VESTAL, N.Y. – With the EIWA Championships starting in three weeks, the Binghamton wrestling team continues its final stretch of the regular season with a dual at Buffalo on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Bearcats are coming off two of their most dominant performances of the season, shutting out Morgan State 46-0 on Feb. 7 before defeating Sacred Heart 43-3 on Feb. 9. Binghamton won 19 out of 20 bouts between the two duals, picking up bonus points in 13 of those matches. The Bearcats' shutout against Morgan State was their first in a dual since Nov. 7, 2021, when the Binghamton defeated New Jersey City University 53-0.
With those two victories, the Bearcats improved their overall record to 9-8 on the season. It is the second season in a row that Binghamton has won at least nine duals after the team finished the 2023-24 campaign with a record of 9-4. The last time the Bearcats won at least nine duals in consecutive seasons was in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Binghamton went 12-5 in 2017-18, before following that up with a 10-3 mark in 2018-19.
Binghamton also finds itself with seven of its wrestlers ranked in either the latest NCAA Coaches' rankings or the first RPI rankings, both of which were released on Thursday. The coaches' rankings are determined by a vote of 16 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the eight conferences. The RPI is a calculation that includes three factors: winning percentage, opponent winning percentage (strength of schedule) and opponent's opponent winning percentage (opponent's strength of schedule). Both rankings are among several criteria that will be evaluated by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee during the at-large selection and seeding process for the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
The Bearcats who are in either ranking are:
*Rankings based on Coaches'/RPI
Binghamton Projected Lineup (Overall Record, Dual Record)
125 | Carson Wagner (19-10, 12-5)
133 | Micah Roes (11-9, 7-6)
141 | Nate Lucier (8-13, 5-10)
149 | Ivan Garcia (15-8, 10-5)
157 | Fin Nadeau (9-11, 6-8)
165 | No. 32/NR
Carter Baer (14-7, 9-5)
174 | No. 9/12
Brevin Cassella (20-4, 12-1)
184 | No. 28/29
Will Ebert (16-11, 7-9)
197 | Cayden Bevis (9-10, 7-6)
285 | No. 15/16
Cory Day (17-5, 11-3)
*Rankings based on FloWrestling/InterMat
Binghamton Bearcats (9-8, 5-2 EIWA) vs. Buffalo Bulls (4-11, 2-4 MAC)
Date | Time: Sunday, Feb. 16 | 1 p.m.
Location: Alumni Arena, Buffalo, N.Y.
Live Results: X - @BearcatsWrestle
Watch: ESPN+
Buffalo Projected Lineup (Overall Record, Dual Record)
125 | Max Elton (15-18, 5-10)
133 | Troy Guerra (1-16, 0-6)
141 | Andy Lucinsky (2-11, 1-7)
149 | Sam Ewing (16-14, 6-9)
157 | Kaleb Burgess (23-9, 9-6)
165 | Charlie Foster (2-2, 0-0)
174 | Rafael Knapp (12-14, 1-10) or Ty Raines (7-1, 1-0)
184 | Marcus Petite (27-9, 14-3)
197 | Lonnell Pabon (7-12, 3-10)
285 | Robbie Unruh (4-11, 0-6)
Buffalo Notes
- Leading the Bulls in his first season as head coach is Binghamton Athletics Hall of Famer Donnie Vinson. Vinson is tied with Binghamton Assistant Coach Lou DePrez for the most career wins in Binghamton wrestling history at 132. While competing for the Bearcats from 2008-13, Vinson qualified for nationals four years in a row from 2010-13. In 2012, he finished third at nationals to earn All-America honors. It remains the highest finish for any Binghamton wrestler at nationals in Division I.
- Buffalo's four dual victories this season have come against Sacred Heart 37-5, Kent State 20-18, Glenville State 22-19 and Bloomsburg 29-11.
- Kaleb Burgess placed No. 28 in the RPI rankings. The redshirt junior's 23 victories this season are a career high for him.
- Marcus Petite leads the Bulls in overall and dual wins with 27 and 14 respectively. The redshirt senior previously had won no more than nine matches overall and three in dual competition for a season before entering 2024-25.
