VESTAL, N.Y. – After an undefeated showing that included wins over two nationally-ranked opponents, Carter Baer has been named the Wrestler of the Week by the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA), the conference announced Wednesday.
 
Baer won all three of his matches at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic Sunday to take home the 174 lb., championship. Entering the round robin tournament ranked No. 29 in the FloWrestling poll, Baer first defeated Jordan Chapman of Rutgers 3-2. Baer followed that by shutting out No. 28 Derek Gilcher of Indiana 2-0 to advance to the finals. Awaiting Baer was No. 26 Nick Fine of Columbia. The two wrestlers battled to a 6-6 tie after three periods. In sudden victory, Baer got a hold of Fine's right leg with just over a minute remaining and took him down to secure both the victory and the championship.
 
This is the first time Baer has been named Wrestler of the Week by the EIWA. It is also the first time this season that a Binghamton wrestler has received this honor. Throughout the 2024-25 season, the Bearcats had a member of its team named Wrestler of the Week on four occasions. Will Ebert received the recognition twice on Nov. 12 and Jan. 7, Brevin Cassella won the award on Dec. 10 and Ivan Garcia got the honor on Feb. 4.
 
While Baer remains ranked No. 29 in the FloWrestling poll, his performance at the Journeymen Collegiate Classic did lead to him gaining ground in the InterMat rankings. Baer moved up five spots from No. 33 to No. 28, his highest ranking in either poll so far this season.
 
The Bearcats continue their run of tournaments to start their season Sunday at Army West Point's Black Knight Open. The tournament starts at 10 a.m., at Christl Arena.
 
The New York Army National Guard is the presenting sponsor of Bearcats Wrestling.