The great Ric Flair has said on many occasions, “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man.”
Of course Flair became famous for being a “fake” wrestler, but the Binghamton University wrestling team’s head coach Pat Popolizio had this mindset when scheduling a dual against his alma mater Oklahoma State University, a perennial powerhouse in college wrestling. Wrestling the Cowboys is a tough task; wrestling them in Stillwater, Okla. can be overwhelming.
“Oklahoma State is one of the toughest places in the country to go wrestle,” Popolizio said. “We went there to gain valuable experience for the guys that are going to be competing at the NCAA tournament.”
The Bearcats fell to the Cowboys, ranked No. 4 in the nation, 32-9 in front of 1,806 fans at Gallagher-Iba Arena this past Friday night. Senior Josh Patterson (174) and redshirt freshman Donnie Vinson (149) were the only Bearcats to win in the dual meet. The eight Oklahoma State wrestlers that won are all nationally ranked, including senior 285-pounder Jared Rosholt, who is ranked No. 1 in the country. He defeated senior Corey Waite by technical fall, 17-2.
“At times the atmosphere is intimidating,” Popolizio said. “[The Cowboys] have 34 NCAA titles, more than any other wrestling program. It’s very intimidating walking into their gym and their practice facility. For our guys to go in there and not get rattled and compete … you have to go through those experiences to set yourself up for what you’re going to face in the future.”
It was a homecoming of sorts for Popolizio, who wrestled under current OSU head coach John Smith in college. A two-time All-American, Popolizio knows what it’s like to compete at the highest level in college wrestling and, for him, bringing his squad to Stillwater is an integral factor in the growth of Binghamton’s wrestling program.
“It means a lot [to me],” he said. “I know a lot of people over there. It’s a lifestyle; it’s a culture. They’re fans for life over there. It’s very important for me to bring our guys there to show them the level we’re working to get to, and the lifestyle that we’re trying to instill over here. It’s hard to understand things unless you see it firsthand.” He later added, “I think we left there gaining some confidence as far as being able to compete with the better teams in the country.”
Vinson was down 7-6 with about 40 seconds to go in his match against sophomore Luke Silver. After a stalling penalty tied the match, Vinson scored a takedown in the waning seconds to win 9-7. Popolizio was proud of Vinson’s valiant victory.
“It’s been an area that [Vinson] needs to improve on,” he said. “Closing out close matches, whether he’s ahead by a point or down by a point. To do it in that atmosphere against Oklahoma State was a huge, huge statement. It was very rewarding to see him step up and get that win.”
After losing his match against George Mason, Patterson, ranked No. 17 in the nation at 174 pounds, returned to form against the Cowboys. He pinned sophomore Alex Munoz at 3:59. Popolizio anticipated Patterson bouncing back the way he did.
“[Patterson] has been winning his whole career,” he said. “He’s been in those situations in the past, and his experience is very valuable. It’s something we expected him to do, and he went out there and did it. It’s nothing new to him.”
The Bearcats finish their dual meet season with a 14-7-2 record, their best record as a Division I program. Popolizio is pleased with the way his team has performed, and is hopeful that seasons such as this one will become a trend for Binghamton.
“Our expectations were very high this season,” he said. “We expected [the success]. I’m happy with the amount of wins we got. It sets us up for the future. We’re trying to make it a year in, year out thing where we can dominate our conference and start winning a lot of duals. Our ultimate goal is to produce All-Americans and get an individual national champion.”
With the dual meet season over, the Bearcats turn their attention to the NCAA tournament, which is scheduled to take place March 5 and 6 at Rider University. Individual preparation will be essential according to Popolizio, who is confident that his team can qualify at least six wrestlers for the NCAA tournament.
“We focus in on the individuals. We have some key matchups in the conference that are going to set up the guys who are going to qualify for the NCAA tournament. I think we are wrestling our best right now. We still have a couple of weeks to prepare. Between the conference tournament and the NCAA tournament, we need to be peaking.”