"We knew we were in for a fight today," head coach Matt Dernlan said. "We came out to the midwest to wrestle a school in a power conference and when we took the mat today we won every tough fight and every tough situation. We did a good job dictating our style of play and imposing our will on our opponents."
Bearcats Roll Over Indianapolis
Binghamton walked away with three pins and two majors leading to a 35-7 start at the IU Duals. Junior Steven Bulzomi set the pace for the match, taking a 15-8 win over D.J. Smith at 125 pounds. Redshirt senior Jake Nicholson followed suit, winning by pin at 6:38 over Ana Abduljelil to put the Bearcats at a 9-0 lead.
Binghamton saw back to back pins from redshirt sophomore Tristan Rifanburg (4:38) and redshirt junior Vincent DePrez (2:35), jumping to a solid 24-3 lead. Feeding off the momentum, redshirt junior Anthony Lombardo took a 12-3 major over Luke Kreich before senior Steve Schneider took a 6-1 decision over Brody Conner.
Redshirt junior Mark Tracy scored the final team points of the match with a 12-3 major over Brian Wagner, securing a 35-7 win.
Hoosiers Who?
Starting at 125 for the Bearcats, redshirt junior Joe Nelson fought his way to a 9-7 win over Elijah Oliver to put Binghamton up early 3-0. Nicholson followed, defeating Garrett Pepple 9-4 and giving the Bearcats a 6-0 lead.
The Hoosiers were able to take one back, as No. 16 Cole Weaver won a 6-1 decision over redshirt junior Joe Russ, cutting the lead in half. In an exciting bout at 149 pounds between Garcia and Davey Tunon, Garcia extended the match to sudden victory before winning 4-2 and pushing Binghamton to a 9-3 lead.
From there, the Bearcats went on the win five of its last six matches with two bonus point wins. Lombardo won by pin over No. 25 Gabe Koontz at 2:42 before Calkins picked up a tech fall at 4:17 (17-1) over Zach Horwitz to push Binghamton to a 29-6 total-team effort win over the B1G Hoosiers.
"As we grow as a team, we raise the level with our competition" Dernlan said. "It's week three and we have already taken on two B1G opponents. We knew if we came out here today and wrestled our best that it would be ours for the taking. I think I was most impressed that the guys weren't contentious. It doesn't matter what the singlet says, what school you're from or what you're ranked. The only thing we can control is our attitude and our effort. And we brought the best fight I've seen in five years and I think this is a great stepping stone for the program."
One More for the Road
The Bearcats finished their sweep of the IU Duals with a 28-13 win over Eastern Michigan, winning seven out of ten bouts. Bulzomi advanced to 2-0 on the day, winning his match 6-4 over Tomas Gutierrez. At 133, Nicholson won by medical forfeit, putting the Bearcats up 9-0.
Binghamton saw back to back bonus point wins, as Garcia won by major 11-0 over Kyle Springer before Rifanburg won by pin at 3:21 over J.J. Wolfe, his second of the day. With a 19-4 lead, DePrez took the mat against Zac Carson, earning an escape late in the third period combined with ride time to pull out an exciting 4-3 win. The Bearcats saw final wins from Lombardo (11-4) and Schneider (3-1) leading to a 28-13 victory to end the day.
"We've been talking about consistency a lot lately," Dernlan said. "We want to replicate our performances and efforts day in and day out. We didn't get caught up in the good outcomes of the matches we wrestled against Indiana, which is a good thing. They went out, did what they needed to do, and got mentally ready for the next match. They finished the job."
Back on the Road
The Bearcats have a quick turnaround, as they start travel on Wednesday, November 29 to Las Vegas. Binghamton will wrestle in the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational December 1-3.
RESULTS
Binghamton Bearcats (1-1) vs. Indianapolis Greyhounds (0-2)
125: Steven Bulzomi (BU) dec. D.J. Smith (UI) 15-8
133: Jake Nicholson (BU) pinned Ana Abduljelil (UI) 6:38
141: Angelo Robles (UI) dec. Joe Russ (BU) 7-5
149: Frankie Garcia (BU) dec. Elliott Molloy (UI) 3-1
157: Tristan Rifanburg (BU) pinned Heath Lange (UI) 4:38
165: Vincent DePrez (BU) pinned J.D. Waters (UI) 2:35
174: Anthony Lombardo (BU) maj. dec. Luke Kriech (UI) 12-3
184: #14 Steve Schneider (BU) dec. Brody Conner (UI) 6-1
197: Mark Tracy (BU) maj. dec. Brian Wagner (UI) 12-3
285: Dylan Faulkenberg (UI) maj. dec. Connor Calkins (BU) 15-4
Indiana Hoosiers (2-1) vs. Binghamton Bearcats (2-1)
125: Joe Nelson (BU) dec. Elijah Oliver (IU) 9-7
133: Jake Nicholson (BU) dec. Garrett Pepple (IU) 9-4
141: #16 Cole Weaver (IU) dec. Joe Russ (BU) 6-1
149: Frankie Garcia (BU) dec. Davey Tunon (IU) SV-1 4-2
157: Jake Danishek (IU) dec. Tristan Rifan burg (BU) SV-1 11-9
165: Vincent DePrez (BU) dec. Bryce Martin (IU) 9-4
174: Anthony Lombardo (BU) pinned Gabe Koontz (IU) 2:42
184: #14 Steve Schneider (BU) dec. Norman Conley (IU) 4-1
197: Mark Tracy (BU) dec. Jake Hinz (IU) 8-3
285: Connor Calkins (BU) tech. fall Zach Horwitz (IU) 17-1 (4:17)
Binghamton Bearcats (3-1) vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles (3-3)
125: Steven Bulzomi (BU) dec. Tomas Gutierrez (EMU) 6-4
133: Jake Nicholson (BU) INJ def. Noah Gonser (EMU) INJ
141: Sa'Derian Perry (EMU) maj. dec. Joe Russ (BU) 12-2
149: Frankie Garcia (BU) maj. dec. Kyle Springer (EMU) 11-0
157: Tristan Rifan burg (BU) pinned J.J. Wolfe (EMU) 3:21
165: Vincent DePrez (BU) dec. Zac Carson (EMU) 4-3
174: Anthony Lombardo (BU) dec. Andrew McNally (EMU) 11-4
184: #14 Steve Schneider (BU) dec. Kayne McCallum (EMU) 3-1
197: Derek Hillman (EMU) dec. Mark Tracy (BU) 9-3
285: #16 Gage Hutchison (EMU) pinned Connor Calkins (BU) 1:42
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