It was a cakewalk in Clifton Park as the Binghamton University men’s wrestling team swept their two matches on Sunday. The Bearcats beat Boston University, 18-16, followed by a 31-3 win over Lycoming College.
The wins snapped a five-match losing streak for Binghamton University, pushing the team’s record up to 11-12 and 2-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Josh Patterson, a 184-pound junior, won his one bout of the day against Boston University, improving his record to 34-4. He is now ranked No. 8 in the nation by InterMat.
Matt Kaylor, a 147-pound redshirt freshman, was unable to improve on his 23 wins, dropping his lone match to Mike Roberts of Boston.
“I think the guys competed very well,” said Binghamton head coach Pat Popolizio. “Obviously this time of year we’re focusing in on peaking at the right time. We’re doing some different training and it’s going to pay off here at the end of the year.”
The day began against Boston University (4-4-1 entering the match), a fellow member of the CAA. The Bearcats won four of the first six matches, including a win by 165-pound junior Ryan McGarity, who coach Popolizio listed as one of the team’s surprise performers this year. The Terriers won the next two bouts to even the gap, but Patterson, who moved up to the 197-pound weight class for the bout, sealed the victory against Boston’s John Hall. Boston won the last bout, but it was too little too late for the Terriers.
The Bearcats had little time to celebrate their victory, as they played Lycoming College (13-6 entering the match) next. Binghamton used this opportunity against a quality opponent to allow several less-played members of the team to have a chance to wrestle, while the normal starters got a chance to rest.
Binghamton University’s backups were able to take down the Warriors by a 31-3 score. The Bearcats won every bout with the exception of 174-pound sophomore Matt Berretta’s loss to fellow sophomore Troy Hayre. Junior Brandon Toro-Segarra, at 149 pounds, won his first bout of the season, while 149-pound freshman Justin Lister won his 16th while wrestling at 157 pounds.
“We’ve got to have a lot of positive energy right now, everything has got to be positive moving forward,” Popolizio said.
The two wins and near-.500 record underscore the fact that this has been an up-and-down year for the Bearcats. Momentum will play a role, with just three matches before the CAA Championship in Virginia. According to coach Popolizio, keeping the team motivated is the key, as well as making sure the team scores early in matches. In order to ensure both of these things, the coaching staff has implemented shorter workouts, but they still “push them to the hardest that they can go in a short period of time.”
“We’re looking for guys to be focused when they step on the mat, in every situation … We work toward peaking at the right time. It’s kind of like having tunnel vision for seven minutes. We’re starting to see that, it’s starting to come through more and more here as we get to the end of the season, with a short time left.”
The Bearcats’ next match comes at home against conference foe Sacred Heart University tomorrow night at 7 p.m. The Pioneers are 5-7 and are currently on a five-game losing streak.