So much for rebuilding. Following a year where no victories were achieved, expectations for any team are usually pretty low. But, much to the delight of local wrestling fans, the Binghamton Bearcats have turned into a competitive team in the course of just one off season.

The Bearcats attended the Fifth Annual Colonial Athletic Association Duals on Jan. 19 and 20 at George Mason University, where they avenged some defeats from last year in dominating fashion.

In the opening matches on Friday, the Bearcats came out roaring to the tune of a 49-0 shutout of Wagner, with all 10 matches resulting in Binghamton victories. The match featured three wins in a row by forfeit.

Although they lost the second match 31-12, it featured very competitive matches from a young team against a No. 6-ranked Hofstra squad. Junior Kyle Fried, ranked 16th in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News, posted victories in both of the day’s matches, garnering the attention of his coach.

“Kyle has been working extremely hard and has improved a great deal since the beginning of the season,” Popolizio noted. “He’s been much more consistent in his wrestling and has really risen to the occasion recently.”

The team opened up the second day’s matches with a tough-luck loss against Rider, 25-21. The highlight match came from Josh Patterson, who continued to impress with a 5-4 decision over Rider’s Doug Umbehauer — ranked No. 9 in the nation.

Binghamton came back in the second match with a 42-3 victory over Campbell. Freshman Mike Kleeman, wrestling at 125 pounds, started things off with a pin and the team never looked back, rolling to an easy victory that was capped off by 285-pound junior Mike Patterson’s decision win. The eldest Patterson brother was 4-0 in the weekend’s matches.

In total, Binghamton posted victories in 19 out of the 20 matches that resulted in team wins.

With their record currently at 6-9, the team is certainly in a much better position than they ever dreamt of being in last year, which can be accredited to the dedication of the coaching staff, the talent of the players and, most importantly, their own desire for success.

“They’re understanding how serious you need to be about everything as far as academics, the proper training, the proper diet and the right attitude goes,” Popolizio said.

After a much deserved weekend off, the Bearcats return to action when they host both James Madison and Sacred Heart University in a pair of conference matches starting at 11 a.m on Saturday, Feb. 3. Popolizio is confident about his team’s chances.

“I think with the lineup we have now, we’re going to be even more competitive than last time and we’re expecting to come out with a win,” he said.