Binghamton Binghamton, NY
  By John Hartrick - jhartri@binghamton.edu

Cornell & Binghamton Win
Conference Team Championships 

Two of New York States NCAA Division 1 programs won their Conference Championships over the week-end in a dominating fashion with Cornell University winning the EIWA and Binghamton winning the CAA Championships.

Cornell, led by Troy Nickerson, 2009 NCAA Champion and a 3 time NCAA All-American and Kyle Dake, the freshman phenom who has had an unbelievable inaugural season on his way to an EIWA Championship. Both are products of New York State high school wrestling.  

Cornell qualified 8 wrestlers going forward and with some help from other teams "picking" off one or two Iowa wrestlers along the way, they have a legitimate shot to win the NCAA Team Championship.

Binghamton University,  led by NCAA All-American Josh Patterson, will go to Omaha with 5 qualifiers all from New York State High Schools.

It is quite a feat for Binghamton University!  Special kudos to Pat Popolizio and his staff for building a great program in a few short years with New York State wrestlers. 

All of us in the State are proud of all our NCAA D1, D3 teams & Jr. College teams. 

If we keep our good ones in-State with fan and alumni financial support, college wrestling will flourish in the New York State.

A small group of people are targeting Stony Brook University, Sullivan County Community College and Orange County Community College for the consideration of adding wrestling in the very near future. If there is anyone interested in helping, please contact me at: albevi@optonline.net
Binghamton U. wrestling program: >From ashes to brimming with confidence

Five NCAA qualifiers for league champ Bearcats

It was October 21, 2003, the darkest day in Binghamton University wrestling history.
That was when BU president Lois B. DeFleur announced she would follow through on then-athletic director Joel Thirer's recommendation to eliminate the wrestling program following the 2003-04 season for financial reasons.

A day that makes what occurred this past weekend in Lawrenceville, N.J. all the more remarkable.
Less than seven years since DeFleur's announcement, and in only its fifth season since the program was reinstated for the 2005-06 season, the BU wrestling team captured the Colonial Athletic Association championship on Saturday. It was the program's first Division I conference title.
In the process, BU had a school-record five wrestlers quality for the NCAA Championships March 18-20 in Omaha, Neb.-- Anwar Goeres at 141 pounds, Donnie Vinson (149 pounds), Justin Lister (157), Josh Patterson (174) and Nate Schiedel (184).

"I knew with the coaching staff we had, we'd bring success," said fourth-year coach Pat Popolizio, the third head man since the program became Division I in 2001. "To do it in the time frame that we've done it, it depended on the guys we brought in. Obviously, they've bought into what we've tried to do, and it's been amazing to see these guys pan out the way they've done it."I think the biggest thing is we didn't cut any corners. We put in more work than most teams were willing to do. There are teams out there that are better than us, but few that will outwork us."

The decision to reinstate BU's wrestling team was made in September 2004 following intense lobbying by alumni and other supporters, as well as additional funding for the program through the SUNY system.

Since then, BU has made gradual strides upward. Last year's fourth-place finish at the CAA Championships was BU's highest to that point, and after a 2009-10 regular season that included an impressive 14-7-2 dual-meet record, the Bearcats were expected to be in the hunt for this year's title.
BU wasn't just in the hunt Saturday, it won in relatively decisive fashion. With a tournament-high four individual champions -- Patterson, Goeres, Lister and Schiedel -- BU finished with 87 1/2 points to runner-up Old Dominion's 73 points in the eight-team tournament.

"I wasn't surprised with the way we performed, we've been training for a year for this time of year," Popolizio said. "But I was impressed that the pressure did not get to these guys."

Patterson, who earned Most Outstanding Wrestler honors following his 16-6 title-match victory over top-seeded Bagna Tovuujav of George Mason University, was ecstatic to have the opportunity to celebrate not only individual success, but team success as well.

"I remember my first year here (in 2006-07), things were just starting out," said Patterson, the lone senior among BU's five automatic NCAA qualifiers. "Going out with a team title, along with an individual title, it's awesome.

"It's just incredible how far we've come."

Vinson qualified for the NCAA Championships by virtue of his runner-up finish at the CAAs.
Though the redshirt freshman wasn't particularly happy with his performance last weekend -- Vinson lost in the 149 final to Rider's Mike Kessler, 8-5 -- he was obviously pleased with BU's team championship.

A championship he anticipated only a couple of years ago, when as a Whitney Point High senior he decided to attend BU.

"One of the reasons I came here was to be part of something like this," Vinson said. "I knew (the guys) that were signing. I could see this coming, and I'm glad I made the right decision."
Popolizio is hopeful of building upon last weekend's success, not only in two weeks at the NCAA Championships but beyond. He cites the fact that four of the five NCAA qualifiers, freshmen Vinson and Schiedel, sophomore Lister and junior Goeres, will be back next season.
As for his expectations for Omaha?

"I'd like to have multiple All-Americans and finish in the top 25 (teamwise)," said Popolozio of the NCAA Championships. The top eight finishers in each weight class earn All-American honors.
"Our ultimate goal is to produce national champions," Popolozio said. "I think Josh has the experience and talent to win it this year. The other guys, it's their first time being there, but they have the ability to place."
Binghamton 2009-10 Wrestling Schedule



DATE
OPPONENT
TIME/RESULT


NOVEMBER
15 Sun.
BRUTE/BINGHAMTON OPEN (Events Center)
9 a.m.

21 Sat. 
@ Cornell Body Bar
9 a.m.

22 Sun.
SPRAWL & BRAWL w/ Michigan State, Davidson
9 a.m.

28 Sat. 
@ Northeast Duals w/ Nebraska, Northern Colorado, North Carolina, Appalachian State (held in Clifton Park, N.Y.)
9 a.m.


DECEMBER
6 Sun.
@ Penn State Open
9 a.m.

12 Sat.
LIBERTY/PRINCETON/MERCHANT MARINE ACAD.
1 p.m.

28 Mon.- 
@ Midlands Championship and @ Wilkes Open
9 a.m.
29 Tue.

 

JANUARY
3 Sun.
@ Buffalo
5 p.m.

9 Sat.
@ Penn
2 p.m.

16 Sat.
@ CAA Duals in Fairfax, Va.
9 a.m.

22 Fri.-
@ New York State Championship
9 a.m.

23 Sat.
hosted by Cornell
9 a.m.

29 Fri.
AMERICAN
7 p.m.

31 Sun.
vs. Boston Univ. and Ithaca in Clifton Park, N.Y.
1 p.m.


FEBRUARY
6 Sat.
HOFSTRA/COLUMBIA
noon/5 p.m.
11 Thu.
@ East Stroudsburg
7 p.m.

14 Sun.
GEORGE MASON
2 p.m.

19 Fri.
@ Oklahoma State
7 p.m.


MARCH
5 Fri.-
@ CAA Championship
10 a.m.

6 Sat.
hosted by Rider in Lawrenceville, N.J.
10 a.m.

18 Thu.-
@ NCAA Championship
10 a.m.

20 Sat.
at Nebraska-Omaha
 

Schedule also on http://www.bubearcats.com/sports/wrest/schedule.html

Binghamton Wrestling Signs Four Scholastic Athletes to NLIs
New York State runnerup Vinson from Whitney Point heads quartet

VESTAL, N.Y. -- Binghamton wrestling has signed four high school athletes to National Letters of Intent, head coach Pat Popolizio announced Thursday. Set to join BU's program in 2008-09 are Donnie Vinson (Whitney Point, N.Y.), Nate Scheidel (Caledonia, N.Y.), Carl Korpi (Miller Place, N.Y.) and Drew Bloss (Cornwall, N.Y.).
"This is our best recruiting class," Popolizio said.


Heading the class is Vinson from nearby Whitney Point. Vinson was a New York State runnerup, and a Cadet Freestyle National Champion. As a junior, he went 38-3. He is a five-time ASICS All American, and was ranked the No. 62 recruit in the nation by Intermat. Vinson is expected to compete at 149 pounds.
Scheidel is a two-time state placewinner who went 45-1 last season. He took third at the state championship twice, and is a three-time ASICS All-American. A top 250 recruit according to Intermat, Scheidel will likely compete at 184.


"Getting two recruits of this caliber shows just how much progress we have made," Popolizio said. "We got the best local athlete and a blue chipper from New York - two of our main focuses."
Korpi placed fourth at the NHSCA Junior Nationals last spring, and will compete at 197. Bloss, a Section I champion, is also signed at 125.