UMBC article

By Alexander Pyles and Zak Bratcher
editorial staff and Staff Writer

Madison Bingaman, a top UMBC volleyball recruit and incoming freshman, was killed in an automobile accident on Wednesday, August 8, just outside Memphis, Tennessee.

Bingaman, 18, and her mother, Peggy Bingaman, were traveling from their home in Austin, Texas to Baltimore in preparation for the Retrievers’ preseason training. Peggy died on Friday, August 10 from injuries sustained during the accident.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the one-car crash occurred around 4 p.m., 25 miles east of Memphis.

“This is the most tragic experience of my professional and personal life,” head volleyball coach Ian Blanchard said. “This is a kid I really liked…it’s given me a whole new perspective.”

Blanchard and his coaching staff had been pursuing Bingaman since her junior year at Stony Point High School in Texas. According to the head coach, Bingaman had sent out a mass e-mail to Division-I volleyball coaches across the country with an attached game video, and an invitation for all coaches to watch her play in the Las Vegas tournament.

Blanchard came away from that tournament impressed, but something else Bingaman did made an even greater impression on the coach: she called him directly to let him know she was interested in becoming a Retriever.

“She had the courage to call me directly, which a lot of recruits won’t do,” Blanchard said. “That [told] me something about her personality.”

Another tournament, this time in Atlanta, would seal the deal for Blanchard. He remembers writing two things in his notebook after watching the then-high school junior: “Stud,” and “Please come to UMBC!”

“Madison was just a phenomenal volleyball player,” Blanchard said. “She had a great arm, and a quiet confidence.”

After Bingaman accepted Blanchard’s offer to attend UMBC and play volleyball, the coach got an even better grasp on the kind of young woman he had been fortunate enough to recruit. After a practice in which she had not performed as well as she expected, Bingaman appeared slightly dejected. Blanchard approached his prize recruit and asked her what was bothering her.

“She said to me ‘I wasn’t the best that time, and I have to be the best’,” Blanchard said. “And I thought to myself, ‘wow’.”

An avid fan of the Star Wars movies, Bingaman would often allude to moments in the films that she felt applied to real life. According to Blanchard, one of Bingaman’s favorite quotes came from the scene where the Jedi Master, Yoda, preached to the film’s protagonist, Luke Skywalker: “Do, or do not, there is no try.”

“She lived by those words,” Blanchard said. “It was fitting, because it’s exactly the attitude I try to instill in my players.”

“Coaching is about relationships, and we just clicked from the start,” Blanchard said. “Losing someone makes you think. The first thing I wanted to do was run home to hug and kiss my kids.”

The day of the accident, Blanchard had been text messaging back and forth with Bingaman as she made the trip from Texas to Maryland. Both were excited to get started preparing for the volleyball season. Blanchard remembers the last text from his recruit appearing on his cell phone at about 3:45 p.m, minutes before the accident occurred near Memphis.

“Made it to Tennessee,” the message said.

Once news of the accident reached the east coast, Blanchard described himself as being beside himself with grief, and with a difficult job on his hands: he had to inform his team of the accident.

Despite many of the players not getting the opportunity to know Bingaman very well, the announcement left them in a state of shock, according to Blanchard. Several broke down into tears right on the spot, while others were left to reconsider their own notion of youthful invincibility. While Blanchard traveled to Texas to attend the memorial service, his team gathered and held their own, some writing poetry, some just trying to quietly pay their respects to their lost teammate. But Blanchard and his team understand that the pain they feel is magnified for Bingaman’s family, whom the coach has repeatedly been in contact with since the accident.

“Imagine waking up one morning and your daughter, your wife, your sister, just isn’t there anymore,” Blanchard said, referring to the feelings of Bingaman’s father, Mark, and older sister, Katie. “It’s just not fair.”

The terrible accident has brought out the best in those surrounding Bingaman’s family, as well as the volleyball team. A groundswell of support for Blanchard and his players from far and wide has helped the team cope.

Shortly after news broke of the tragedy, the University of New Hampshire sent black and gold ribbons embroidered with Bingaman’s initials, MB, with a note that they should be worn on players’ shoe laces throughout the year to honor Bingaman’s memory. On campus, UMBC president Freeman Hrabowski called for a moment of silence during last week’s State of the University address in an effort to honor Bingaman’s memory. E-mails have come pouring in from across the country, offering condolences.

“We’ve really been touched by the support,” Blanchard said. “It’s amazing. It makes me proud to be a head coach at this school, and in this conference.”

Despite the heartbreaking loss felt by Blanchard and his team, everyone involved understands that the season can not be put on hold. Doing anything other than moving on and continuing to prepare for what will be a difficult year, according to Blanchard, would be a disservice to the memory of a young lady whose father told the coach that her dream was to play D-I volleyball.

“‘Get over it’ was another favorite expression of hers” Blanchard said. “I’m sure that’s what she’s saying right now, ‘get over it’. We’ll honor her memory by trying to follow the words she lived by.”

Currently, Blanchard and the school are in talks to publicly recognize Bingaman. Details of such a memorial were not immediately available, though Blanchard did say that a plaque had been placed above the entryway into the gym to celebrate Bingaman.

In her illustrious high school career, the 5-foot-11-inch middle blocker and outside hitter earned All-Texas Honorable Mention, Second-Team All-District and Second-Team All-Williamson County as a sophomore. As a junior, she earned Second-Team All-Central Texas, All-Texas Special Recognition, Stony Point High School MVP, First-Team All-Williamson County and First-Team All-District. In her senior season, she earned Second-Team All-District. Stony Point High will retire Bingaman’s No. 11 jersey this year.

This past summer, Bingaman participated in the USA Junior Olympics with an Austin Junior Volleyball Club team who won a bronze medal. It was Bingaman’s sixth year as a member of the AJVC and her fourth year participating in the Junior Olympics.

The Austin Junior Volleyball Financial Assistance Program has been renamed the Madison “Bing” Bingaman Memorial Scholarship Fund. The scholarship fund provides an opportunity for young girls to participate in Austin Junior Volleyball.

Alexander Pyles is the Sports Editor for the Retriever Weekly. Zak Bratcher is a staff writer and the Advertisements Manager for The Retriever Weekly.

Copyright:  The Retriever Weekly