VESTAL, N.Y. – The Binghamton wrestling team will have two new representatives competing at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, which takes place from Thursday through Saturday at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
 
Both Carter Baer (174 lbs.) and Mikey Squires (197 lbs.) are set to make their first appearance at nationals this week after each wrestler earned an automatic bid by finishing in second place at the EIWA Championships on March 7. Joining them is Head Coach Ryan LeBlanc, who is wrapping up his first season in charge of the program at Binghamton. He previously mentored eight national qualifiers during his five seasons as the head coach at The Citadel from 2020-25. Now he looks to use his experience to help Baer and Squires succeed at nationals.
 
"I'm pushing both of these guys to continue to get better this week," said LeBlanc. "I think that's one of the things that is essential to this time of year is that you don't put on the brakes. These guys have both grown tremendously throughout the entire course of the season. If you follow them from week to week, they've gotten better."
 
With Bear and Squires reaching nationals, Binghamton has had at least two of its wrestlers qualify for the NCAA tournament in each of the last 17 seasons dating back to 2010. In total, Binghamton has had 63 Division I national qualifiers dating back to 2001. Each wrestler will now attempt to become the first Bearcat to reach the podium and earn All-America honors since Lou DePrez received that recognition in back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021.
 
Carter Baer
Weight Class: 174 lbs.
Record: 18-4 overall, 10-1 duals
NCAA Tournament Seed: No. 13
First Round Opponent: No. 20 Daschle Lamer, Oregon State
 
Baer has been preparing for this moment for quite some time. A three-time New York State champion while being coached by his father Joel at Gouverneur High School, he now gets the opportunity to compete for a national championship.
 
"I'm really excited and grateful," said Carter Baer. "This is something that I've been pushing towards my entire wrestling career, just to be at the national tournament."
 
Baer overcame a tough start to his season, when he lost both of his matches at the Navy Classic back on Nov. 2, by winning his next 16 bouts. During that stretch, Baer defeated four wrestlers who would go on to qualify for nationals. Baer's winning streak was snapped in a 2-0 loss to Cornell's Simon Ruiz on Feb. 14, but Baer held the distinction of giving up the fewest points to Ruiz since the Cornell wrestler's first dual appearance of the season on Nov. 15 against Alex Facundo of Oklahoma State.
 
Baer closed out the year by winning his first two matches at the EIWAs to secure an automatic bid to nationals. His final victory came in the semifinals against national qualifier Danny Wask of Navy, who Baer defeated in the second tiebreaker 7-6.
 
With five wins against national qualifiers, Baer looks to make the most of his first appearance at the NCAA's.
 
"I'm just trying to make sure that I'm not just content being here, and I'm ready to go and give 100 percent effort every match," said Baer.
 
Baer's first opponent at nationals is No. 20 seed Daschle Lamer of Oregon State. With a record of 19-3, Lamer won the Pac-12 championship in his first season with the Beavers after wrestling at Cal Poly from 2023-25. While at Cal Poly, he finished second at the Pac-12 tournament in 2025.
 
Mikey Squires
Weight Class: 197 lbs.
Record: 19-3 overall, 10-1 duals
NCAA Tournament Seed: No. 23
First Round Opponent: No. 10 Mac Stout, Pittsburgh
 
This week's tournament completes a memorable homecoming for Squires. A native of nearby Norwich, N.Y., Squires returned to the Southern Tier to join the Bearcats for his final year of eligibility after wrestling at Princeton from 2021-25. He hopes to use this weekend to make a positive impact on the younger wrestlers in his community.
 
"Both Carter and I come from small towns, and we're just showing that you can come from a small town and still compete at the highest level," said Squires. "Trying to inspire the younger generation is really what I want to do with my career."
 
Squires had to wait until Binghamton's dual at Bloomsburg on Dec. 13 to make his debut for the Bearcats as he completed his recovery from an injury. Once Squires took the mat, he made an immediate impact for the Bearcats by winning his first nine matches.
 
After splitting his next four, Squires closed out the regular season by winning his final six bouts. His most notable victory came at the Patriot Last Chance Open, when he defeated No. 3 Stephen Little of Little Rock, a two-time All-American, 6-5 on Feb. 22.
 
At the EIWAs, Squires defeated Hofstra's Will Conlon 8-1 in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals. There, Squires faced Army West Point's Wolfgang Frable, needing a win to earn an automatic bid to nationals. With the bout tied at three in the third period, Squires took down Frable with 13 seconds remaining to win the match 6-3 and punch his ticket to Cleveland.
 
As the final matches of his collegiate career draw closer, Squires looks to close the final chapter by accomplishing another goal of his.
 
"I'm very thankful to be here," said Squires. "This was a goal I've had my entire college career to get to this tournament. But now the goalposts shift Now the goal is to place. So, I just want to go and put together a series of really good matches and end my career on a high note."
 
Squires will first face No. 10 Mac Stout of Pittsburgh in the opening round. Stout was an All-American in 2025 following a seventh-place finish at that year's tournament. Entering nationals this year with a record of 19-4, he has qualified for nationals in each of the last three seasons. Most recently, Stout finished third at the ACC Wrestling Championships.
 
2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships Schedule
Thursday, March 19
Session 1:  Pigtails and First Round – Noon (ESPN2/ESPN+)
Session 2:  Prelims and wrestle-backs – 7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN+)
 
Friday, March 20
Session 3: Quarterfinals and wrestle-backs -  Noon (ESPNU/ESPN+)
Session 4: Semifinals and wrestle-backs – 8 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN+)
 
Saturday, March 21
Session 5: Third, Fifth and Seventh Place matches – 11 a.m. (ESPNU/ESPN+)
Session 6: Finals – 6:30 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN+)
 
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