Annette Acuff enters her 25th year as the head cross country coach and track & field distance assistant coach at Binghamton University in 2024-25. During her tenure, Binghamton has built a successful Division I distance program from the ground up and has earned significant recognition at the conference, regional and national levels.
Acuff has coached five track & field All-Americans and one cross country All-American at Binghamton. She has also coached four America East individual cross country champions and steered the track & field teams to 40 individual conference titles and 14 relay championships.
Three of Acuff’s runners have gone on to run professionally – Emily Mackay (New Balance Boston), Eric Holt (Empire Elite) and Dan Schaffer (Zap Endurance). Mackay and Holt also competed at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. In addition, Mackay won the bronze medal in the 1,500 at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.
Team success has been a significant part of Acuff's career at Binghamton. She led the Bearcat men's team to the 2009 and 2014 cross country titles and steered the women's cross country squad to the championship in 2023. The women's track & field team has been the America East runner in each of the past three conference meets (2024 indoor and 2023 & 2024 outdoor) and the distance runners have claimed three titles and a pair of relay crowns during that stretch. On the men's side, meanwhile, Binghamton has been the runner up 11 times at America East track & field meets.
Acuff has been recognized by her peers on both the conference and regional levels. She has been named the America East Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year twice (2009 and 2014) as well as the top women's coach in 2023. She has also been chosen as the USTFCCCA Northeast Region Men's Assistant Track Coach of the Year three times (2011 indoor, 2012 outdoor and 2015 outdoor) and has won the women's award twice (2021 outdoor and 2022 indoor).
On the men's side, Acuff coached Erik van Ingen to four USTFCCCA All-America honors between 2011-12, highlighted by a fifth-place finish in the mile at the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships. Jesse Garn earned three All-America honors between 2015-16, including a fourth-place finish in the 800 at the 2015 NCAA outdoor meet. In the spring of 2022, Dan Schaffer became the third Binghamton men's runner under Acuff's watch to be named an All-American, qualifying in the 5,000.
Emily Mackay, meanwhile, racked up five USTFCCCA Women's All-America honors during her career, including Binghamton's first-ever accolade in cross country at the NCAA Division I level. She placed 14th overall in the 2020-21 NCAA Championships. In track & field, meanwhile, Mackay earned four more All-America accolades, including a sixth-place place finish in the 1,500 at the 2023 outdoor meet. In 2023, Aziza Chigatayeva earned All-America honors in the 3,000 Steeplechase.
Mackay and Schaffer also earned college athletics most prestigious academic honor - a spot on the COSIDA Academic All-America Cross Country & Track Team. Mackay was selected in both 2021 and 2022 while Schaffer was recognized in 2022.
Acuff has also coached four runners who have broken the four-minute mark in the mile. Most recently, Dan Schaffer clocked a time of 3:58 at the Toledo Rocket Invitational in May 2021. He was preceded by Erik van Ingen, Jesse Garn and Eric Holt (who broke the four-minute mark after graduation).
Under Acuff's watch, the men's cross country team has posted 27 America East All-Conference selections, a pair of Most Outstanding Rookies at the conference meet, 22 America East All-Academic picks and the 2010 America East Scholar-Athlete (Chris Gaube). The women's program has produced 19 all-conference honorees, the Most Outstanding Rookie twice, 16 America East All-Academic selections as well as the 2020 and 2021 America East Scholar-Athletes (Emily Mackay both times).
The distance track program, meanwhile, has produced 77 men's America East All-Conference runners (indoor and outdoor combined) and 22 women's selections. In addition, there have been 17 men's America East All-Academic picks and 14 women's honorees.
Acuff came to Binghamton from the University of Northern Colorado, where she was the assistant women’s cross country coach for three years. During that span, she coached one cross country All-American and three All-American distance runners in track. Under Acuff’s leadership, the Bears enjoyed back-to-back NCAA Division II Championship appearances, placing 10th in 1997 and 14th in 1998. In the five years prior to her arrival at Northern Colorado, the program had not advanced to the national meet.
In 1997, Northern Colorado’s coaching staff was selected as North Central Region Coaches of the Year. Acuff also was an assistant men’s and women’s track coach for three years, handling the distance runners.
A former NCAA Division I runner, Acuff earned all-conference honors in indoor track two straight years in the 1,000 meters at Oklahoma (1992-93). Acuff was also an Academic All-Big Eight selection four times (1991-94).
Acuff received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Oklahoma in 1995, and went on to earn her master’s degree in physical education, with an emphasis in sports psychology, from Northern Colorado in May 2000. She received her Level I and Level II U.S. Track & Field Certification in 1999 and 2001 respectively.
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BINGHAMTON CROSS COUNTRY UNDER ANNETTE ACUFF
- One NCAA Division I All-American (Emily Mackay)
- Four NCAA Division I Meet qualifiers (Erik van Ingen 2x, Emily Mackay 2x)
- The 2020 USTFCCCA Northeast Region Women's Runner of the Year (Emily Mackay)
- 2009 & 2014 America East Men’s Cross Country Champions
- 2023 America East Women's Cross Country Champions
- 2010, 2013 & 2022 America East Men’s Cross Country Runner-Up
- 2022 America East Women's Cross Country Runner-Up
- Four America East individual cross country championsÂ
- Two top-10 men’s team finishes at the Northeast Regional Meet (2009 & 2013)
- Seven USTFCCCA Northeast Regionally-Ranked men’s teams (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2020 & 2021)
- Four USTFCCCA Northeast Regionally-Ranked women's teams (2015, 2020, 2021 & 2023)
- Four Men’s USTFCCCA All-Northeast Region SelectionsÂ
- Four Women's USTFCCCA All-Northeast Region SelectionsÂ
- Two America East Men's Rookie of the Year Awards (2017 & 2018)
- Two America East Women's Rookie of the Year Awards (2018 & 2022)
- One ECAC Women’s Individual Champion (2006)
- 46 Total America East All-Conference Selections
- Three America East Scholar-Athletes (one men's winner, two women's winners)
- Three COSIDA Academic All-Americans
- Four COSIDA Academic All-District Runners
- 38 Total America East All-Academic Selections
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BINGHAMTON TRACK & FIELD DISTANCE PROGRAM UNDER ANNETTE ACUFF
- Five USTFCCCA All-Americans (Erik van Ingen 4x, Jesse Garn 3x, Emily Mackay 4x, Dan Schaffer once, Aziza Chigatayeva once)
- 12 NCAA Championship Meet qualifiers (Erik van Ingen 5x, Jesse Garn 3x, Emily Mackay 3x, Dan Schaffer once, Aziza Chigatayeva once)
- Four different sub-four minute milers (Erik van Ingen, Jesse Garn, Dan Schaffer, Eric Holt)
- 54 Total America East Conference Champions (Individual and Relays)
- 99 Total America East All-Conference Selections
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ACUFF’S BINGHAMTON COACHING ACCOLADES
- 2009 & 2014 America East Men’s Coach of the Year
- 2023 America East Women's Coach of the Year
- 2011 & 2015 USTFCCCA Northeast Region Assistant Men’s Indoor Track Coach of the Year
- 2012 USTFCCCA Northeast Region Assistant Men’s Outdoor Track Coach of the Year
- 2021 USTFCCCA Northeast Region Assistant Women's Outdoor Track Coach of the Year
- 2022 USTFCCCA Northeast Region Assistant Women's Indoor Track Coach of the Year
- Part of the 2008, 2011 & 2014 America East Men’s Indoor Track & Field Coaching Staffs of the Year
- Part of the 2012 America East Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Coaching Staffs of the Year
- Part of the 2024 America East Women’s Indoor Track Coaching Staff of the Year
- Part of the 2012 & 2023 America East Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Coaching Staffs of the Year
PROFESSIONAL RUNNERS COACHED BY ANNETTE ACUFF
- Emily Mackay (New Balance Boston)
- Eric Holt (Empire Elite)
- Dan Schaffer (Zap Endurance)
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THE ACUFF FILE
 2000-present: Head Cross Country Coach & Assistant Track & Field Coach, Binghamton University
1997-99: Assistant Women's Cross Country Coach, Northern Colorado
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