VESTAL, N.Y.- The Binghamton wrestling team defeated #27 Princeton, 18-15, in a tightly-contested dual match at the West Gym Friday night. Vincent DePrez, Jack McKeever, Steve Schneider, Thierno Diallo, and Jacob Nicholson each won for the Bearcats, who won their Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) home opener.
 
With BU holding onto a 15-12 edge, Jacob Nicholson took the mat against Pat D'Arcy in a 133-pound bout. Nicholson outlasted D'Arcy in a tight match, taking a 3-2 decision in the second tiebreaker. With the match tied at 2 after three periods, neither grappler could score in sudden victory. Nicholson made an escape in the first tiebreaker and then held on to D'Arcy in the second frame, collecting a win and giving BU an 18-12 advantage, nearly clinching the team win for the hosts.
 
After BU dropped the first match, Vincent DePrez got the Bearcats on the board in his 157-pound bout. The sophomore handled Francesco Fabozzi, 9-5, to even the team scoring at 3. DePrez tallied a takedown in each period, controlling the contest throughout.
 
In the 165-pound match, Anthony DePrez fell to Judd Ziegler in a tight contest, 5-3 in extra time. The grapplers battled through a tense third period, with each competitor earning a point, sending the bout into sudden victory, where Ziegler garnered the winning points.
 
Jack McKeever took care of Nick Maselli in their 174-pound match, winning an 8-3 decision. McKeever posted an early takedown on his way to victory, tying the match at 6 after four bouts.
 
Steve Schneider came away with a dramatic 2-1 win in extra time, giving BU a 9-6 match lead. The sophomore, ranked 23^rd in the latest Wrestling Report, defeated seventeenth-ranked Abram Ayala in their 184-pound contest. Each wrestler picked up a point, forcing sudden victory. Neither grappler earned a point in the first extra frame, and after Schneider would not allow an Ayala escape, he pulled away from his opponent in the second period, claiming a Bearcat win.
 
Mark Tracy dropped his 197-pound bout with #7 Brett Harner, 8-3, as the Tigers tied the team score at 9. In the heavyweight match, Connor Calkins battled #29 Ray O'Donnell, with O'Donnell taking a 6-3 decision  to give Princeton a three-point advantage on the scoreboard.
 
Thierno Diallo picked up a forfeit victory at 125 pounds, allowing Binghamton to take a 15-12 lead with two matches remaining.
 
Dylan Caruana put up a strong effort against 25^th-ranked Jordan Laster in their 141-pound match, but Laster recorded a close 2-1 win.
 
All nine contests were decided by decision, with three going to extra time. Last season, the Bearcats took a 20-16 decision at Princeton. Binghamton improved to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference. It heads to Army for another EIWA match on Sunday afternoon.
 
#27 Princeton at Binghamton
Friday, January 8, 2016
West Gym
 
149
Mike D'Angelo (P) dec. Frankie Garcia (BU), 6-0 (3-0 Princeton)
157
Vincent DePrez (BU) dec. Francesco Fabozzi (P), 9-5 (3-3)
165
Judd Ziegler (P) dec. Anthony DePrez, 5-3 SV1 (6-3 Princeton) 
174
No. 29 Jack McKeever (BU) dec. Nick Maselli (P), 8-3 (6-6)
184
No. 23 Steve Schneider (BU) dec. No. 16 Abram Ayala (P), 2-1 TB2 (9-6 BU)
197
No. 7 Brett Harner (P) dec. Mark Tracy, 8-3 (9-9)
285
No. 29 Ray O'Donnell (P) dec. Connor Calkins, 6-3 (12-9 Princeton)
125
Thierno Diallo (BU) wins via forfeit (15-12 BU)
133
Jacob Nicholson (BU) dec. Pat D'Arcy (P), 3-2 TB2 (18-12 BU)
141
No. 25 Jordan Laster (P) dec. Dylan Caruana (BU), 2-1 (18-15 BU)