VESTAL, N.Y. – The Binghamton wrestling team is set to begin its second season under Head Coach Ryan LeBlanc, as the Bearcats open their 2026-27 campaign Sunday at the Princeton Open.
 
LeBlanc looks to build on the foundation he put in place in his first season in the Southern Tier in 2025-26, when he guided the Bearcats to seven dual wins and helped both Carter Baer and Mikey Squires qualify for the NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships. This season, LeBlanc leads a roster consisting of 21 returners and seven newcomers. Two of the newcomers are Carson DesRosier and Thomas Snipes, both of whom transferred to Binghamton after wrestling for LeBlanc at his previous school, The Citadel. Both DesRosier and Snipes have previously qualified for nationals.
 
"I'm really excited," said LeBlanc. "We just have a little bit more depth at a lot of weight classes and have had a really competitive wrestling room, which usually leads to confidence when they get out and perform. I really like our new guys, our young kids and our transfers, and then we were able to retain a ton of our older kids. We have an old team. So we have a handful of grad students, a handful of seniors, and I'm just excited."

Helping LeBlanc lead the Bearcats are two assistants whom he has prior experience with. Binghamton wrestling great Brevin Cassella returns for his second season as an assistant coach for the Bearcats, two years removed from winning an EIWA championship. LeBlanc also reunites with Luke Welch, who enters his first season as Associate Head Coach at Binghamton. The two worked together for five seasons at The Citadel from 2020-25, where Welch served as an assistant coach under LeBlanc from 2020-24, before being promoted to Associate Head Coach on July 5, 2024. After LeBlanc was named the head coach at Binghamton on Aug. 25, 2025, Welch served as the Interim Head Coach at The Citadel for the 2025-26 season.
 
"Luke brings a ton," said LeBlanc. "Everybody talks about culture and the program and things that they're trying to build. Luke is able to hit the ground running. I think we have a great working relationship. I think we balance each other well, strengths and weaknesses, and I think he's one of the best assistant coaches in the country. I'm just really fortunate to have him up here and on board, and he's already made an immediate impact in our room."
 
Binghamton faces a competitive schedule. This season, the Bearcats have 14 duals scheduled. Most notably, the Bearcats host five-time defending national champion Penn State, Oregon State and Northern Colorado on Sunday, Dec. 20 in the West Gym for the Journeymen Collegiate Wrestling Duals. Binghamton also faces two-time defending Ivy League champion Cornell in Vestal on Friday, Feb. 19. Additionally, Binghamton will compete in several in-season tournaments, including the Southern Scuffle from Jan. 2-3 and the David H. Lehman '68 Franklin & Marshall Open on Friday, Jan. 8.

"Our schedule is a little bit tougher this year, and I think that reflects the roster and the team we have," said LeBlanc.
 
Here is how Binghamton's roster looks in each weight class entering this season.
 
125
Not long after arriving at Binghamton in 2023, Carson Wagner grabbed the starting job at 125 lbs., and has not let go of it since. Now entering his senior season, Wagner looks to reach nationals for the first time in his career. He led the Bearcats with 24 wins in 2025-26 while finishing fourth at the EIWA Championships, his second appearance on the conference tournament's podium.
 
Working in this weight class with Wagner is freshman Will Russell. The Manhasset, N.Y., native won 169 matches while competing for Manhasset High School, reaching the state finals in his senior season.
 
133
Dillon Arrick took a step forward as Binghamton's starter at 133 lbs., in 2025-26, winning 22 matches, including five in duals. He completed his second season in Vestal by finishing fifth at the EIWA Championships, his first trip to the podium at the event.
 
Redshirt freshmen Jacob Hanlon and Gavin Sheridan competed in multiple tournaments during their first season at Binghamton. Hanlon finished fifth at the Black Knight Open and sixth at the Wilkes Open. Sheridan, meanwhile, won four matches and recorded two major decisions during his freshman season.
 
141
Carson DesRosier arrives at Binghamton after competing for The Citadel from 2022-25. In 2025, the Helena, Mont., native won the Southern Conference championship to reach national for the first time in his career. He followed that by finishing in second place at the 2026 SoCon Championships in his final season with the Bulldogs.
 
Ryan Hartung served as Binghamton's primary starter at 141 in 2025-26, winning 16 matches, including four in duals.
 
Jack Kazalas made one appearance in a dual for Binghamton last season against Sacred Heart. He also finished in fourth place at the Wilkes Open.
 
Binghamton native Ryan Ferrara joins the Bearcats after a decorated career at Chenango Forks High School. Ferrara won 99 matches for CFHS while placing at state three times, including a runner-up finish in 2022. Ferrara also earned All-America honors at the 2024 Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D., following a sixth-place finish, becoming the first Section IV wrestler since 2019 to gain that distinction in the Greco-Roman competition.
 
149
After missing most of the 2025-26 season due to injury, Nate Lucier is set to return for the Bearcats. Lucier had been a consistent presence in the Binghamton lineup before his injury, finishing eighth at the EIWAs in both 2024 and 2025.
 
While Lucier recovered from his injury last season, Caleb Sweet stepped up for Binghamton. The Ovid, N.Y., native won a career-high 16 matches, including four in duals.
 
Freshman Gabe Rogers won back-to-back North Carolina state championships in 2025 and 2026 while competing for Seaforth High School. Rogers ultimately finished his high school career with 158 wins.
 
157
After being the only Binghamton wrestler to not make it onto the podium at the EIWAs in 2025, Fin Nadeau reached the podium in 2026 with a fourth-place finish. That placement completed a season where Nadeau won a career-high 21 matches, including eight in duals.
 
Jordan Brown starts this season at 157 lbs., after finishing sixth at the 2026 EIWAs at 165 lbs. Brown can perform across different weight classes, even winning his dual match against Buffalo at 174 lbs., last season.

Redshirt freshmen Luke Geleta and Gavin Nolan both look to grow their role with the Bearcats this season. Geleta won 10 matches as a freshman for the Bearcats last year, while Nolan added three victories in his first season.
 
Freshman Nik Blake rounds out the weight class after winning the 2026 Florida state championship. Blake also is a 2025 NHSCA All-American after finishing sixth in the tournament.
 
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The other transfer joining the Bearcats from The Citadel, Thomas Snipes has reached nationals each of the last two seasons, winning a combined three matches. He won the 2025 SoCon championship while being named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.
 
Marco Albanese won a career-high 14 matches for Binghamton in 2025-26, including his first two dual victories. Albanese also finished fourth at the Navy Classic to open last season.
 
Adding extra depth to the weight class is Timur Beksultan, who won two matches in limited action for Binghamton in 2025-26.
 
174
Carter Baer reached new heights in his collegiate career in 2025-26, qualifying for nationals for the first time while finishing in second place at the EIWAs. Baer ultimately won 20 matches, while going 10-1 in duals. Now, Baer looks to reach even greater heights with the Bearcats this season.
 
Deakon Bailey won six matches in his second season at Binghamton, recording one pin and one technical fall. He will also be joined in the weight class by freshman Karl Ludwig, a two-time Virginia state champion who received All-America honors after finishing in fourth place at the 2026 NHSCA High School Nationals.
 
184
Despite battling injuries, Will Ebert still picked up another 10 victories in 2025-26. He looks to regain his form two seasons ago, when he entered the national rankings while defeating two opponents ranked in the top 10 en route to finishing sixth at the EIWAs.
 
Bailey can also wrestle in this weight class if needed. He faced Ebert at this weight in Binghamton's wrestle-offs back on Oct. 16.
 
197
Multiple wrestlers are looking to replace Mikey Squires, who completed his collegiate career last season at Binghamton by reaching nationals for the first time in his career. Cayden Bevis moves back down to this weight class after competing as a heavyweight in 2025-26, winning six matches before suffering a season-ending injury.
 
Quinn Funk recorded a career-high 12 wins during his second season at Binghamton in 2025-26. The Broomfield, Colo., native also finished sixth at the Black Knight Open and won all five of his matches at the Big Red Invitational that year.
 
285
Trent Sibble emerged as Binghamton's starting heavyweight by the end of last season. Sibble went on to win 18 matches, tie for fifth at the Franklin & Marshall Open and made his first start at the EIWAs.
 
Charlie Tibbitts returns for the Bearcats after winning nine matches for Binghamton last season. Tibbitts also finished third at the Black Knight Open that year.

Up Next
Binghamton officially begins its 2026-27 season Sunday by competing in the Princeton Open. The tournament begins at 9 a.m.
 
The New York Army National Guard is the presenting sponsor of Bearcats Wrestling.