VESTAL, N.Y. – Two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry was the featured speaker at the 19th Annual Celebrating Women's Athletics Luncheon presented by M&T Bank on Monday afternoon at the Events Center. The luncheon, which was sold out and had over 800 attendees, was geared towards raising support for the Binghamton Bearcats Athletics Association (BBAA) Women's Scholarship Fund.
McCoughtry was a three-time WBCA All-American at the University of Louisville (2007-09). She graduated in 2009 as the program's all-time scoring leader with 2,779 points and also ranked No. 1 in rebounds (1,261) and steals (481). In her final two seasons with the Cardinals, current BU head coach Bethann Shapiro Ord was a member of the coaching staff. In her senior season, McCoughtry led Louisville to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA title game.
McCoughtry was the first overall pick in the WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream. She then embarked on one of the most prolific careers in WNBA history, being named a five-time all-star and seven-time member of the league's All-Defensive Team. On the offensive end, McCoughtry was the WNBA's scoring champion in 2012 and 2013. She remained with the Dream from 2009-19 before playing with the Las Vegas Aces (2020-21) and Minnesota Lynx (2022). In 2021, McCoughtry was named to the WNBA's 25th Anniversary Team.
On Monday afternoon, McCoughtry came with a message for all of the attendees to be all that they can be – both in sports and in life.
"I am an Olympian, she said. "But all of you can be Olympians too by running your own race. So here are the keys to your gold medal. Ask yourself ... 'who am I?' How do I find myself? What are the keys that make me happy?' You must learn yourself. Sometimes a dream isn't when you are sleeping but when you are awake. You also learn yourself through experience. The goal is to learn from your mistakes but not to keep falling into the same mistake over and over. To me, failure doesn't really exist. That thing that we call failure ... does it not make you better? Does it not make you stronger? Does it not make you wiser? So is that really failure? Adversity will come ... but the key is to figure it out and keep going."
This year's student speaker was senior Jenna Chan of the women's track & field program. During her career, she been a three-time America East individual champion in the hurdle events. On Monday afternoon, Chan expressed her gratitude for being able to come to Binghamton and reflected on how much she has grown.
"If it weren't for the exceptional community I found here, I wouldn't have improved," she said. "Races are very brief and they're very intense - but what's not evident in the race is everything else - all of the decisions made before it, not just by the athlete but by the coaches, and by the university. The support provided by initiatives like the BBAA Women's Scholarship is invaluable, uplifting female student athletes on their journey at Binghamton and fostering a community of empowerment and excellence."
Also addressing the crowd on Monday afternoon were Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger and Director of Athletics Gene Marshall. Both of them emphasized how significant the Celebrating Women's Athletic Luncheon has become since its inception in 2006.
"This event is so important – not just to support our athletes through scholarships but also because the community building that this event creates is awesome," Stenger said. "Women's athletics has come a long way in a short period of time. It's been 52 years since Title IX. Now 24 million people watched the women's basketball championship game last Sunday."
"This luncheon means the world to our women's athletic programs," Marshall said. "When we are out competing to recruit the best and the brightest, these funds make the difference. If we are going to continue to compete at this high level, we need the support from this luncheon. So thank you for being here today. Our student-athletes work harder than any student-athletes in the America East. For all the young people here today - who want to come to college someday ... I can't think of a better place than Binghamton University."
McCoughtry is the latest of an impressive group of guest speakers who have come to Binghamton for the Luncheon. She is preceded by Dottie Pepper (2023), Nancy Hogshead-Makar (2022), Breanna Stewart (2021), Suzyn Waldman (2020), Joan Benoit-Samuelson (2019), Shannon Boxx (2018), Swin Cash (2017), Amy Van Dyken (2016), Rebecca Lobo (2015), Jennie Finch (2014), Shannon Miller (2013), Amanda Beard (2012), Julie Foudy (2011), Kara Lawson (2010) and Jessica Mendoza (2009).
The Celebrating Women's Athletics Luncheon event has raised more than $500,000 to support the BBA Women's Scholarship Fund. In 2023, BBAA Women's Scholarships were awarded to 10 femalestudent-athletes.
Print Friendly Version
