VESTAL, N.Y. – The Binghamton wrestling team (3-1, 2-0 EIWA) is set for a busy week on the mat as the Bearcats first host in-state rival Buffalo (2-7, 1-2 MAC) at 1 p.m., Thursday in the West Gym, before traveling to Lancaster, Pa., to compete in the David H. Lehman '68 Franklin & Marshall Open at 9 a.m., Friday at the Alumni Sports & Fitness Center. Admission to Thursday's dual is free on behalf of the New York Army National Guard.
 
Binghamton is coming off an appearance at Journeymen Wrestling's ArmBar on Jan. 7 in Clifton Park, N.Y. There, the Bearcats split their two duals, defeating EIWA foe Hofstra 20-17 while falling to Lock Haven 27-9. No. 25 Carter Baer picked up his fourth victory against a ranked opponent this season when he defeated No. 33 Avery Bassett of Lock Haven 4-1 in sudden victory. Baer also recorded his fourth technical fall of the season when he won against Hofstra's Eric Shindel 21-5.
 
Both Mikey Squires and Carson Wagner also went 2-0 at the ArmBar. Squires defeated 2025 national qualifier Tucker Hogan of Lock Haven 7-5 and Hofstra's Will Conlon 7-5 to improve to 4-0 on the season. Wagner, meanwhile, recorded decisions against Lock Haven's Curtis Nelson (10-3) and Hofstra's Teague Strobel (7-4 in sudden victory).
 
With the Bearcats' 3-1 start, first year head coach Ryan LeBlanc became the first head coach to win three of his first four duals at Binghamton since Mike Fusilli accomplished that during the 1997-98 season. In Binghamton's final season in Division III, Fusilli guided the Bearcats to victories over Oswego (28-15), Mansfield (25-15) and Kutztown (24-22) at the start of his tenure. Binghamton went on to send two wrestlers to nationals that year in Kelly Patterson (142 lbs.) and Tom Ruck (150 lbs.).
 
Following Thursday's dual, Binghamton will send wrestlers to compete at the David H. Lehman '68 Franklin & Marshall Open. This is the eighth time the Bearcats will wrestle at the event, including the second time in the last three seasons. In Binghamton's last appearance in 2024, both current Binghamton Assistant Wrestling Coach Lou DePrez (197 lbs.) and Jacob Nolan (184 lbs.) took home the individual title, making it the first time that a Binghamton wrestler ever won that tournament. The Bearcats have ultimately posted 13 placewinners throughout its history at the tournament, including seven in 2024. Among them were Baer and Fin Nadeau, who finished fourth and sixth respectively at 157 lbs.
 
Binghamton Bearcats (3-1, 2-0 EIWA) vs. Buffalo Bulls (2-7, 1-2 MAC)
Date | Time: Thursday, Jan. 8 | 1 p.m.
Location: West Gym, Vestal, N.Y.
Watch: AmericaEast.TV
Live Results: X- @BearcatsWrestle
Series History: Buffalo leads 24-12; Binghamton has won the last three duals
Last Meeting: Feb. 16, 2025, Binghamton won 29-10 in Buffalo, N.Y.
 
Binghamton Projected Lineup (Overall Record, Dual Record)
125 | Carson Wagner (7-5, 3-1)
133 | Dillon Arrick (11-4, 2-2)
141 | Ryan Hartung (12-6, 3-1)
149 | Caleb Sweet (11-5, 2-2) or Luke Geleta (4-3, 0-0)
157 | Fin Nadeau (10-5, 3-1)
165 | Marco Albanese (10-9, 1-3) or Jordan Brown (8-6, 0-0)
174 | No. 26/25/4 Carter Baer (10-2, 4-0) or Kayleb Martin (2-3, 0-0)
184 | No. NR/NR/5 Will Ebert (4-3, 2-1) or John Baker (3-5, 0-1)
197 | No. NR/NR/4 Mikey Squires (4-0, 4-0)
285 | Cayden Bevis (6-7, 0-2) or Trent Sibble (8-7, 1-1) or Charlie Tibbitts (6-2, 0-0)
*Rankings based on FloWrestling/InterMat/EIWA
 
Buffalo Projected Lineup (Overall Record, Dual Record)
125 | Caden Barrientos (2-9, 0-5) or Zach Belvario (0-4, 0-4)
133 | Max Elton (5-10, 1-6)
141 | Tyler Roark (1-2, 1-2)
149 | Sam Ewing (8-9, 4-5)
157 | Max Nevlin (0-6, 0-6)
165 | Kelin Laffey (9-6, 5-2) or Brady Unger (2-6, 0-2)
174 | Rafael Knapp (11-8, 4-5)
184 | Marcus Petite (6-6, 4-4)
197 | Connor Jacobs (3-5, 3-5) or Connor Scuilla (3-5, 0-1)
285 | Magnus Bibla (3-1, 3-1)
 
Notes on Buffalo

• Thursday's dual marks the return of Binghamton wrestling great Donnie Vinson, who is in his second season as the head coach at Buffalo. Vinson, who wrestled at Binghamton from 2008-13, is tied with Lou DePrez for the most career wins in program history at 132. Vinson qualified for nationals four years in a row from 2010-13. In 2012, Vinson won seven matches in a row to finish third and earn All-America honors. It is the highest finish a Binghamton wrestler has ever had at nationals in Division I. Vinson was a four-time Colonial Athletic Association finalist (2010-13), winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013, while also being named Most Outstanding Wrestler by the conference in each of those two seasons. He also helped the Bearcats win the 2010 CAA team championship. In 2022, Vinson was inducted into the Binghamton Athletics Hall of Fame.
• The last duals Buffalo wrestled in was on Dec. 21, when the Bulls fell to No. 7 NC State 42-3, The Citadel 32-6 and George Mason 28-13 in Raleigh, N.C. Buffalo's two dual victories this season have come against Bloomsburg on Dec. 5 21-14 and Gardner-Webb on Dec. 13, where the Bulls won the latter dual on criteria after it ended in a 22-22 tie thanks to having two six-point victories.
• Rafael Knapp has reached the podium at two different tournaments this season, placing second at the Clarion Open and sixth at the Black Knight Invitational at 174 lbs.
• Marcus Petite finished in sixth place at the 2025 MAC Wrestling Championships at 184 lbs. He also was named the team's Most Outstanding Wrestler that season after finishing the year with an overall record of 29-12 while also going 14-3 in duals.

 
David H. Lehman '68 Franklin & Marshall Open
Date | Time: Friday, Jan. 9 | 9 a.m.
Location: Alumni Sports & Fitness Center, Lancaster, Pa.
Watch: FloWrestling
Live Results: FloWrestling, X- @BearcatsWrestle

The New York Army National Guard is the presenting sponsor of Bearcats Wrestling.