatayeva is the third Binghamton female track & field athlete to earn All-America honors at the NCAA Division I level. Keishorea Armstrong was a three-time All-American in the long jump between 2015-18 while Emily Mackay was a four-time All-American in the distance events from 2021-22. Mackay also earned All-America status at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships, where she was 14th overall.

With Chigatayeva's performance, the Binghamton Athletic Department has now posted three All-Americans in three different sports during the 2022-23 academic year. Tsvetelina Ilieva (volleyball) and Thomas Greenblatt (men's lacrosse) were the other two honorees.

Binghamton has now had at least one distance runner – coached by Annette Acuff – advance to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in each of the past three years. Emily Mackay took part in the women's 5,000 in 2021 and the women's 1,500 last year while Dan Schaffer ran in the men's 5,000 in 2022.

"Aziza had an off race tonight but we are so proud she was able to finish her career on the national stage," Acuff said. "She's had an outstanding career for Binghamton and will certainly be dearly missed."