In the final matchup of the 197-pound tournament at the 2022 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships, redshirt senior Lou DePrez was the last individual of the Binghamton wrestling team still in the tournament. After battling his way to the first-place bout against his Princeton opponent, DePrez earned a decisive 10-4 victory to win his third-straight EIWA title.

“I’m really happy with our team’s effort,” said Binghamton head coach Kyle Borshoff, per bubearcats.com. “This is the best EIWA’s we’ve ever had. I couldn’t be happier for the four qualifiers and for [DePrez’s] third championship.”

DePrez made quick work of his first opponent in the round of 16, pinning him in 13 seconds. In the quarterfinals, DePrez earned a 7-0 decision to move onto the semifinal round, where he was paired up against Navy junior Jacob Koser. DePrez faced off against Koser earlier in the season during BU’s home meet against Navy. The competitive 197-pound bout in late January spilled into overtime where the Bearcat came out on top. DePrez replicated his close dual meet victory at the EIWA matchup, recording a 6-5 decision after giving up two late points from stalling.

“It feels good to get this one,” DePrez said, per bubearcats.com. “It’s been a long year compared to last year, as far as bumping up to 197 and getting back to the full season. I feel good and am excited to compete in Detroit.”

While DePrez headlined the Binghamton side at the tournament, three Bearcats made early exits from the championship. 125-pound true freshman Nick Curley, 133-pound senior Anthony Sobotker and 157-pound sophomore Tyler Martin all failed to advance to the quarterfinals and found little success in the consolation brackets.

Redshirt sophomore 184-pounder Cory Day and 149-pound redshirt senior Nick Lombard both placed eighth after the first day of the tournament. Day lost in the round of 16, but advanced far into the consolation bracket before finally falling to a 6-3 decision right before the semifinal bout. Lombard made it to the quarterfinals but was downed in a 12-2 decision and relegated to the consolation bracket, where he was also defeated just before the semifinals.

Sophomore 141-pounder Ryan Anderson made it all the way to sixth place at the tournament. The Bearcat climbed to the championship semifinals where he lost 6-1, and then lost again in the semifinals of the consolation bracket in a 2-0 decision.

After earning a narrow 3-2 decision in the round of 16, 165-pound sophomore Brevin Cassella fell 5-3 in his subsequent quarterfinal matchup against his Cornell opponent. Following two close bouts in the consolation bracket, Cassella looked to advance to the finals but was downed by his Bucknell opponent after a single takedown allowed the Bison to come away with a 2-0 decision.

In the 174-pound bracket, junior Jacob Nolan was dispatched early on in the tournament, losing the quarterfinals in a 9-2 decision. However, Nolan bounced back in the consolation bracket, moving past all of his opponents and eventually landing a spot in the third-place bout. The matchup went into overtime as the two wrestlers were drawn 1-1 by the third period, and a final takedown by Nolan’s opponent handed him the 3-1 loss as the Bearcat finished fourth.

Apart from DePrez, 285-pound redshirt senior Joe Doyle went the farthest at the competition. In the round of 16, Doyle dominated his opponent, scoring 14 points against him before finally earning a pin in the second period. In the quarterfinals, Doyle lost 3-1 to his opponent from UPenn. Doyle, however, swept the consolation bracket, including the final matchup, where he earned a 4-0 decision over the UPenn wrestler who relegated him to the loser’s bracket earlier in the competition. Doyle ended the tournament in third.

The Bearcats finished sixth overall out of 17 teams competing at the EIWA tournament. This mark tied for the best finish in the program’s history. BU tallied 79.5 points and was only five points behind Columbia but was still far behind first-place Cornell which had 153.

Doyle, DePrez, Nolan and Cassella all earned automatic bids to the NCAA tournament later this month. The national championship is scheduled from Thursday, March 17 to Saturday, March 19. The tournament will take place at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.