VESTAL, N.Y.- To build a successful program, coaches have to consider the present and the future. A recipe for success includes veteran leadership combined with the development of underclassmen talent. The Binghamton wrestling team, guided by fourth-year coach Matt Dernlan, put together a strong 2015-16 season while cultivating a youthful roster.
 
Senior Jack McKeever and sophomore Steve Schneider qualified for the 2016 NCAA Championships, giving Dernlan ten NCAA participants in his four seasons at BU. McKeever made his second straight appearance at NCAAs, winning his first match at nationals this year. Schneider posted his first trip to the championships.
 
The Bearcats won 11 dual matches, the most in Dernlan's tenure. That total included seven Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) wins. Binghamton picked up an 18-15 win over #27 Princeton in the home opener on January 8. Later in the month, BU recorded wins at Hofstra and Drexel. In the victory over the Dragons, freshman Frankie Garcia defeated Matt Cimato in their 149-pound match. Cimato went on to win the EIWA Championship in March.
 
BU won its first four home matches, including decisions over Sacred Heart, American, and Brown. Dernlan led Binghamton to its most dual victories since the 2011-12 season.
 
At the EIWA Championships, hosted by Princeton, three Bearcats placed, with a pair of grapplers qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Schneider, a Levittown, New York, native, took sixth in the challenging 184-pound division, advancing to NCAAs for the first time. McKeever, a native of Brookfield, Connecticut, qualified for nationals after finishing seventh in the difficult 174-pound weight class. Freshman Steven Bulzomi placed eighth in the 125-pound bracket.
 
McKeever finished his career with 64 wins, including a 24-10 mark this season. He tied with Schneider for the team lead in victories. Schneider also went 24-10, including a sterling 14-2 record in dual action. Sophomore Vincent DePrez, a 157-pounder, won 22 bouts and 133-pounder Jacob Nicholson logged 20 victories in his first season as a Bearcat.
 
In his four seasons at BU, Dernlan has helped ten Bearcats qualify for the NCAA Championships. His regular lineup featured seven freshmen and sophomores, along with just one senior. The team will return nine starters in the 2016-17 campaign.