CLEVELAND, OH. - In his first year as head coach of Binghamton wrestling, Kyle Borshoff is sending two wrestlers to the 2018 NCAA Championships. Redshirt sophomore
Frankie Garcia joins senior
Steven Schneider on the mats in Cleveland Ohio on Thursday, March 15th. Redshirt junior
Joe Nelson will travel as an alternate.
Every session will be televised for the fourth consecutive year. Former standout Binghamton wrestler and Hollywood movie star Billy Baldwin ('85) will join ESPN as a guest analyst over the course of the tournament.
2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships Schedule
Schneider returns for a third time
Wrestling in the NCAA Championships is nothing new to senior Steven Schneider. After a third place finish at the EIWA Tournament this past weekend, the highest in his career, the 184-pounder will make his third consecutive appearance at the big show. Schneider received a No. 13 seed going into the tournament, marking the highest seed of his career. Schneider went 1-2 at the 2017 NCAA's, defeating Jason Grimes of American University in the first round. This season, the native of Levittown, N.Y. has faced 15 NCAA Championship qualifiers in his 184 pound weight class, recording a 10-5 record against qualifying opponents. He looks to have similar success starting Thursday, facing UPenn's Joe Heyob for the third time this season in which Schneider leads the series 2-0.
Garcia qualifies for the first time
With his strong performance at the EIWA Tournament last weekend, Garcia earned the first NCAA Championship bid of his young career. The redshirt sophomore knocked off three seeded opponents leading him to a second place finish. Garcia has faced seven NCAA Championship qualifiers in the 149-pound field, holding a 2-5 record. The native of Norwich, N.Y. had a breakout year this season, recording a total of 27 wins on the mat. He looks to stay hot this Thursday in his NCAA Championship debut in Cleveland. Garcia takes the mat against Northwestern's No. 7 seeded Ryan Deakin first round.
Nelson selected as an alternate
Nelson will serve as first alternate in the 2018 NCAA Championships. With a possible first-time appearance at the big show, Nelson has faced a total of nine qualifiers this season at 125-pounds. The native of Oxford, N.Y. recorded a career high 25 wins this season, nearly tripling his previous career best. The redshirt junior took a fifth place finish at the 2018 EIWA Championships, narrowly missing an automatic bid to Cleveland. Nelson will step in to the 125-pound bracket on Thursday morning after weigh-ins if a qualifier is not able to wrestle.
Bearcats at the NCAA's
Since 2002, BU has had 37 wrestlers qualify for the National Championships. Of those 37 wrestlers, four of them reached All-American status in Binghamton's Division I history. All-time, Bearcat wrestling has produced 29 All-Americans.
