VESTAL, NY – The Binghamton Bearcats (9-5, 6-1 EIWA) look to defend the mats this weekend in the West Gym. The Bearcats will take on Northern Illinois Friday at 7 p.m. before going head to head with Bloomsburg Sunday at 1 p.m.
After falling to American University 14-20 in a close match last Friday, Binghamton bounced back for a dominating win, featuring five bonus point wins, over Sacred Heart 38-6 on Saturday. Binghamton's Joe Russ,
Anthony Lombardo,
Vincent DePrez and
No. 9 Steve Schneider all went 2-0 over the weekend.
In the Rankings
In the second of four NCAA Coaches Polls released on February 8, DePrez moves up to a No. 28 spot at 165 pounds. At a 20-8 overall record, DePrez is at the top of the Bearcat roster with 13 bonus point wins, seven of which have come from his last ten bouts. Schneider comes in at No. 13 in this week's poll, riding a nine match win streak in duals fueling a 9-1 record.
RPI
In the first reveal of the rating percentage index (RPI) for the 2017-18 wrestling season, three Bearcats earn spots on the list. The RPI rankings require a minimum of 17 matches against other Division I opponents to earn a ranking. The RPI factors winning percentage, opponent winning percentage and opponents' opponent winning percentage.
Coming in at No. 23, redshirt junior Joe Nelson joins five other EIWA wrestlers at 125 pounds. Nelson is currently 20-8 overall with a 8-4 mark in duals. Redshirt junior Joe Russ sits at No. 31 on the rankings, also joining five other EIWA wrestlers at 141 pounds. Russ, currently riding a six match win streak, is 14-10 overall and 6-6 in duals. No. 28 DePrez joins nine EIWA wrestlers at 165 pounds, coming in at No. 17 on the list. DePrez holds an 11-3 mark in duals this season, scoring a team high 47 points for the Bearcats.
Schneider Chasing History
Coming off his two wins last weekend, No. 9 Schneider now sits at 99 career-wins, moving into sixth place in Division I history and seventh all-time. A victory on Friday night will mark his 100th career win as a Bearcat, joining a select group of six Binghamton wrestlers to achieve this career standing.
Preparing for the Huskies
Northern Illinois is coming off a 12-24 loss last Friday to No. 3 Missouri. They faced six nationally ranked wrestlers in the match. The 12 points scored by Northern Illinois was the most given up by No. 3 Missouri in the Mid-American Conference this season. The last time the Bearcats faced Northern Illinois was in 2014 where they fell to the Huskies 13-27.
Battling Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg defeated Cleveland State this past weekend giving them their second conference win of the year. The performance showed the first time since the 2013-14 season that Bloomsburg had won two conference matches. The Huskies will take on EWL rival Clarion Friday at 7 p.m. before heading to the West Gym on Sunday. Binghamton has beaten Bloomsburg in their last two meetings, including a 46-0 shutout in 2017. The Bearcats look to keep that streak alive on Sunday. In the all-time series matchup, BU and Bloomsburg are tied 4-4.
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