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


Binghamton Wrestling Prepping for Season

Pat Popolizio's Binghamton Bearcats in Top 25, Talks to Takedown Wrestling

TROY, N.Y.-Binghamton wresting (6-0) rolled to four wins at the Northeast Duals at Hudson Valley Community College on Saturday, tying the school record for consecutive wins to start a season. The Bearcats defeated Purdue (24-15), Army (20-13), Arizona State (28-15) and Eastern Michigan (22-12) to equal the start set by the 1979-80 squad.

Binghamton won six bouts against Big Ten member Purdue, which like BU is "receiving votes" in the latest NWCA/USA Today poll and returns an All-American and four NCAA qualifiers. The biggest win was recorded by junior 149-pound No. 10 Donnie Vinson, who dismantled the nation's sixth-ranked wrestler, Ivan Lopouchanski, 18-2 in a technical fall. Vinson went 4-0 on the day with the tech fall and two major decisions. He improved to 9-1 overall, 6-0 in duals.

Senior 157-pound Justin Lister, No. 6 in the Intermat poll, also went 4-0. Lister pinned his Purdue opponent in 3:33 and added another pin - in 6:57 against Arizona State. He is 10-1 overall, 6-0 in duals. Sophomore 197-pound Cody Reed also went 4-0, earning a major decision against Purdue and three other decisions. He is 7-1 overall.

"It was a great day for our program," sixth-year head coach Pat Popolizio said. "The Purdue win was the biggest dual win in my tenure here and one of the biggest in program history. Our guys showed a lot of fight and will ... we won almost every close match and everyone really stepped up. I couldn't be more proud of the guys and the direction we are headed. Donnie, Justin and Cody were excellent today and Joe Bonaldi showed lot of promise. He's getting better every time he steps on the mat."

The Bearcats next compete at Princeton on December 3 and at the Penn State Open on December 4.

Binghamton 24, Purdue 15

125 - Derek Steeley (BU) dec. Camden Eppert (Purdue), 13-11, ot
133 - Matt Fields (Purdue) maj. dec. Patrick Hunter (BU), 11-0
141 - Joe Bonaldi (BU) dec. Brandon Nelsen (Purdue), 6-4, ot
149 - No. 10 Donnie Vinson (BU) tech fall No. 6 Ivan Lopouchanski (Purdue), 18-2, 4:17
157 - No. 6 Justin Lister (BU) pinned Tommy Churchard (Purdue), 3:33
165 - Kyle Mosier (Purdue) dec. Matt Kaylor (BU), 11-7
174 - Drake Stein (Purdue) maj. dec. Caleb Wallace (BU), 14-6
184 - Braden Atwood (Purdue) maj. dec. No. 20 Nate Schiedel (BU), 15-3
197 - Cody Reed (BU) maj. dec. Justin Dinius (Purdue), 10-2
Hwt - Nick Gwiazdowski (BU) dec. Roger Vukobratovich (Purdue), 3-2

Binghamton 20, Army 13

125 - Scott Filbert (ARMY) dec. Derek Steeley (BU), 10-7
133 - Patrick Hunter (BU) dec. David White (ARMY), 6-1
141 - Connor Hanafee (ARMY) dec. Joe Bonaldi (BU), 3-1
149 - No. 10 Donnie Vinson (BU) dec. Daniel Young (ARMY), 17-10
157 - No. 6 Justin Lister (BU) dec. James Rafferty (ARMY), 8-2
165 - Matt Kaylor (BU) maj. dec. Coleman Gracey (ARMY), 20-9
174 - Ryan Tompkins (ARMY) dec. Joe Chamish (BU), 6-3
184 -No. 20 Nate Schiedel (BU) maj. dec. Michael Gorman (ARMY), 14-0
197 - Cody Reed (BU) dec. Daniel Mills (ARMY), 7-3
Hwt - Curtis Garner (ARMY) maj. dec. Tyler Deuel (BU), 20-7
 
Binghamton 28, Arizona State 15

125 - Dalton Miller (ASU) dec. Derek Steeley (BU), 6-3
133 - Patrick Hunter (BU) pinned Shane McGough (ASU), 5:40
141 - Nathan Hoffer (ASU) dec. Joe Bonaldi (BU), 10-4
149 - No. 10 Donnie Vinson (BU) maj. dec. Victor DeJesus (ASU), 10-0
157 - No. 6 Justin Lister (BU) pinned Kyle DeBerry (ASU), 6:57
165 - Matt Kaylor (BU) pinned Hans Rasmusson (ASU), 0:37
174 - Eric Starks (ASU) pinned Caleb Wallace (BU), 3:50
184 -No. 20 Nate Schiedel (BU) dec. Kevin Radford (ASU),4-3
197 - Cody Reed (BU) dec. Tommy Burriel (ASU), 9-7
Hwt - No. 11 Levi Cooper (ASU) dec. Nick Gwiazdowski (BU), 9-6

Binghamton 22, Eastern Michigan 12

125 - Jared Germaine (Eastern Michigan) dec. Derek Steeley (BU), 5-1
133 - Andrew Novak (Eastern Michigan) pinned Brian St. James (BU), 2:36
141 - Joe Bonaldi (BU) dec. Corey Phillips (Eastern Michigan), 10-8 ot
149 - No. 10 Donnie Vinson (BU) maj. dec. Jaylyn Bohl (Eastern Michigan), 10-0
157 - No. 6 Justin Lister (BU) dec. Aaron Sulzer (Eastern Michigan), 8-4
165 - Matt Kaylor (BU) dec. Lester France (Eastern Michigan), 9-5
174 - Phillip Joseph (Eastern Michigan) dec. Caleb Wallace (BU), 6-0
184 -No. 20 Nate Schiedel (BU) dec. Khodar Hoballah(Eastern Michigan), 4-0
197 - Cody Reed (BU) dec. Nick Whitenburg (Eastern Michigan), 3-1
Hwt - Nick Gwiazdowski (BU) dec. Wesley Schroeder (Eastern Michigan), 3-1

The wrestling team has just finished their 2010/2011 preseason! Guys worked hard, gutting out morning and afternoon practices. For their hard-work, the team got four days off! They will be back to practice on Tuesday October, 26th to begin the season.

The preseason consisted of morning runs and lifts, with Monday and Friday sprints, and Wednesday jogs. The afternoon was more focused on guys drilling on their own, making their weaknesses their strength. For the end of the session, the team would wrestle live goes.

The season will be much more structured, with varying morning workouts, consisting of drilling and lifting; with the afternoon practices focusing more on team drilling. We will then break down drill sessions to focus on each individual and improve on what they do best. From there, the team will begin live wrestling. This wrestling will vary from long grind matches, to short 30 second bursts. Our goal is to peak in March for Nationals, so workouts will vary depending on the team looks and feels!

What's New?

· We are really starting to accomplish many of our goals for the year, including recruiting. Check out the latest article from Lighthouse Wrestling discussing some of the pieces that are coming together.

http://lighthousewrestling.com/2010/10/23/beary-beary-good-day-for-binghamton-top-recruit-in-nys-verbals-to-bearcats/

· We would like to send special congratulatory thanks to Matt Hamill, after his win over Tito Ortiz in UFC 121. Matt trained with some of the Binghamton Wrestlers to get ready for this fight, and gave a big shout-out to Binghamton Wrestling after the fight.

· Binghamton Wrestling has reserved 50 tickets for this year's Nationals in Philadelphia. The tickets will be ordered by a first-come first-serve basis. Reserve yours before it's too late! Attached is the form to reserve your tickets.

· Mark November 14th on your calendars! This is the Bearcats first match of the season, wrestling at home, in the World Wide Sports/Binghamton Open. If anyone would like to volunteer their time, we could use some help running the tournament.

· On November 21st, Binghamton will host the Sprawl and Brawl. The Bearcats will wrestle Michigan State and Eastern Michigan. Come watch the team wrestle at home, in their first dual-meet action of the year! If you are interested in volunteering your time, please let us know! Attached is the flyer containing more information.

· Please join us on Facebook. Join "Friends of Binghamton Wrestling" in order to get up-to-date information on training, behind-the-scenes video, and much more!

· A special thanks to the alumni who have already given their annual donations. This is a huge help financially. Your continued support is paying dividends to our success. For those who have not received information regarding giving to our program, you can click on the following link in-order to make a donation.

https://www.giving.binghamton.edu/Giving/index.asp?School=08 Make sure you mark wresting in the "if other" category and all your proceeds with come to Bearcats Wrestling.
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.