Last season, the Binghamton University wrestling team made history when it set a program Division I record with 14 dual meet wins.
That record didn’t stand for long.
The Bearcats won a pair of dual meets at Old Dominion University on Sunday, besting University of North Carolina at Greensboro 31-10 before disposing of host Old Dominion 29-10 in the team’s final Colonial Athletic Association dual of the season. The wins brought Binghamton’s record to 15-6 (5-0 CAA) for the year.
Not only are the 15 wins a new program D-I record, but the mark also ties the all-time program record, which was set in 1974-75, when the team went 15-3. The win is the Bearcats’ first over Old Dominion during Binghamton head coach Pat Popolizio’s tenure with the program.
“[Sunday] was by far our best performance of the year as a team overall,” Popolizio said. “We wrestled a pretty competitive Old Dominion team, and it’s turning into a nice rivalry with a lot of intensity. Our guys were ready for the challenge; they fought in every single match. We got beat in the first two matches and then turned the table and won the next eight, so it was a huge victory in my eyes.”
The Monarchs’ two wins came from their nationally ranked seniors. No. 4 James Nicholson pinned Binghamton sophomore Derek Steeley at 125 pounds and No. 12 Kyle Hutter recorded a 24-9 technical fall over BU sophomore Dan Riggi, staking ODU to a 10-0 lead.
From then on, Binghamton took complete control of the dual. Senior Anwar Goeres (141 pounds), junior Matt Kaylor (157), senior Ryan McGarity (174) and sophomores Nate Schiedel (No. 17 at 184), John Paris (197) and Cody Reed (285) all won by decision. Sophomore Donnie Vinson, ranked No. 11 at 149 pounds, recorded a technical fall and junior Justin Lister (165) pinned his opponent in the first period to give the Bearcats bonus points.
The Bearcats lost the first two bouts against UNC-Greensboro as well, but won the next seven bouts before losing at heavyweight to secure the victory. Vinson now has a 20-1 dual meet record. He’s the second wrestler in program history to reach 20 dual meet wins — Josh Patterson had 24 during the 2008-09 season. Schiedel improved his overall record to 31-6. He’s the first Bearcat to eclipse 30 wins this season.
All five of Binghamton’s returning NCAA qualifiers, along with McGarity, went 2-0 on the day.
“The big thing with those guys is experience,” Popolizio said. “They know how the season works, they know what’s important, they know at the end of the year we’ve got to be wrestling our best, we’ve got to be focused, we’ve got to be sharp and we’ve got to be in shape … that’s what they did [Sunday] and that’s what we’re going to continue to do from now until the national tournament.”
Paris, who had wrestled in just seven dual meets prior to Sunday, was also 2-0 for the day. Popolizio feels Paris has made vast strides since the season began and as a result of his performance, he could earn a spot in the CAA tournament.
“[Paris has] improved a ton since the beginning of the season,” Popolizio said. “That goes back to his hard work and dedication he puts into the sport and this program … The way he’s wrestling right now he’s earned himself the right to compete for a spot [in the CAA tournament] so we have to sit down and evaluate what’s going to be the best lineup for the conference tournament.”
Lister recorded his fifth and sixth pins of the season on Sunday and he seems to be regaining the form he displayed last season when he made his run to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. Things weren’t looking good for Lister in mid-January at the CAA duals when he lost all three of his matches. Since then, however, he won the 165-pound crown at the New York State Championships on Jan. 23. After dropping a tight 5-3 decision to Cornell’s Justin Kerber, who’s ranked No. 5 at 165 pounds, Lister defeated then-No. 9 Andrew Sorenson of Iowa State, which spawned his current six-match winning streak. With roughly a month remaining in the season, Lister is putting himself in another big run at the NCAA tournament.
“Justin Lister is a competitor,” Popolizio said. “When you’ve been there and done that, it’s hard to put the whole season in front of you, but the end is in sight now, and this is where he gets excited, this is where he gets fired up to compete. The more that’s on the line, the better he’ll be. I know he’ll be at his A-game at the right time and he does too.”
The Bearcats have one dual meet left on the docket. They’re scheduled to host East Stroudsburg University at 7 p.m. Friday at the West Gym. A victory would break the program’s all-time record for dual meet wins in a single season, which would serve as a testament to the continued improvement the wrestling program has experienced since Popolizio took over as head coach.
“We’ve made some huge strides,” Popolizio said. “It’s everybody that’s connected to this program. After a couple of years here, we found the right kids in the program that bought into what we’re doing. Binghamton University’s support has been wonderful, the alumni have been wonderful. It’s kind of a perfect storm coming together, and these guys deserve to have that under their belt. These kids took a chance on this program a couple of years ago, and now they know it was the right decision, there’s no second-guessing that. I think it will be important for all the people connected to this program.”