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Dashing Deacon: Bingham goes for NCAA title in 400 meters
Bob Hebert Photo
Wake Forest’s Michael Bingham started out as a soccer player, but switched to track in high school.
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Published: June 10, 2009
Wake Forest's Michael Bingham remembers his first attempt at the 400-meter dash.
"I made it to about 250 meters, and I said, ‘That's it. I'm done,' " said Bingham, recalling his experience at an all-sports camp he attended while in middle school.
Bingham's sport was soccer, but track and field slowly drew him in. He didn't take track seriously until his junior year at The McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn. But once he did, his athleticism and speed made him a natural, and success followed.
Bingham, a 6-0, 165-pound senior from Burlington, will start his final college meet today, in qualifying for the 400 meters at the NCAA track-and-field championships in Fayetteville, Ark. He's one of the favorites to win the national title in his event.
Bingham's mother, Mollissie Peterson-Bingham, remembered how her son kept going back to track at that summer camp, how he was intrigued by a sport he didn't quite understand.
"He didn't want to do it, but he kept going back the following days and got a little better at it," Peterson-Bingham said.
Bingham smiled when recalling his first unfinished lap.
"I just faked it and said my hamstring hurt because I went out too fast," he said. "But I came back and I guess the rest is history."
Bingham let soccer go in high school and landed a track scholarship to Wake Forest. Still, there are times he can't help wonder what might have been. "I used to talk to Coach (Jay Vidovich, the Deacons soccer coach), and he said I could walk on to the soccer team any time," he joked.
Track, however, has kept Bingham busy enough. He won the ACC title in the decathlon as a freshman, then moved to the sprints, excelling at 200 and 400 meters. He was an indoor and outdoor All-America in 2007.
He also gained valuable experience last summer by running the 4x400 for Britain -- he has dual citizenship because his father, Norris, is from England -- at the Beijing Olympics. He ran the third leg, and helped Britain to fourth place.
And at last month's NCAA East Regional at N.C. A&T, Bingham blew away the field to win the 400 in a school-record 45.05 seconds, despite a bout of food poisoning the day of the final.
Annie Bennett, Wake Forest's head track coach, said that Bingham's intelligence is one of the things that makes him a good runner.
"He ran the third leg in the Olympics, and a guy tried to pass Bingham like three times, and he couldn't do it," Bennett said. "Racing is what it is. He knows how to race individuals."
At the regional, Bennett said, Bingham didn't care what his time was, as long as he finished the final ahead of everyone else.
"Bingham's smart, and yes he's confident, but he can't control what other people do," Bennett said. "He's respectful that in collegiate track and field, there are others who are world class. The thing I respect about Bingham is he doesn't assume he's going to win -- he knows he's got to work hard to win."
Bingham has a tinge of self doubt before every race that drives him to succeed.
"I always question myself," said Bingham, who has yet to lose an outdoor 400 this season. "I think that's good because that means I don't take any meet lightly."
Bingham, who turned 23 in April, is young by track-and-field standards, and his future is bright. He graduated last month with a degree in political science and now plans to try professional track.
"It's always great to be graduated with a piece of paper from a great school like Wake Forest," Bingham said. "With the economy like this, every advantage you can get will be helpful."
He'll run as an amateur for the last time this week, pointing to the 400 meter semifinals Friday night and the championship race Saturday afternoon.
"I'm kind of glad it's about to be over because these races are stressful," Bingham said. "It will be my last collegiate race, and I'm excited about it, and hopefully I can go out with a big bang."
As for his legacy at Wake Forest, Bingham hopes that people will remember him for more than his speed.
"If I can leave a legacy behind, it would be I was a humble guy, I worked hard, and I had some success," he said, "and I was nice to people."
■ John Dell can be reached at 727-4081 or jdell@wsjournal.com.
NCAA track & field championships
The basics
• Days: Wednesday-Saturday
• Site: John McDonnell Field, Fayetteville, Ark.
• Thursday's finals: Decathlon (3:30); long jump (5:45); shot (W 5:45, M 7:15); 10,000 (W 9:55, M 10:45)
• Friday's finals: Hammer throw (W noon, M 2 p.m.); heptathlon (2:45); pole vault (M 4:45, W 8 p.m.); high jump (W 5 p.m., M 8 p.m.); javelin (W 6:30, M 8:30); high jump (W 5 p.m., M 8 p.m.); 4x100 (W 7:05, M 7:15); Steeplechase (W 7:25, M 7:40); 100 (W 8:35, M 8:45); 400 hurdles (W 8:55, M 9:05); 5,000 (W 9:15, M 9:40)
• Saturday's finals: Discus (M 11 a.m., W 1 p.m.); triple jump (W-M 1 p.m.); 400 (W 1:05, M 1:12); 800 (W 1:19, M 1:28); 200 (W 1:35, M 1:42); 100/110 hurdles (W 1:52, M 1:59); 1,500 (W 2:09, M 2:21); 4X400 (W 2:35, M 2:45)
• Note: Times of finals subject to change
N.C. qualifiers, others with area prep ties
MEN
100: J-Mee Samuels (Arkansas/Mount Tabor HS); Caleso Newman (N.C. A&T). 400: Michael Bingham (Wake Forest); Manteo Mitchell (Western Carolina); Darius Law (UNC Charlotte). 110 hurdles: Charlton Rolle (Tennessee/Reynolds HS). 4x100: Arkansas (J-Mee Samuels, Mount Tabor HS)
Pole vault: Parker Smith (UNC). Long jump: Jade Ellis (Duke); Ed Baldwin (UNC). Triple jump: Austin Davis (UNC); David McFadgen (N.C. A&T). Javelin: Thomas Sensing (Wake Forest). Decathlon: Tyler Clarke (Duke); Mateo Sossah (UNC); Daniel Keller (UNC/SW Guilford HS)
WOMEN
100: Lamarra Currie (UNC Charlotte). 200: Lamarra Currie (UNC Charlotte). 400: Alexandria Spruiel (N.C. A&T). 800: Dominique Jackson (UNC); Aja Jackson (UNC Charlotte); Angelina Blackmon (N.C. State). 1,500: Molly Lehman (Duke). 3,000 steeplechase: Patricia Loughlin (Duke); Addie Bracy (UNC/NW Guilford HS). 5,000: Anna Nosenko (Wake Forest). 10,000: Brittany Tinsley (N.C. State).
100 hurdles: Caroline Vaughn (Wake Forest); Loreal Smith (N.C. A&T); Vanneisha Ivy (UNC). 400 hurdles: Caroline Vaughn (Wake Forest). 4x100: North Carolina (Vanneisha Ivy, Malai Walker, Cierra McGee, Tyler Ford); UNC Charlotte (Chalonda Silver, Lamarra Currie, Sirrell Butler, Pat Springs). 4x400: North Carolina (Latoya James, Elizabeth Mott, Callie Pottinger, Tasha Stanley). High jump: Patience Coleman (UNC). Pole vault: Joanna Wright (Georgia Tech/Reynolds HS). Long jump: Pat Springs (UNC Charlotte/Mount Tabor HS). Shot put: Lawanda Henry (N.C. State). Heptathlon: Gabby Gioia (UNC); Alex Coppadge (UNC)
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