After a unique but promising regular season, the Binghamton wrestling team is ready for the postseason. With several wrestlers in contention for NCAA tournament bids, the Bearcats will take the mats on Friday at the 117th Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships. The team finished its regular season with a 3-1 record, and four Bearcats are currently undefeated heading into the conference championship meet.

“We’ve won some matches, we’ve done a good job, but if we don’t do it on Friday it’s not gonna matter,” said Binghamton head coach Kyle Borshoff. “The goal is to win the tournament.”

The EIWA field will look significantly different at this year’s tournament. Due to the Ivy League’s decision not to participate in winter sports, two of last year’s top five teams will not be competing at this season’s event. In total, nine programs will be in action on Friday, and Binghamton has a chance to earn a team championship for the first time.

“I think we could win the championship,” Borshoff said. “I think if we finish fifth, I certainly will be disappointed and I know the guys on the team will be disappointed. I think we have a chance to win, and I certainly think we have a chance to finish in the top three.”

The Bearcats finished sixth in last season’s 17-team tournament, and redshirt junior Lou DePrez won the team’s second-ever individual championship, taking the 184-pound title.

Ranked No. 3 in the country, DePrez enters the bracket as the top seed in his weight class and as a heavy favorite to defend his title.

“At the end of the day, he’s ranked third in the country but until we finish the national championship it doesn’t really matter a whole lot,” Borshoff said. “I know that [DePrez’s] goal is to be a national champion.”

Last season, DePrez was one of two Bearcats to qualify for nationals, only to lose the chance to compete due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was named an All-American, and is expected to earn another chance at the NCAA tournament this season.

“My goals are always the same, I want to be a national champion,” DePrez said. “If I get that opportunity, I’m gonna take advantage of it.”

Redshirt junior Zack Trampe also earned an NCAA bid last season, and he enters this year’s EIWA championship seeded second at 141 pounds. With five NCAA allocations at his weight, Trampe seems to have a good chance of qualifying for the third straight year.

Outside of DePrez and Trampe, the Bearcats have a number of new wrestlers that have made an impact on this team this season. Junior Anthony Sobotker, a former junior college All-American, enters his first postseason event as a Division I wrestler seeded third at 133 pounds.

“I’m really excited, it’s something I’ve been working for my whole life, to get on this stage,” Sobotker said. “Now I’m here and ready to showcase my talents.”

The success of true freshmen has been a major storyline for BU this season, with Brevin Cassella and Micah Roes both entering the postseason undefeated at 4-0. Cassella is seeded fourth at 165 pounds with five NCAA bids available, and Roes is fifth at 125 pounds with three bids on the line.

“Those guys are excited; they’re fired up and they should be,” Borshoff said. “They both have really good shots at making it through to the national championships this season.”

Sophomore Jacob Nolan also enters the bracket undefeated, as the No. 4 seed at 174 pounds. At 285 pounds, redshirt junior Joe Doyle will make his season debut after missing Binghamton’s four dual meets. The veteran heavyweight has placed in both of his previous EIWA appearances.

Rounding out Binghamton’s 10-man lineup, junior Michael Zarif will represent the team at 149 pounds, redshirt junior Matt Swanson will compete at 157 pounds and sophomore Sam DePrez at 197 pounds.

Due to cancellations by their opponents, the Bearcats have not competed since Jan. 30 against Lehigh. In a season with limited dual meets and no regular season tournaments, it’s been an unorthodox road to the EIWAs.

“We’re preparing for championships the same way we’ve prepared for our dual meets so far this year,” Borshoff said. “We’re training hard, we’re talking about we need to be doing when the match starts, we’re talking about how we have to be closing matches out. We’ve been focusing a lot on situational things, being in specific scenarios.”

The 117th EIWA Championships will be held off campus for the first time in its history. The one-day tournament will be held on Friday, Feb. 26 at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex in Manheim, Pennsylvania.