If No. 9 Christian Boley was hoping to redeem himself after last year’s upset, 197-pound senior Cody Reed didn’t allow him that opportunity.
In what was essentially a rematch of their 2013 bout, in which Reed upset then-No. 4 Boley of Maryland by one point, Binghamton’s senior opened his third year at the NCAAs in high style. Scoreless through its first period, the match charged up in the second. Reed took a one-point lead via an escape before Boley requited in the third to launch the two-time foes into overtime. But two escapes and one two-leg takedown later, Reed earned his advance to round two with a 3-1 win.
Reed continued on to face No. 8 Phil Wellington of Ohio in session two Thursday night. Wellington entered the bout having just edged out his unranked foe, 6-5, in session one. The intimacy of that match was not repeated. Reed dominated, recording a 4-0 decision to propel him into the quarterfinals, which begin at 11 a.m. today.
For Reed to reach the semifinals, he’ll have to stage the ultimate upset: The veteran wrestler’s quarterfinals match pits him against No. 1 Nick Heflin of Ohio State. Heflin faced Paul Rands of Navy, who suffered an injury 5:36 in, before advancing over Dan Scherer of Stanford in session two. The two-time All-American senior ended his final collegiate season on a 25-1 record and finished fifth in the NCAAs last year, when he entered at No. 8.
Binghamton’s other qualifier had a rocky first NCAA appearance. 125-pound junior David White fell, 5-1, in the first round Thursday night. No. 12 Tim Lambert of Nebraska led the whole way after nailing a takedown in the match’s opening seconds. White went on to face Corey Keener of Central Michigan in his pigtail consolation match later that night, winning by fall at the 2:34 mark. But a 10-5 loss to Nick Roberts of Ohio State in the first round of the consolation bracket put an end to White’s NCAA competition, which he finished with a 1-2 record.
The remaining six sessions continue through the weekend, with the championships being held on Saturday.