While all eyes were on the men’s basketball team this weekend, students had little knowledge that another athlete was also making Binghamton University history.
Junior Josh Patterson, after going 5-2 at the NCAA Championships and finishing seventh in his class, became Binghamton’s first Division I All-American wrestler.
“Becoming the first [All-American] is difficult,” head coach Pat Popolizio said. “That’s what makes it so rewarding.”
Patterson came into the tournament as the sixth seed at 184 pounds and got off to a quick start, pinning his first-round opponent, Mikal McKee (31-12), a sophomore at UNC Greensboro, in 1:49.
Patterson’s second-round match was against Harvard junior Louis Caputo (30-5), who was the 11th seed. After a scoreless first period, Caputo chose bottom and scored a two-point reversal near the end of the second period.
A third-period takedown extended Caputo’s lead to 4-0. Patterson was able to cut the deficit in half with a reversal, before losing 6-3. “It wasn’t one of his better matches,” Popolizio said.
The loss meant that Patterson would have to win three consecutive matches to be an All-American.
“I knew I could do it,” Patterson said. “I just had to take it one match at a time.”
“Every time he lost [this season] he turned around and beat another good kid,” Popolizio said.
Patterson bounced back, pinning Eric Cameron (21-18), a junior from Indiana, in 1:02.
Against Virginia senior Rocco Caponi (15-5), Patterson used a takedown and a near fall to jump out to a 4-0 first period lead en route to a 5-2 victory.
“I was a little nervous [early in the tournament],” Patterson said. “I wrestled better as the tournament went on.”
The win set up a match with Kirk Smith (36-1). The Boise State sophomore was a returning All-American and came into the tournament as the fourth seed. The winner would be an All-American; the loser of the match would have his season come to an end.
“The matchup made it more exciting,” Popolizio said.
Patterson used a takedown to grab the early lead. An escape by Smith reduced Patterson’s lead to 2-1 entering the second period. Patterson escaped in the second period to carry a 3-1 lead into the third. Patterson earned two near fall points to extend his lead to 5-1, en route to a 6-3 victory.
The final five seconds of the match was not only Popolizio’s highlight of the weekend — it was also one of Patterson’s. “Beating Kirk Smith to be an All-American, he’s a great wrestler,” Patterson said.
Patterson’s loss to Joe LeBlanc (40-6), a freshman at Wyoming, set up a rematch with Caputo in the match for seventh place.
Patterson took a 2-0 lead into the second period after his first-period takedown of Caputo. Trailing 3-2, Caputo chose bottom to start the third. Patterson rode him out for the whole period earning a riding time point and the 4-2 decision.
“Avenging the loss,” Patterson said, was a highlight of the tournament.
Popolizio thought Patterson’s past experience at nationals was an important factor. “He knew what he was to encounter,” Popolizio said. “He was motivated by past performances.”
Patterson moved up a weight class this year after wrestling at 174 pounds the past two years.
“The move to 184 allowed him to get better, stronger and stay fresher,” Popolizio said.
Patterson says he was confident that he would have success at nationals.
“Wrestling these kids all year, I knew I could wrestle with the best of them,” he said.
Part of what Popolizio thinks aided Patterson’s success was Binghamton’s wrestling schedule, which helped the junior prepare for the tournament.
“He beat tough kids in their home gym [throughout the season],” Popolizio said. “We have produced an All-American in a short period of time. It lets other kids know you can wrestle at a high level at Binghamton University.”
For Patterson, however, he loves nothing more than the “one-on-one” of wrestling.
“[There’s] no one to blame but yourself,” he said. “[There are] no breaks. You have to live [wrestling] all year. It’s worth it.”