50th Anniversary of Women's Athletics at Binghamton University
Profile: Sarah Bunting Lamos '96, Cross Country and Track runner
Brief: A native of Brookfield, Conn., Sarah Bunting ran cross country and track at Binghamton from 1992-96. She was a three-time All-American and an NCAA runnerup in the indoor 1,500 meters. Bunting was inducted into the Binghamton Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.
She earned her bachelor's degree in 1996, completing a dual major in environmental studies and politics, philosophy and law.
She presently lives in Colorado with her husband Nate and they have four children. She balances being a mom with working full-time at an artificial intelligence tech startup focused on property insurance (Flyreel). In her free time Bunting hits the mountain trails. For the last few years she's been training for and competing in trail ultramarathons. Bunting raced her first 100-miler in August 2017, placing fifth among women at the Leadville (Colo.) 100 trail run, which is contested between elevations of 9,200 to 12,600 feet. Other highlights include placing second at the Canyons Endurance 100K in Northern California, and winning the Behind the Rocks 50K in Moab, Utah.
Accomplishments on Bunting's Hall of Fame plaque
A gifted runner who battled knee injuries throughout her career, Bunting excelled on the cross country trails and also in her track specialty — the 1,500 meters. In all, she earned three All-America honors and still holds school records in both the indoor 1,000 and 1,500 meters. In cross country, Bunting led the 1993 and 1994 teams to the NCAA Division III Championship meet, where they produced two national top-20 finishes, including a 16th-place showing in 1994. As a senior in 1995, she qualified for the national meet as an individual, and gained All-America recognition by placing 29th in a field of 182 elite runners. Earlier in the season, she was fourth out of 102 runners at the New York State Championship, leading the Colonials to a runner-up team finish. Bunting's crowning achievement came at the 1996 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship, when she shattered the school record in the 1,500 meters, finishing as national runner-up in a time of 4:36.88. Her performance helped Binghamton place sixth in the nation. Earlier in the winter, Bunting won both the 800 and 1,500 titles at the SUNYAC Championship and was runner-up at the state meet. A year prior, she earned her first All-America honor by placing eighth in the 1,500 meters at the 1995 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Bunting, also a scholar-athlete, was chosen as the University's 1996 Foundation Award winner for her career achievement.
Catching up with Bunting ...
What was your high school sports background and what factors led to you coming to school at Binghamton?
I’ve been a runner for most of my life. Early on I realized that I liked to push myself and thrived in competitive situations -- I was the kid trying to race the gym-class timed mile. In high school I was recruited to join the Cross Country team -- mostly because they needed another runner for the team to score. I then decided to try Track and Field and progressively improved as a runner each year. Eventually I earned All State honors in Cross Country. What I realized early on (even when I wasn’t close to being one of the fastest runners) was that the experience gave me a huge sense of self-accomplishment. The process of setting a goal and obtaining it -- whether it was improving my times or trying to qualify for a big race -- was so gratifying. When I started looking at colleges, a great academic reputation was important to me but I also wanted to continue running and competing. I had talked to many coaches before visiting Binghamton and nothing felt quite right. Then I met Coach Truce and attended a session he led with a group of potential incoming athletes. I was immediately impressed with his energy and positivity. He also had an incredible amount of knowledge about the mind-body connection. I felt that Binghamton would be the perfect environment for me to grow as a student and an athlete.
2. 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?
As a female athlete at Binghamton, I don’t recall ever feeling that my opportunities were limited by gender. Our women’s and men’s Cross Country and Track teams were so closely intertwined and it felt like we were treated equally in every regard. If anything, we might have been given a little extra support and encouragement. Especially recently, there’s been a lot of exposure on the female running culture and the negative pressures to lose weight in order to be competitive. I’ve had a lot of friends share their negative experiences in collegiate women’s running and feel fortunate I never experienced that pressure at Binghamton. I think our coaches really set a culture of acceptance among the teams -- they focused on helping us improve as individuals, regardless of our different body shapes and sizes.
3. As you reflect back ... what remain your fondest memories of being a student-athlete at Binghamton?
I have so many great memories from being a student-athlete at Binghamton. My fondest focus around the friendships made and camaraderie among the team. There were so many amazing individuals who inspired me and everyone was so supportive of each other. Some of the best racing memories include:
- Qualifying as a team to attend the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in Iowa my sophomore year: everyone just dug in and ran their hearts out to edge out another team for the spot. I vividly remember Coach Truce cheering us in at the finish shouting, “We’re doing it! We’re doing it -- pack your bags!!” I think it was only the third-time ever the women’s team had qualified -- and the first time both the women’s and men’s teams qualified in the same year. We were all so excited and proud!
- Finishing as national runner-up in the 1500m at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field National Championships my senior year: I had been batting knee pain all season (which I would later learn was torn cartilage). I had a hard time completing the workouts and was happy to qualify but feeling a little discouraged going into the race. Coach Mike Thompson was so sure I was going to do well and his encouragement meant a lot. I started toward the back of the pack but decided to go for it in the last few laps and passed all but the winner, finishing only .3 of a second behind.
4. What does it mean for you to be part of the 50th celebration?
It is such an honor to be recognized in this group of incredible women -- some of whom I was inspired by when I attended Binghamton and others that I’ve read about since. I had such a terrific four years at the University and so much of that is because of the experiences I had on the Cross Country and Track and Field teams.
