Binghamton University Athletics

50th Anniversary of Women's Athletics at Binghamton University

Profile: Margaret Glenday '78, swimmer

Brief: A native of Lido Beach, N.Y., Margaret swam at Binghamton from 1974-78. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology in 1978 and went to receive her master's degree in special education and education from Adelphi University in 1981. In the pool, she was a two national qualifier and four-year captain. She graduated holding the school record for career wins and held or was part of 11 team records. At the year-end awards banquet in 1978, Glenday received the John Bilos Alumni Award (for career achievement), the Foundation Award (leadership) and the Scholar-Athlete Award.   




Accomplishments on Glenday's Hall of Fame plaque

A two-time national qualifier, Glenday swam virtually every event for the Colonials, but specialized in butterfly and distance freestyle.

The four-year captain graduated from Binghamton as the holder of eight school records, including the fastest 100 butterfly (1:01.78) - a record that stood for 21 years.
 
In 1975, Glenday went 34-1 in dual-meet races, won a state championship in the 200 free, and qualified for the all-division AIAW National Championships in four events.  She was Binghamton's first female athlete to reach the national level. 

One year later, she set her second meet record at the state championship - this time in the 500 free, and placed in four other events.  Glenday returned to nationals in 1978.    
She holds Binghamton's record for most career wins, and is second in season victories and dual points in a season.  At one point, she held or was part of 11 school swimming records.

After her senior season, Glenday won three awards at the school's Athletic Awards Banquet.  She was selected as the female John Bilos Award recipient, and also was named as the Foundation Award winner.  Glenday's academic accomplishments were also recognized with her selection as the school's lone Scholar-Athlete honoree.



Catching up with Glenday ...

What was your high school sports background and what led you to choose Binghamton?

By the time I was in high school, I had been swimming on our local AAU swim club for a quite a few years. Our high school, Long Beach High School, is in a beach community where the swim team was competitive but also a lot of fun! It sure sounds old-fashioned now, but back then the girls had short, easy events: a 100 IM for the medley and a 200 freestyle for distance! Even then, we knew that was silly and the events thankfully were updated shortly after I graduated.

I wrote to a couple of coaches when I was in high school and only Ms. Martha Gatchell responded to me! To set the state, back in 1974, I believe that nationally there were only a total of TWO athletic scholarships available for women - both at Arizona State. So recruiting was much less of a structured, organized process than it is today.

Anyway, I did finally get to meet Ms. Gatchell - I think in Pennsylvania somewhere - to watch the AIAW Nationals in 1974 and it was very exciting. Basically, I went to Binghamton because of Ms. Gatchell!

You had the unique situation of having your sister here with you as well. Describe your relationship with Barbara (University's Athlete of the Year in 1978-79) and your bond through swimming?

Don't laugh but I initially told my sister Barbara not to come to Binghamton. The gray weather was cold and pretty dismal and the sidewalks were often overrun with earthworms. She, of course, thought I was hiding something from her and decided to come to Binghamton anyway! Over time, we both came to love the school and team ... and I was glad to have her as a teammate. Her presence was a huge boost for everyone on the team.

Barbara and I were on the same AAU, high school and college teams, so we have similar good memories of those times. We live about two blocks apart now, and we do a lot of things together (but not much swimming anymore!). 

What was your perception of the climate on campus, in terms of opportunities, facilities and overall treatment of women's athletics while you were here? Did you feel any noticeable change for the better during your four years?

I remember Jessie Godfrey as the athletic director. I always felt like she was looking after us, which was great. At first, the obvious difference between the women's and men’s swim teams was our practice facilities. We had practice in the “Women’s Gym,” now known as the East Gym! Our pool was dark and old, but the pool in the “Men’s Gym,” even then, was new and beautiful. After practice, we would have to rush out into the cold dark with wet hair trailing behind. We then had to hurry uphill to Hinman Dining Hall, which hosted the late meal, often populated by athletes. After a year or two, Ms Gatchell managed to get about half of our practices in the Men’s Gym. I’m not sure how she did it, but by senior year, we had all of our practices there. She was clearly looking out for us and it was a huge improvement!

Women’s athletics have definitely become more central to campus life over time. I remember freshman year, a guy from my floor actually asked why I swam all the time. When I qualified for the Nationals in Arizona, I got to give him a good answer!

As you reflect back ... what remain your fondest memories of being a student-athlete at Binghamton?

I made some great friends - we are still in touch today. I really enjoyed the other women on the team: smart, strong, hard-working, and fun. At the time, many of the swimmers were basically beginners! Some had no prior competitive swimming background, which is really incredible. We even had divers, like Sue Moreines, who were complete novices, but they wanted to be part of the team. Ms. Gatchell turned them into competitive swimmers and divers. I remember one friend, Carol Walker, who would ask me to predict her time in each upcoming event. It was fun because she would actually improve her performance almost every time she swam. By my senior year, Ms Gatchell had recruited many great swimmers, and the number of novices were dwindling.

Who were some of the people who were most influential to you and your teammates?

Ms. Gatchell was the absolute key to our success and improvements. She was a knowledgeable coach, a great example to us on the team, and a kind person. I had the same coach in AAU for my whole pre-college career. He was also a great motivator and coach. I would say that Ms Gatchell did some things a different way than I was used to; she used more advanced techniques, including some cross-training and weight training on a machine developed for swimmers. It took me a while to trust and get used to the new training methods, but it was certainly a positive. Pat Wrobel and Jim Sullivan, who were the Head RAs in Seneca Hall, in the College-in-the-Woods (I can’t believe they were torn down), were big supporters of athletes. I was lucky to later become an RA in their building. They were fans of all sports and all athletes. In fact, they even wanted to have the “Wrestling Floor” in their dorm!

Being admitted to the inaugural class of the Hall of Fame was a huge honor. Pat was kind enough to introduce me at the ceremony and it’s a day my family and I will always remember fondly.

Where has life taken you since Binghamton?

After graduation from Binghamton, I went to graduate school for Special Education. My career as a special educator lasted almost 30 years and I loved it. Now, I tutor several times a week and still enjoy it.

Sports-wise, throughout college, I was a lifeguard and we had to run on the beach in the mornings. I didn’t like it that much then, but right after college, I became a runner. Physically, when I was done with a run, I felt a lot like I would at the end of a long swim or swim practice. But, running had some amazing aspects: I could run anywhere, anytime, enjoy the sights, and have conversations with a running partner. It felt great, like swimming, but better! Due to wear and tear, in the last 10 years or so, I’ve had to transition to walking. It was a big adjustment and I didn’t like it that much until the last year or two. I did Bikram yoga for 17 years but I recently started Pilates, which has been interesting and definitely challenging. I alternate Pilates with walking or stand-up paddling, which I also love. I’m constantly on the lookout for turtles! In our town, many of us often bike as a form of transportation and we have a beautiful boardwalk that makes biking easy.

I enjoyed watching my children take part in recreational teams in the community and then middle school and high school sports. The AAU swim coach from my childhood that I mentioned earlier actually became my boy’s high school swim coach, so that was a ton of fun. My sons both loved being on his fun team, one even switching over from basketball to swimming, to be part of his great program. Competitively, my sons and daughter swam, played basketball, and lacrosse. Watching my youngest play college lacrosse was a great experience and I missed it after he graduated.