“Overall it was an outstanding performance from all five of our guys,” sixth-year head coach Pat Popolizio said. “They all went .500 or better. I was extremely impressed with Donnie and Nick. For Nick as a true freshman to become an All-American, just shows his great potential. What a way to start his career! Donnie’s performance summed up our season ... he showed the heart, fight and will to win. Watching him win seven straight matches was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever witnessed as a coach. Words can’t describe how difficult it is to come all the way back like that, both mentally and physically. All these guys believe in what we’re about as a program and to get two All-Americans and finish in the top-15 as a team meets our goals for this season.”
Heading into the evening finals, the Bearcats finished 14th place with 36.0 points. Popolizio and his staff produced two All-Americans for the first time and now have four All-Americans in the last four years. Binghamton’s five qualifiers went a combined 18-10 at the championship.
In the high-scoring match against Tessari, Vinson scored four takedowns in the first period to forge ahead 8-4. He built riding time in the first period and added a reversal in the second period while maintaining his riding edge. A Tessari takedown at the second-period buzzer tightened the score at 10-9. Vinson escaped to start the third but was hit with a stall point, bringing the margin to 11-10 in the closing seconds. In the final five seconds, Vinson withstood a strong Tessari attack at the edge of the mat and with the riding time finished off a 12-10 win.
Vinson finished his junior season with a 40-5 record and will bring 99 career wins into his senior season (99-24).
In his 7th-8th place match, freshman heavyweight Nick Gwiazdowski ran into a tough seventh-seed in Jeremy Johnson of Ohio and dropped an 11-5 decision. Gwiazdowski was tied 3-3 late in the first period before Johnson scored a takedown and secured riding time in the first. Johnson added a takedown in the second and another in the third for the final 6-point margin. Gwiazdowski finished his impressive rookie season with a 30-9 record, including five wins at the NCAAs.
He was the only “true” freshman All-American at heavyweight and one of just six “true” freshmen All-Americans at the entire championship.
Vinson and Gwiazdowski will take part in the prestigious “Parade of All-Americans” and podium presentations in the evening session.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now