Spotlight on Matt Kaylor's Bearcat Wrestling Career

I was very disappointed that Matt Kaylor did not get a bid to the national tournament.  He beat five wrestlers (Blevins, Brundage, Warner, Peppelman, and Garcey) who  qualified this season and finished the season with a 24-10 record.  He qualified a spot for the CAA for the national tournament.  He was ranked 24^th in the last coaches ranking and 27^th in the last RPI.  He was "gold standard" based on his results going into the CAA tournament (gold standard wrestlers are usually the first to get an at-large bid to nationals if they do not qualify outright).  I feel as though he certainly deserved to be there one more time.  Matt is one of the all-time best in BU history in many ways.  It has been a pleasure to work with him.  Here is a brief look at his career here at BU.

Matt Kaylor is a fifth-year senior who has been part of the BU Wrestling Program for five seasons.  He was a two-year captain of the wrestling team and one of the wrestlers who brought the team back to the national spotlight.  Matt is second all-time on BU’s Division I win list with 112 wins.  Of those wins, 28 have come by way of major decision, 4 by technical fall, and 8 by pin.  He is a four year starter and a two-time NCAA national qualifier.  He has been nationally ranked for each of the last three seasons, including being ranked as high as 15^th in the country.  Matt redshirted his true freshman year.  He placed every year at the CAA Tournament with finishes of 4^th, 4^th, 1^st, and 5^th.  He has placed multiple times in the NY State Collegiate Tournament, the BU Open, and the Cornell Body Bar.  He has also placed at the Penn State Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions.  Matt has won tournament championships at the NY State Collegiate Tournament and the CAA Championships.

Matt graduated in the spring with a BA in history and well over a 3.0 GPA.  Matt currently is in his first year of graduate school.  He will graduate with a Master’s Degree in the Art of Teaching in the spring of 2013.  Currently, he holds around a 3.5 GPA in his master’s degree.  He was awarded the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award last season and was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll here at BU. 

I can’t tell you enough what a wonderful person he is.  He is a great wrestler and really was one of the main people to put BU on the map.  Moreover, he is as good of person as there is on the team.  He is selfless, as he cut hard and made 149 his freshman year because it was best for the team.  As a sophomore, he moved up to 165 because it was best for the team to have Donnie at 149, Lister at 157, and Matt at 165.  The following year, as a junior, he was asked to move down a weight class for the betterment of the team.  This year, he was back at 165.  All of these changes he made for the team.  Anytime he was asked to do anything, he did it without hesitation.  He always put the team first and was an unbelievable leader.  He may not have won every sprint, race, match, or whatever, but every single day, he gave Binghamton University Wrestling everything he had every second of every practice.  Certainly some days were better than others and he might come in sick or worn down, but as soon as practice started, he was giving 100%, no matter how he felt.  He never complained or spoke negativity about anything.  He is a true inspiration to others and everyone who knows him has the utmost respect for him.  He was a quiet leader (until you get to know him and realize he has quite the sense of humor) and the others followed him.

There are a few rare people out there that demand the type of respect that Kaylor does with his work ethic. He is a rare breed of everything that a coach wants in an athlete.  He made everyone around him better.  I know that I am a better coach and person for knowing and working with Matt.  I wish we had more Matt Kaylor's on the team.  He is truly a special person and is going to do great things in life.  He deserves nothing but the best moving forward.

Unfortunately, the college wrestling chapter of his life is over for Matt.  Whether he continues to wrestle Freestyle or Greco or begin coaching, or both, is yet to be determined for sure.  He has one more year left of graduate school here at BU, in which, of course, he will continue to do very well.  Whatever he chooses to do, he will certainly be successful.  Matt permanently left his stamp on BU Wrestling and will continue to grow with Matt's assistance.

Matt, thank you for all that you have done for Binghamton University Wrestling!