Despite registering three wins, the Binghamton wrestling team dropped seven bouts to host American and fell to 5-11 on the season with a 26-14 loss Sunday afternoon at the Bender Arena. Binghamton was coming off a narrow 21-18 loss to Old Dominion on Jan. 25.
American (5-5) got off to a torrid start on Sunday, winning five of their first six matchups. But Binghamton’s nationally ranked tandem of senior 149-pound Donnie Vinson and senior 197-pound Nate Schiedel overwhelmed their competitors once again, and junior 184-pound Cody Reed put forth an impressive effort of his own in his 5-3 win.
Vinson, who is ranked No. 4 in the latest InterMat poll, took care of his opponent in less than a minute for a first-period pin. The 50-second match gave Vinson his team-leading seventh pin of the season. It also extended his undefeated dual season as he improved to 26-1 overall with a 16-0 record in duals.
While his win over American junior Kevin Tao brought his career collegiate record to 125-25, Vinson’s 124th collegiate victory last week at Old Dominion broke the all-time school record. His former teammate Josh Patterson (2006-10) previously held the record with 123 career wins.
The fifth-ranked Schiedel, meanwhile, also dominated his foe on Sunday. Eighteen points in the second period led to a technical fall, improving Schiedel’s overall record to 23-2 while keeping his perfect dual season intact.
The win was Schiedel’s 113th career victory (113-30), moving him into third place all-time. He trails only Vinson and Patterson.
Binghamton’s third win of the day came from Reed, who posted a 5-3 decision to bring his season dual record to 8-8. Reed was fresh off a 5-3 overtime victory against redshirt freshman Austin Coburn of Old Dominion.
Next Sunday, the Bearcats are scheduled to host Colonial Athletic Association rival Hofstra at the West Gym. The Pride (5-13) recently lost to 10th-ranked Cornell on Feb. 2 by a score of 30-15. Before that, Hofstra was riding a three-game winning streak, with victories against George Mason, American and Cornell.
Hofstra’s top wrestler is 16th-ranked senior Steven Bonanno. Bonanno is 13-8 overall this season but lost last week to Big Red freshman Nahshon Garrett, who is ranked sixth in the country.
The Pride may be without senior 285-pound Paul Snyder, who suffered a knee injury in his matchup with Cornell freshman Jacob Aiken-Phillips, falling by injury default in the third period. Snyder, who has an 18-8 overall record (12-6 in duals) in 2012-13, had been riding a six-game winning streak.
With only two regular season matches remaining, Sunday’s contest against Hofstra will mark the final home event for Binghamton’s senior class, made up of Vinson, Schiedel, Derek Steeley, Dan Riggi and Patrick Hunter.
Action is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.