After a groundbreaking 2009-10 campaign in which the team finished 21st at the NCAA championship, the Binghamton University wrestling team won’t be surprising many people this upcoming season. The Bearcats have garnered several preseason accolades this week. In W.I.N. Magazine’s NCAA Tournament Power Index, the team was tied in rank for 21st. Also, in the first NWCA/USA Today coaches poll, the Bearcats were listed as receiving votes, meaning they are just outside the top-25. The coaches have Cornell University ranked first.
Junior Justin Lister, a reigning All-American who placed a program-best fourth at last season’s NCAA championship after entering the tournament unseeded, is ranked in the top four in four different polls in the 157-pound weight class. He is ranked second by W.I.N. Magazine, third by The Open Mat and fourth by both InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News. No Bearcat wrestler has ever been ranked this high nationally before.
‘The ranking, obviously, is a result of what he accomplished last year, which is great that he’s recognized for last year’s accomplishments,’ said Binghamton head coach Pat Popolizio. ‘But we start out a new year and there’s going to be a lot of people trying to make a name for themselves trying to beat Justin Lister. But he’s obviously very, very capable of winning the national title, so he’s got to just enjoy the season, relax and have fun with it but be ready to compete.’
Four other Bearcat grapplers are ranked in at least two polls. Sophomore Donnie Vinson is ranked No. 11 by The Open Mat, No. 13 in the W.I.N. Magazine and InterMat polls and No. 14 by Amateur Wrestling News in the 149-pound weight class. Senior Anwar Goeres is ranked No. 19 by W.I.N. and No. 20 by InterMat at 141 pounds. At 165 pounds, junior Matt Kaylor is ranked No. 15 by W.I.N. and No. 17 by The Open Mat. Nate Schiedel, a sophomore, is ranked No. 18 by InterMat and No. 19 by The Open Mat at the 184-pound weight class.
Popolizio and his coaching staff have been working rigorously on building up the program since he became head coach in 2006. The season before he took over the team went 0-12 in dual meets and the team did not compete in the season prior to that.
‘It’s a statement of the guys’ individual hard work, our program’s hard work, the coaching staff’s putting five years into this,’ Popolizio said. ‘This year will be our [fifth] year here so it’s a definite process. We started from the ground and we are slowly working our way up little by little. We still have a long ways to go, but it’s a positive, it gives confidence in the room. Every time someone turns around they’re working out with a nationally-ranked guy. That goes a long way, knowing that everybody in our room somehow, some way, is going to be connected to that type of wrestler.’
The team has never had expectations this high heading into a season. The honors are all well-deserved after the enormous strides the team made last season, but Popolizio doesn’t think his wrestlers will let all the attention get to their heads.
‘Competition will humble you,’ he said. ‘If you get cocky and too confident, a loss will put you right back in perspective. That’s the great thing about our sport ‘ you get humbled real quick. So, I don’t ever see that being a problem because if we let our guard down in this sport people will let you know that.’
The Bearcats are set to begin their season with team Wrestle-Offs, which are scheduled for 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 in the West Gym.