Bulls vs. Bearcats - 01.02.2012

Monday we wrestle Buffalo at Lancaster High School at 3PM.  They produced two wins in their last outing at the Buffalo Duals that saw them win those two dual meets by a combined score of 90-6.  Here is a look at their line-up.

125 – Max Soria is the starter after redshirting last season.  He has had a breakout year and is tied for second on the team with fifteen wins.  He is 15-8 and an impressive 7-1 in dual meets.  He placed 6^th at the Buffalo Open and 4^th at the Body Bar this year.  He chain wrestles well and has a variety of offensive attacks.

133 – Justin Farmer is coming off a redshirt year that saw him win over twenty matches.  Farmer is in his third year and has started in the past for Buffalo.  He currently has eight wins and finished 3^rd at the Buffalo Open this year.  His best shot is a sweep single to his opponents left leg and also has a good high crotch.  He will also try to create scrambles.

141 – Kevin Smith is a fifth-year senior and team leader.  He has been a multiple year captain and has over 100 collegiate wins.  He is a two-time National Qualifier and is nationally ranked.  He currently has the best win percentage on the team and the second most wins with a 15-3 record.  This season he finished 2^nd at both the Buffalo Open and at the Penn State Open.  He is very good in a tie-up with a lateral drop and looks to pancake his opponent on their shot.  He also is very good on top with riding legs.

149 – Buffalo has two good options at 149 pounds.  Chris Conti, a redshirt junior, has wrestled very well of late and has been starting.  He placed 4^th at the Penn State Open this year and has been in the UB starting line-up a lot in the last few years.  He is a very intelligent wrestler that can control the tempo of a match.  He shoots a low single and a high crotch on his feet.  On the mat, he rides legs and high halves very well.  The other wrestler that could start for Buffalo is Blake Roulo.  Roulo started the first part of the season for the Bulls.  Roulo was a highly touted recruit that was a top 40 recruit in the country and a four-time high school national champion.  This season, he placed 6^th at the Body Bar.  Conti and Roulo have seven and eight wins respectively.

157 – Dominic Montesanti is the starter for the Bulls.  He began the year at 165 pounds as the starter but moved down and is starting at 157 now.  He has five wins on the season, including a win over returning National Qualifier, Medved of Gardner-Webb.  He placed a strong 2^nd at the Buffalo Open.  He is funky and likes to scoot the corner on his opponent’s shots.  He is also tough on top with legs.

165 – Mark Lewandowski is a redshirt junior that is coming off a top twelve finish at the National Tournament last season.  He leads the team in wins with a 21-6 record.  He finished 3^rd at the Buffalo Open, 2^nd at the Body Bar, and 3^rd at the Penn State Open.  He is nationally ranked and has several quality wins this season.  He really likes to scramble and be underneath of his opponent in a front headlock.  On top, he is dangerous with a two-on-one tilt.

174 – Jake Waste dropped down to 174 Buffalo’s last competition.  Prior to that he was starting at 184 pounds.  He was ranked as high as a top 30 recruit in the country last year and won five different national titles in high school.  Waste placed 5^th at the Buffalo Open earlier this season and picked up a win over a top twenty-ranked 184 pounder, Rebertus of Navy.  He has nine wins so far this season.  He stays in good position and likes to hand fight as he comes from a strong Greco background.  Also, he rides legs on top.

184 – Zach Ward is starting for Buffalo after redshirting last year.  He has seen limited action this season with only nine matches under his belt.  He has wrestled almost all his matches at 184 pounds but has bumped all the way up to heavyweight this year.  He wrestles hard and moves forward.  He will try to take a lot of leg attacks.

197 – Justin Heiserman was a highly ranked recruit last year and was a three-time Michigan state finalist and two-time champion.  He was also a High School All-American.  He has seven wins on the season and placed 6^th at the Buffalo Open.  His best attack is a high single and he has a couple of pins this year as well.

HWT – Jedd Mason is back in the Buffalo line-up after an early season injury.  Mason is a redshirt junior and has been in and out of the starting line-up a lot over his career.  He finished 4^th at the Buffalo Open and has four wins in limited action.  He is a lanky heavyweight that likes to cradle on top.

We wish everyone a very safe and Happy New Year! 2012 looks to be a record-breaking year for the Bearcats and we're glad you're all along for the ride!

Throwback Thursday Episode 11: Kyle Fried

Kyle Fried wrestled from 2006-2008 and was a National Qualifier in 2008.  He was the first Bearcat to record a win at the National Tournament after the program was reinstated.

Ranking Roundup 12.28.11

The Roundup this week is pretty slim, as most polls were not updated because of the holiday break.  Intermat updated their rankings, and Seton Hall Pirate of forum fame did a set of mid-season rankings.

Intermat 12.27.11
BINGHAMTON #35
Donnie Vinson #7
Justin Lister #9

Seton Hall Pirate 12.27.11 Rankings (Sorry, no link here)
BINGHAMTON #14 (Dual Results)

Baby Bearcat

Congratulations to Dennis & Angela Papadatos on the arrival of their new baby boy!  Best wishes to your family! 

Two Minute Tuesday with Patrick Hunter: Episode 14

Coach Popolizio's Newsletter

The team was off last week for the holiday break.  Here is Coach Popolizio's most recent newsletter.


What’s New?

Binghamton University wrapped up its final competition of the semester in Reno this past weekend. The Bearcats had a solid showing at the Reno Tournament of Champions placing four out of the seven wresters in the Top-4. We finished fourth place overall, behind nationally ranked Oklahoma State (#2), Wyoming University (#13), and Oregon State (#11). Our team finished ahead of Cal Poly (#15), Stanford (#20), Ohio University (#32) and Air Force Academy (#34).

Reno Tournament of Champions:

The Bearcats were without three weight classes: 125, 141, and 174 lbs.

133: Patrick Hunter went 3-2 on the day and had some quality wins along the way. He made a couple of technical mistakes in his losses and we will continue to work on his technique over the winter break. Patrick continues to improve every time he steps on the mat.

149: Donnie Vinson went 4-1 on the day, beating his #19 ranked Michigan State opponent in the quarterfinals in overtime. In the semi-finals Donnie lost to his #5 ranked opponent from the Air Force Academy. After being ahead 4-0, Donnie got reversed and pinned in the 1st period. Donnie came back to win his next match and finished 4th on the day after medically defaulting for 3rd and 4th place.

157: Justin Lister went 4-1 on the day, beating his #17 ranked Michigan State opponent, 10-1. Justin had two falls on the day, putting him in the finals against a #15 ranked Boise State opponent. Justin scored the only points until the last 20 seconds of the match. There were some great scrambles and Justin came up on top. Unfortunately, in the last scramble of the match, Justin got taken down and put on his back, losing a 5-3 decision as time expired.

165: Matt Kaylor went 5-2 on the day. His first loss of the tournament was to the #6 ranked, returning All-American from Wyoming. Matt rallied, winning five matches in a row, beating the #2 and #4 seed of the tournament, who are both returning national-qualifiers. Matt finished 4th on the day after losing 6-1 to his Michigan State opponent.

184: Nate Schiedel had an impressive tournament finishing 5-2 on the day. Along the way he beat the #3 and #8 seeded wrestlers. Nate had two pins and two major decisions, dominating several of his wins.

197: Cody Reed finished at 3-2 on the day. In the first round of the day, he beat the wrestler who finished 5th at his weight. He lost a 3-4 match to the #5 ranked wrestler from Oklahoma State. Cody is making steady strides and is constantly improving.

Heavyweight: Nick Gwiazdowski went 3-2 on the day. He picked up a big win beating the #12 ranked wrestler in the country from Michigan State. Nick’s weight-class was stacked with many nationally ranked wrestlers. He dropped two close matches to the #2 and #11 ranked wrestlers in the country.

Coaches’ Corner:

“The number one objective for this trip was to travel to a different time zone and compete against nationally-ranked opponents in an attempt to simulate the national tournament. We were able to accomplish this and the team rose to the level of competition they were facing. As a team we brought back the 4th place trophy, a huge accomplishment at this level of competition. We had some minor injuries at the Reno tournament and elected to rest a few of our guys. Come January we expect to be 100% when we take on NY State rival, Buffalo.”

“The first semester has been very successful for our team. Every weight has faced top ranked competition at their weights. This will prepare us for next semester and eventually the national tournament.”

“As grades continue to come in, this appears to be our best semester in the class room. The majority of our student-athletes are posting above a 3.0 GPA.”

Tidbits:

Donnie Vinson is CAA Wrestler of the Month; Derek Heyman is Top Rookie:

http://www.bubearcats.com/index.php/new ... top_rookie

Matt Kaylor earns BU Athlete of the Week:

http://www.bubearcats.com/index.php/new ... ng_in_reno

Local newspaper article on Donnie Vinson and Justin Lister:

http://m.pressconnects.com/sports/artic ... 0361&f=965


Don’t forget to check out our blog with interviews and updates by Lyndsey Beasley and the coaching staff.

http://bearcatwrestling.blogspot.com/

Upcoming Events:

January 2nd: at Buffalo at 3pm

January 10th: Oklahoma University at the West Gym, at 7pm

January 15th: Cornell at the BU Events Center, at 5pm

There will be a wrestling social from 2-5pm in the Events Center prior to the match. Details to follow.

https://www.bconnectalumni.binghamton.e ... tID=1244--

Matt Kaylor: Binghamton Athlete of the Week

Also, check out this article about Donnie Vinson & Derak Heyman's CAA Honors.

Throwback Thursday Episode 10: Sal Desantis

Ranking Roundup 12.21.11

Below is this week's Ranking Roundup.  Links are provided to full sets of rankings.

CAA Rankings 12.20.11
DONNIE VINSON - WRESTLER OF THE MONTH
DERAK HEYMAN - ROOKIE OF THE MONTH
BINGHAMTON #2
Patrick Hunter #3
Donnie Vinson #2
Justin Lister #1
Matt Kaylor #3
Nate Schiedel #2
Cody Reed #3
Nick Gwiazdowski #2

NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll 12.20.11
BINGHAMTON #23

The Open Mat 12.19.11
BINGHAMTON #25
Donnie Vinson #6
Justin Lister #8
Nick Gwiazdowski #13

The Open Mat Mid-Major Team Ranking 12.21.11
BINGHAMTON #6

Intermat 12.20.11
BINGHAMTON #35 
Donnie Vinson #7
Justin Lister #9

D1 College Wrestling 12.20.11
Donnie Vinson #8
Justin Lister #10
Nate Schiedel #23
Nick Gwiazdowski #15

Wrestling Report D1 Rankings 12.19.11
BINGHAMTON #25
Donnie Vinson #7
Justin Lister #7
Matt Kaylor #22
Nate Schiedel #22
Cody Reed #25
Nick Gwiazdowski #16

Amateur Wrestling News 12.14.11
Donnie Vinson #6
Justin Lister #7

WIN Magazine 12.19.11
BINGHAMTON #31
Donnie Vinson #9
Justin Lister #7
Matt Kaylor #19
Nick Gwiazdowski #20

Two Minute Tuesday with Patrick Hunter: Episode 13

Week in Review - 12.19.11

We had a productive weekend at the Reno Tournament of Champions.  The team finished in a strong 4^th place behind Oklahoma State, Wyoming, and Oregon State.  I feel like 4^th is a pretty solid accomplishment for only bringing seven wrestlers.  Four wrestlers placed in the top four and two other wrestlers finished in the top eight.

Patrick Hunter is getting better and better.  He wrestled well this weekend overall going 3-2.  He lost one match that he was winning by giving up a five-point move in a scramble and it put him out of the match.  In his other loss, he did not wrestle his pace and did not get his offense going.  In all three wins, he set a good pace and wrestled well.  

Donnie Vinson is a little banged up and injury defaulted his third place match to a wrestler that he had beaten earlier in the tournament.  He went 4-1 on the day.  His only loss was to highly ranked VonOhlen of the Air Force.  In that match, he was ahead 4-0 before being caught on his back.  He was in a very tight position and fought it for about a minute before VonOhlen was able to get his shoulders down.  He picked up a solid win over former National Qualifier Osterman of Michigan State.  

Justin Lister cruised to the finals at 157 pounds on the strength of two pins, a 9-2 decision, and a 10-1 major decision.  His 10-1 win came over Anthony Jones of Michigan State.  Jones has finished in the top twelve of the NCAA National Tournament in the past.  In the finals, Lister was dominating his opponent 3-0 with twenty seconds left before being taken down to his back to lose 3-5.  Lister made a mistake at the end of the period.  It is better for him to make that mistake now than at the national tournament.  

Matt Kaylor went 4-2 on the weekend to place 4^th.  He got beat by two-time All-American, Onufer of Wyoming.  He picked up quality wins over national qualifier Cuthbertson of Boise State and Blevins of Appalachian State.  In his win over #12 nationally ranked Blevins, Kaylor picked up a pair of takedowns.  Kaylor wrestled well overall but was flat in his final match.  

Nate Schiedel was the ironman of the day wrestling seven matches and winning five of them.  He had two major decisions and two pins.  He had his best outing of the season and scored a couple of takedowns and reversals over #1 nationally ranked LeBlanc of Wyoming.  Schiedel showed that he can compete with anyone in the country and is coming on strong going into the second semester.  

Cody Reed finished 3-2 and in the top eight.  He beat McDiamid of Michigan State, who placed in the tournament.  He also beat the #3 ranked D2 wrestler in the country by seven points.  He lost by a single point to the #2 ranked Byers of Oklahoma State.  Reed is hard to beat when he wrestles with confidence and needs to believe in his ability.  Once he does this, he will have a huge breakthrough.  

Nick Gwiazdowski went 3-2 and finished top eight in probably the deepest weight class in the tournament.  Both of his losses were to All-Americans.  Gwiazdowski gave both of them too much respect in those matches.  He picked up a big win over the #12 nationally ranked McClure of Michigan State 6-4.  Overall it was a good weekend for the Bearcats.

Our next competition is not for a couple of weeks.  Watch for more updates this week as we will continue to update the blog over the Chirstmas Holidays.  Patrick Hunter will discuss Christmas tomorrow on Two Minute Tuesday.  Wednesday will be a rankings update.  Throughback Thursday will have a special guest.

Reno Tournament of Champions Preview

Sunday, we compete at the Reno Tournament of Champions.  It is a one day tournament with twenty-nine “teams” registered.  Based on the NWCA Coaches’ Poll, the #2, #14, #20, #23, and two honorable mention teams will be competing this weekend at Reno.  There are 14 NCAA Division I teams competing, five teams sending a group of redshirts, three NAIA teams, two junior college teams, one NCAA D2 team, one team of back-ups, and a club team.  The NCAA Division I teams competing (along with Binghamton) are:  #2 Oklahoma State, #20 Wyoming, #14 Oregon State, Honorable Mention - Cal Poly, Honorable Mention - Arizona State, Boise State, Michigan State, Ohio, Stanford, Air Force, West Virginia, Cal State Bakersfield, and Appalachian State.  Teams sending a group of redshirts are:  Oregon State, Boise State, Arizona State, Cal State Bakersfield, and Clackamas.  The NAIA Teams are:  #1 Southern Oregon, #2 Great Falls, and #8 Montana State - Northern.  The two junior college teams competing at Reno are:  #1 Clackamas and #11 Southwestern Oregon.  The NCAA D2 team competing is #9 Adams State.  Oregon State is sending a back-up team.  Also, Cal State Fullerton is registered and apparently sending a club team after being dropped as a D1 sport this year.

For the preview I am going to list any NCAA D1 wrestler ranked in the top 20 by Intermat, any NCAA D2 wrestler ranked in the top three, any junior college wrestler ranked in the top twelve, and any NAIA wrestler ranked in the top twelve.

125 - BU: No entrant, #11 D1 Morrison (Oklahoma State), #17 D1 Martinez (Wyoming), #1 NAIA Lofstedt (Southern Oregon), #10 JUCO Horner (Southwestern Oregon), and #12 JUCO Ornelas (Clackamas)

133 - BU: Patrick Hunter, #1 D1 Oliver (Oklahoma State), #10 D1 Mango (Stanford), #14 D1 Zehner (Wyoming), #16 D1 Drucker (Oregon State), #2 JUCO Gonzales (Clackamas), #4 NAIA Neiss (Montana State), and #9 NAIA Schlosser (Great Falls)

141 – BU: No entrant, #4 D1 Novachkov (Cal Poly), #5 D1 Mangrum  (Oregon State), #12 D1 Kindig (Oklahoma State), #17 D1 Strait (Boise), #19 D1 Pennesi (WVU), #1 NAIA Varnell (Great Falls), #2 NAIA Mazurkiewicz (Great Falls), #5 NAIA Wirkuty (Southern Oregon), #1 JUCO Randall (Clackamas), and #9 JUCO Llyod (Southestern Oregon)

149 - BU: #7 Donnie Vinson, #2 D1 Parks (Oklahoma State), #5 D1 Von Ohlen (Air Force), #18 D1 Sakaguchi (Oregon State), #2 NAIA Vassar (Great Falls), #4 NAIA Weerheim (Montana State), #6 NAIA Eggemeyer (Southern Oregon), #3 D2 Hensley (Adams State), #8 JUCO Luna (Clackamas), and #9 JUCO Bendon (Southwestern Oregon)

157 - BU: #5 Justin Lister, #12 D1 White (Oklahoma State), #16 D1 Pena (Oregon State), #1 NAIA Norton (Southern Oregon), #7 NAIA Hader (Great Falls), #11 NAIA Leonard (Great Falls), #8 JUCO Veltri (Clackamas), and #11 JUCO Stenke (Southwestern Oregon)

165 - BU: Matt Kaylor, #6 D1 Onufer (Wyoming), #13 D1 Blevins (Appalachian State), #20 D1 Bailey (Oklahoma State), #3 NAIA Hinebauch (Montana State), #4 Lemmon (Southern Oregon), #5 NAIA Hatton (Great Falls), #6 NAIA Mestrovich (Southern Oregon), #12 NAIA Lau (Great Falls), and #1 JUCO Hensel (Clackamas)

174 - BU: No entrant, #4 D1 DesRoches (Cal Poly), #14 D1 Purdue (Ohio), #18 D1 Martinez (Wyoming), #19 D1 Vinson (Oregon State), #7 NAIA Miller (Montana State), #10 NAIA Payne (Montana State), and #9 JUCO Noon (Clackamas)

184 - BU: Nate Schiedel, #3 D1 LeBlanc (Wyoming), #7 D1 Perry (Oklahoma State), #11 D1 Trotman (Appalachian State), #13 D1 Swartz (Boise), #17 D1 Ryan (WVU), #1 NAIA Hinebauch (Montana State), #2 NAIA Vanderford (Southern Oregon), #7 NAIA Rottenberg (Southern Oregon), #1 JUCO Moorehead (Clackamas), and #4 JUCO Geiger (Southwestern Oregon)

197 - BU: Cody Reed, #4 D1 Byers (Oklahoma State), #11 D1 Hernandez (Wyoming), #12 D1 Meeks (Oregon State), #15 D1 Dickenson (Michigan State), #3 NAIA Jackson (Great Falls), #8 NAIA Morgan (Great Falls), #3 D2 McPeek (Adams State), #1 JUCO Younker (Southwestern Oregon), and #2 JUCO Burtschi (Clackamas)

HWT - BU: Nick Gwiazdowski, #2 D1 Gelogaev (Oklahoma State), #4 D1 Jack (Oklahoma State), #5 D1 Johnson (Ohio), #11 D1 Cooper (Arizona State), #12 D1 McClure (Michigan State), #17 D1 Disney (Cal Poly), #19 D1 Felix (Boise), #9 NAIA Tiernan (Great Falls), #10 NAIA Owens (Southern Oregon), and #7 JUCO Laden (Clackamas)

I will hopefully be able to post the pre-seeds tomorrow.  Also, we will be tweeting updates on Sunday. @Bearcatswrestle

CLASH OF THE TITANS

Today we are taking a break from our regularly scheduled "Throwback Thursday" segment to begin promoting two HUGE duals coming up in early January here in Binghamton.  

In a few weeks, we are bringing two top ten ranked teams to BU for dual meets.  On Tuesday night, January 10th, at 7PM, we take on the #8 ranked Oklahoma Sooners  in the West Gym.  Oklahoma is coached by Binghamton native and 2011 NCAA National Coach of the Year, Mark Cody.  The Sooners have five wrestlers ranked in the top ten and nine ranked wrestlers in their line-up.

Five days later, we will wrestle our first ever dual meet in the BU Events Center.  Sunday, January 15th at 5PM, we will take on Southern Tier rival and the #3 ranked Cornell Big Red.  Cornell finished as NCAA National Runner-Up each of the last two years.  The Big Red have two wrestlers ranked first in the country and nine wrestlers nationally ranked in their line-up.

Both of these dual meets will feature several marquee match-ups and we are looking for our two biggest dual meet wins in program history.  We will not be charging admission to either event and we would like to invite all of our extended family, friends, and fans to both of these matches.  If you're a coach in the area, bring your teams, as it will be a great environment to watch a dual meet between some of the top teams in the country.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!!

Ranking Roundup 12.14.11

Here is this week's ranking roundup.  Links are provided to complete sets of rankings.

WIN Magazine 12.12.11
BINGHAMTON #16
Donnie Vinson #4
Justin Lister #4

NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll 12.13.11
BINGHAMTON #23

Intermat 12.13.11
BINGHAMTON #25
Donnie Vinson #7
Justin Lister #5

The Open Mat 12.12.11
BINGHAMTON #25
Donnie Vinson #6
Justin Lister #5
Nick Gwiazdowski #13

The Open Mat Mid-Major 12.14.11
BINGHAMTON #6 (tie with Penn)

D1 College Wrestling 12.12.11
Donnie Vinson #8
Justin Lister #5
Nate Schiedel #23
Nick Gwiazdowski #15

Amateur Wrestling News 12.07.11
Donnie Vinson #8
Justin Lister #7

Wrestling Report 12.12.11
BINGHAMTON #24
Donnie Vinson #7
Justin Lister #5
Matt Kaylor #27
Nate Schiedel #23
Cody Reed #24
Nick Gwiazdowski #23

Wrestling Report Duals Percentage Index 12.13.11
BINGHAMTON #29

Wrestling Report Atlantic Region 12.13.11
Patrick Hunter #20
Donnie Vinson #3
Justin Lister #3
Matt Kaylor #13
Nate Schiedel #9
Cody Reed #12
Nick Gwiazdowski #11

Two Minute Tuesday with Patrick Hunter: Episode 12

Week in Review - 12.12.11

The Week in Review today comes from Coach Borshoff.

This was a long week for the Binghamton Bearcats. After the Nittany Lion Open, the team has a two-week break until the Reno Tournament of Champions.  This past week was intended to break the guys down.  Next week will be used to build the team back up, with a lot of rest.

Practice started Monday for everyone except the three place winners from Sunday. The team drilled and got a lift on Monday.  Tuesdays and Wednesday’s practices were a real grind.  After going over technique, the team spent most of the practices drilling and going live.   One of the live drills that we used this week was shark-bait, which has one wrestler in the middle for 9 minutes straight, facing a new fresh wrestler every minute.

Thursdays practiced involved just a hard drill, which most guys on the team will agree is harder than any live match.  The practice started with the hustle drill, which involves both wrestlers starting in the middle of the mat, with one wrestler pushing the other to the edge of the mat and either shooting him out of bounds or scoring, and then hustling back to the center.  Other drills involved hand fighting until the sound of the whistle and taking your best shot, as well as escaping off bottom and taking the other wrestler down immediately.

On Friday, the team did some technique, followed by a short drill, and three live matches before conditioning.  The guys had off on both Saturday and Sunday.  When we get back in the room on Monday, practice will be individualized for each wrestler.  The whole week will be spent of technique and making minor adjustments in order to be ready for Reno!

Also, we had seven wrestlers compete at the Long Island Open at Nassau Community College on Saturday.  Adam Morris led the way for the young group of Bearcats.  Morris went 4-0 on the day to pick up the tournament championship at 157 pounds.  In the finals, Morris techfalled Roddy of Princeton.  Last year this same weekend, Roddy beat Morris 9-0 at the Ironman Tournament, so Morris is taking big steps forward and getting much better.  Morris also notched wins against wrestlers from Bloomsburg, Drexel, and Nassau.  Angelo Bortoluzzi placed 2^nd at 165 pounds.  Bortoluzzi went 3-1 on the day with victories over wrestlers from Merchant Marine Academy, Nassau, and Middlesex.  Dan Riggi finished 3^rd at 133 pounds and picked up a team high five victories along the way.  Riggi lost an early match to Abidin, the eventual champion, but picked up two wins over Lyman of Bloomsburg, including in the third place bout.  Riggi also had wins over wrestlers from Nassau, Drexel, and teammate Colton Perry.  Vin Grella, Ben Price, and Tyler Deuel all finished in 4^th place.  At 149 pounds, Grella won three matches and dropped bouts to wrestlers from Bloomsburg and Princeton.  At 141 pounds, Price dropped his first match, won his next two, and lost his third place bout with the wrestler that beat him first round.  Deuel wrestled up at heavyweight and won two bouts.  Colton Perry competed at 133 pounds, picked up a win and finished in the top six but his loss to Riggi kept him from a top four finish.

Next up, we have Reno this weekend.  Coach Beasley will do a Reno preview later this week

YNN: BU wrestling off to record start

Yesterday, Your News Now visited the Bearcats' wrestling practice.  The video and corresponding article are here.

Competition notes: The Bearcats are off this weekend, getting ready for Reno on the 18th. Some redshirts will be competing at the Nassau tournament tomorrow.

Throwback Thursday Episode 9: Jason Goldman

If you or someone you know is a former Binghamton Wrestler, please email fbeasley@binghamton.edu to set up an interview!

Ranking Roundup 12.07.11

Happy Wednesday! Check out this week's Ranking Roundup.

NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll 12.06.11
Binghamton #22 (tie with Virginia)

Intermat 12.06.11
Binghamton #26 (tie with Central Michigan)
Donnie Vinson #7
Justin Lister #6

The Open Mat 12.05.11
Binghamton #25
Donnie Vinson #7
Justin Lister #5
Nick Gwiazdowski #11

The Open Mat Mid-Major 12.07.11
Binghamton #7

D1College Wrestling 12.06.11
Donnie Vinson #9
Justin Lister #7
Nate Schiedel #23
Nick Gwiazdowski #16

Wrestling Report 12.05.11
Binghamton #26
Donnie Vinson #7
Justin Lister #6
Matt Kaylor #27
Nate Schiedel #23
Cody Reed #21
Nick Gwiazdowski #24

Wrestling Report Duals Percentage Index 12.06.11
Binghamton #29

WIN Magazine 12.05.11
Binghamton #19 (tie with Maryland)
Donnie Vinson  #4
Justin Lister #5

Two Minute Tuesday with Patrick Hunter: Episode 11

Week in Review - 12.5.11

There is a lot to review this week with the CAA Awards for November, the CAA Rankings, Princeton dual meet, and the Penn State Open.  We are currently 7-0 on the season with the most consecutive wins in school history.  This weekend we will not be competing but will send some redshirts to the Nassau Long Island Open.

Justin Lister was awarded the CAA Wrestler of the Month for November.  Lister sits at 11-1 on the season with his lone loss coming to 2X NCAA Champion Kyle Dake of Cornell.  He is ranked #5 by theopenmat.com and WIN magazine.  Intermatwrestle.com and wrestlingreport.com ranked Lister at #6 in the 157 pound weight class, while Armature Wrestling News and d1collegewrestling.net has him ranked at #7 in the country.  He has six pins on the season and wins over returning All-American Peppelman of Harvard and returning National Qualifier Sulzer of Eastern Michigan.  Lister finished in 2^nd place at the Binghamton Open to start the season.

Nick Gwiazdowski was awarded the CAA Rookie of the Month award.  Gwiazdowksi won the Binghamton Open and took 2^nd place at the Body Bar Tournament.  He is ranked #11 on theopenmat.com and #20 by d1collegewrestling.net.  Gwiazdowksi is also ranked at #23 on wrestlingreport.com.  Gwiazdowski is currently 11-2 on the season with five pins.  The news release from the BU website can be found here.

The CAA Rankings came out with BU in second place behind Hofstra.  We are certainly looking forward to our dual meet with Hofstra.  In the rankings, we have seven wrestlers ranked in the top three in the conference with Justin Lister leading the way with a #1 ranking.  Ranked at #2 are Donnie Vinson, Nate Schiedel, and Nick Gwaizdowski.  Coming in ranked third in their respective weight classes are Patrick Hunter, Matt Kaylor, and Cody Reed.

We wrestled Princeton on Saturday afternoon.  We started slow, dropping the first three matches of the dual and being down 0-15.  Vinson got us on the board at 149 pounds with a technical fall.  Vinson worked hard for a pin but his opponent did a good job of fighting off his back.  Lister pinned Kolodzik, a very tough opponent, in about a minute and a half.  Lister made a statement with the win as Kolodzik beat a top twenty opponent from Old Dominion later that day.  Kaylor tied up the dual at 15 with a major decision that saw him score with a variety of leg attacks.  Wallace put BU ahead for good with a fall in less than a minute and looks to be back to form after a disappointing outing the week before.  Schiedel shut his opponent out and nearly got a major with a 7-0 victory.  He started a little slow but improved as the match went on and wrestled very well in the third period.  Reed scored a win by decision in a physical match that resulted in twelve stiches above Reed’s eye.  Gwiazdowski closed out the match with a fall in the second period.  We finished the first semester with a perfect 7-0 dual meet record.

We had most of our starting line-up off on Sunday.  Only three starters and some other young wrestlers, including our redshirts, wrestled at the PSU Open.  Vinson led the way for the team as he finished 2^nd place in a huge fifty-six man bracket.  He went 5-1 on the day with three majors and a pin to reach the semifinals.  In the semifinals, Vinson beat Andrew Alton of Penn State, who finished in the top 12 at the NCAA Championship last season.  He got pinned in the finals by #1 ranked returning National Runner-Up Frank Molinaro of Penn State.  Donnie wrestled great up to the finals match but did not look like himself in the finals.  Cody Reed picked up three wins to finish in 7^th place out of 36 wrestlers.  He picked-up wins against wrestlers from Rutgers, Ohio, and the Citadel before receiving a medical forfeit for 7^th place.  I do not think that he wrestled his best and lacked confidence in a few matches.  Derak Heyman placed in his third tournament of the season with an 8^th place finish.  Heyman showed a lot of improvement but still needs to get better at creating scoring opportunities and pulling the trigger on his shots.  He had four wins on the day including a win over a former nationally ranked wrestler from Penn State.  Joe Bonaldi picked up two wins at 141 pounds and Joe Chamish picked up a victory at 157 pounds.

Penn State Open Preview & Local News Interview with Coach Popolizio

The Penn State Open is a huge tournament with 600 competitors preregistered.  I am not going to list as many of the top entrants as usual because there are so many good wrestlers at the tournament.  I am going to list all the wrestled competing from BU and six of the other top competitors in each weight class.

125

BU Entrant:  Sardo

Other Top Competitors:  Megaludis (Penn State – Nationally Ranked), Terao (American – Placed at 4 opens tournaments this year), Trumbetti (Lock Haven – 2010 National Qualifier), Rehm (Lock Haven – 4^th 2011 Body Bar), Shane Gentry (Maryland – 3^rd 2011 ACC Championships), and Rodriguez (George Mason – 4^th 2011 Binghamton Open)

133

BU Entrant:  Perry, Riggi, and St. James

Other Top Competitors:  Arujua (Finger Lakes – Nationally Ranked last year), Biscaha (Cornell – 2010 Binghamton Open Champ), Flamio (Unrostered – 2^nd 2011 Binghamton Open), Reber (Penn State – National Qualifier), Gilchrist (Columbia – 5^th 2011 Michigan State Open and 6^th 2011 Body Bar), and Wilcox (Bloomsburg – 4^th 2011 Body Bar)

141

BU Entrants:  Heyman, and Price

Other Top Competitors:  Melde (Rutgers – 2011 National Qualifier), Schutt (Buffalo – 2011 National Qualifier), Smith (Buffalo – 2011 National Qualifier), Rendina (Finger Lakes – 5^th 2011 Buffalo Open), Hough (Duke – 1^st 2011 Citadel Open and 2^nd 2011 Wolfpack Open), and Garbinsky (Pittsburgh – Placed in three open tournaments this year)

149

BU Entrants:  Grella and Vinson

Other Top Competitors:  Molinaro (Penn State – NCAA 2^nd 2011), Valenti (Virginia – 2011 NCAA All-American), Alton (Penn State – 2011 NCAA Top 12), Santos (Columbia – 2^nd 2011 Body Bar), English (Penn State – 2010 PSU Open Place Winner), and Hodgkins (Central Michigan – 2X PA State Champ)

157

BU Entrants:  Chamish and Morris

Other Top Competitors:  Fleming (Clarion – 2X National Qualifier and Ranked in the top 10 in the country), John (Maryland – Ranked top 15 in the country), Greisheimer (Edinboro – Top 12 2011 NCAA Championships), Alton (Penn State – won several opens last year as a redshirt), Hess (Lehigh – Won 2 open tournament this year), and Vollrath (Penn State – 2010 PSU Open Place Winner)

165

BU Entrant:  Bortoluzzi

Other Top Competitors:  Taylor (Penn State – 2011 NCAA Runner-Up), Fittery (Unrostered – 3^rd 2011 NCAA Championships and 4^th 2010 NCAA Championships), Asper (Maryland – 2011 NCAA All-American and currently ranked #2), Abdurakhmonov (Clarion – Top 12 2011 NCAA Championships), Meys (Boston – 2X National Qualifier and Ranked in the top 10 in the country), Lewandowski (Buffalo – Top 12 2011 NCAA Championships), and Civan (Columbia – 2X NCAA National Qualifier and Ranked top 15 in the country)

174

BU Entrant:  None

Other Top Competitors:  Ruth (Penn State – 3^rd 2011 NCAA Championships), Luvsandorj (Citadel – 2011 National Qualifier and Ranked #12 in the country), Sheptock (Maryland – Nationally Ranekd in the top 20 in the country), Cannon (Buffalo – 2X NCAA National Qualifier), McLaughlin (George Mason – 3^rd 2011 Binghamton Open), and Petroski (North Carolina – 3^rd 2011 Wolfpack Open and 1^st 2011 TCNJ Open)

184

BU Entrant:  None

Other Top Competitors:  Wright (Penn State – 2011 NCAA National Champ), Mills (Columbia – 4^th 2011 Michigan State Open), Garcia (Lock Haven – Placed at 2010 PSU Open), Duane (Citadel – 2^nd 2011 Navy Classic), Bolich (Lehigh – 2011 Buffalo Open Place Winner), and Malo (Army – 2011 Buffalo Open Place Winner)

197

BU Entrants:  Deuel, McKeever, and Reed

Other Top Competitors:  Mitchell (American – Ranked top 15 in the country and 2011 National Qualfiier), McIntosh (Penn State – Ranked in the top 15 in the country), Boley (Maryland – Ranked in the top 20 in the country), Malo (Virginia – 2011 Body Bar Champion and 3X NCAA D3 All-American), Samuels (Lehigh – 3^rd 2011 Buffalo Open), and Hughes (Columbia – 1^st 2011 Michigan State Open)

285

BU Entrant:  None

Other Top Competitors:  Myers (Maryland – 2011 NCAA All-American), Wade (Penn State – 2011 National Qualifier and Nationally Ranked in the top 20), Lester (Columbia – 2011 National Qualifier), Palma (North Carolina State – 2010 National Qualifier), Delia (Lehigh – Placed in 4 tournaments this season), and McCorkle (Clarion – Nationally Ranked)

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Check out this link for Coach Popolizio's interview with local news channel WBNG.  Cody Reed is also interviewed for this segment.  

Donnie Vinson: Athlete of the Week.. & Princeton Preview

Donnie Vinson has been named Binghamton's Athlete of the Week! Congratulations, Donnie!

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Princeton is an improved program with sixth year head coach Chris Ayers, first year head assistant Sean Gray, and assistant Joe Jamison.  They are coming off a solid 4^th place showing at the Keystone Classic.  They also had six place winners at the Binghamton Open.  They are led by two-time National Qualifier, Garrett Frey and senior captain Dan Kolodzik.

125 – Co-captain, Frey, is a two-time National Qualifier and has been ranked in the top 15 in the country.  He is 13-3 on the season with a tournament championship at the Clarion Open, 2^nd place showing at the Keystone Classic, and a 3^rd place finish at the Binghamton Open.  Frey is good on bottom at creating scrambles and has a solid double leg attack.

133 – Chris Perez was a huge pick-up for Princeton last season.  He is just a freshman but was a NHSCA Senior National Runner-Up last year.  He has already begun his collegiate career with success by placing 5^th at the Binghamton Open and 5^th at the Keystone Classic.  He has seven wins so far this year.  He likes to snap and shoot and also likes to shoot a single to his opponent’s right leg.

141 – Adam Krop is a sophomore that starts for the Tigers again this year with a 9-3 record.  He placed 3^rd at the Keystone Classic and 3^rd at the Binghamton Open this year.  Krop rides well on top and likes to drop to a leg from the top position.  On his feet he likes slide-byes and low shots.

149 – Zach Bintliff is a junior that placed at the EIWA Championships last season.  This is his third year in the starting line-up for Princeton.  He placed 5^th at the Binghamton Open this season.  He stays in good position and is tough to score on.  He also likes to use elbow passes.

157 – Senior co-captain, Kolodzik, is in his fourth and final year in the starting line-up for the Tigers.  He placed at the Southern Scuffle and the EIWA Championships last season.  He is 9-3 so far this year with a top eight finish at the Binghamton Open and a 2^nd place showing at the Keystone Classic.  Kolodzik is good on his feet but is even better on top and likes to turn his opponent with a left leg ride.

165 – This weight could be manned by either sophomore Brandon Rolnick or freshman Rich Eva.  Rolnick placed 6^th at the Binghamton Open this year and is the returning starter.  Rolnick will look to score off of a two-on-one.  Eva is a true freshman that was a three-time Virginia State Champion.  Eva has only competed in five bouts this year but looks to have a bright future for the Tigers.

174 – Andy Lowy is a senior in his fourth year as a starter for the Tigers.  He is a seasoned veteran that has competed against a lot of great completion over the last few years.  He recently placed 5^th at the Keystone Classic.

184 – Dan Santoro is a sophomore and returning starter.  He has ten wins already this season, which ranks as the second most on the team.  He won his first tournament this year at the Clarion Open and followed that up with a 4^th place finish at the Keystone Open.  Santoro wrestled at both 184 and 197 pounds last year and will try to use his size as an advantage.

197 – Kurt Brendel is a senior and a wily veteran for Princeton.  He is one of three seniors in Princeton’s starting line-up.  He wrestles hard and moves forward.  Brendel finished in the top eight this year at the Keystone Classic a few weeks ago.

285 – Charles Fox, a junior, is in his third year as a starter for the Tigers.  He wrestled well at the Keystone Classic and finished in the top eight at that tournament.  He is a smaller heavyweight that likes to use his speed and shoot.

We will tweet the results of the Princeton dual meet.  Fans can also pay to watch the Princeton match on the Princeton Website by clicking here.  Tomorrow, I will have a preview of the Penn State Open.  We will also have an post on Sunday about some of the recognition that we are receiving.

Throwback Thursday Episode 8: Carl DiCesare