With the postseason on the horizon, now is the time for the Binghamton wrestling team to hit its stride and gain momentum. The team did just that this weekend, closing out January on a high note with two dominant victories.
“It was all about establishing momentum this weekend,” BU head coach Matt Dernlan said. “As we head into the last month of the season, as we get into our peaking phase of the season, these are the types of tendencies you want to see.”
On Saturday, the Bearcats (9-5, 5-3 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association) got the ball rolling with a 36-6 win over Ithaca. Not to be underestimated because of their NCAA classification, the ninth-ranked Division III Bombers (11-5) jumped out early with a pin at the 125-pound weight class. However, that proved to be the only taste of defeat on the day for BU as it rattled off nine straight wins to take the match.
Providing a boost to his team, junior 133-pounder Jacob Nicholson pinned his opponent to even the score at six. Nicholson’s win was matched by redshirt junior Dylan Caruana’s 7-3 overtime victory at 141 pounds. The win gave the Bearcats a 9-6 lead that they would not relinquish. In total, BU racked up seven decision victories and two pins, with the second win by fall coming from senior Jack McKeever in the 174-pound weight class.
Returning to action the next day against Sacred Heart (1-11, 0-7 EIWA) the Bearcats showed no signs of fatigue — rattling off nine consecutive victories against the Pioneers. Binghamton started slowly when freshman Steve Bulzomi dropped the opener, 14-4, at 125 pounds. The loss would not prove too critical of a hit to the Bearcats, however, as Jacob Nicholson followed the loss with a strong bout in the 133-pound match. Nicholson smooth sailed from the initial whistle, racking up near-fall points on his way to a 19-0 victory by technical fall. In key moments, Nicholson delivered this weekend, not only winning his matches, but giving his team critical bonus points.
Redshirt junior Dylan Caruana again continued the winning ways for the Bearcats at 141 pounds, earning a 12-6 defeat of Sacred Heart sophomore Alex Harnsberger. Next up for BU was freshman 149-pounder Jesse Dellavecchia who delivered the first of two pins on the day for Binghamton. He immediately jumped out to a commanding, 6-0, lead over Sacred Heart freshman Chris Cornell and would tally on an additional four points en-route to a pin at 2:07.
Binghamton’s aggressive approach in its matches was no fluke. The success is attributed to the wrestlers buying into the philosophy preached by Binghamton head coach Matt Dernlan.
“If you are going to have success in March, you are going to have to go out and score points,” Dernlan said. “You can’t sit around, wait around and hope something good happens.”
The only ones hoping for something good to happen were the Pioneers, but the DePrez brothers crushed those hopes. In the 157-pound bout, sophomore Vincent DePrez took care of business, never trailing and beating his opponent by a score of 8-2. The 165-pound match highlighted one of the best performances of the day for Binghamton. Sophomore Anthony DePrez mirrored his brother’s victory with a stellar showing of his own, pinning Sacred Heart junior Matt Fisher at 1:45.
With two takedowns in the first minute of the match, Jack McKeever rattled his opponent in the 174-pound match and set the tone early. Controlling the entire way, McKeever collected a 12-4 major decision for the Bearcats and extended the team’s overall lead to, 27-4. The final three matches of the day followed a similar pattern — all Binghamton wins, clinching the match and a 38-4 defeat of Sacred Heart.
Bonus points and wins summed up the strong weekend for Binghamton. In total, out of 20 matches, BU won 18 of them. Hand in hand with the 18 wins were 11 bonus-point wins, representing a standout all-around effort.
“Separating ourselves and [winning] when the opportunity presents itself,” Dernlan said of the weekend. “[It was] a very complete effort by the guys.”
The Bearcats are set to return to action on Friday night at home against American. First match is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the West Gym in Vestal, New York.