In a weekend trip to compete at South Dakota State University last weekend, the Binghamton wrestling team had a couple of successful outings. The Bearcats (1-0) won their first dual match of the season on Friday and had two wrestlers place second at the Daktronics Open on Sunday.

Six Bearcats won their bouts in the dual meet against the Jackrabbits (0-1). Headlined by a major decision from redshirt sophomore Lou DePrez and a win by fall for redshirt sophomore Joe Doyle, the Bearcats defeated South Dakota State 25-16.

“The dual meet that we won on Friday, I think we did really well, [winning] six out of 10 matches [and] losing a couple close bouts,” said Binghamton head coach Kyle Borshoff.

In the Daktronics Open, senior Anthony Sparacio reached the semifinals of his weight class before medically forfeiting out of his last match, and Doyle reached the finals of his weight class to come in second to redshirt senior Bobby Steveson of Minnesota.

“There were a few matches that I wish we had been on the winning side of,” Borshoff said. “We didn’t have a couple of our better guys competing [Sunday], but everyone on the team got some matches. We wrestled a lot of guys that we probably won’t see otherwise — Big Ten guys from Nebraska, Minnesota [and] South Dakota and North Dakota. It was a good mix for us.”

Redshirt sophomore Zack Trampe and DePrez, two of BU’s NCAA qualifiers from last season, did not compete in the open after winning their bouts in the dual meet.

Doyle was the Bearcats’ top finisher at the event, taking second in the heavyweight class. He earned a win by fall in his first bout and a major decision in the second before falling in the first place bout. Borshoff said Doyle did a great job controlling the match and winning positions.

Sparacio’s performance also stood out to Borshoff, as he placed fourth in the event in his weight class. He faced five opponents from Minnesota, defeating three and falling in one before a medical forfeit in the third place bout.

“That guy is constantly attacking, is always [on] offense,” Borshoff said. “We just have to clean up some of his finishes, but he had a good day.”

The tournament provided a chance for the Bearcats to compete against talented opponents while preparing for the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) competition.

“We need to improve our rate of attack,” Borshoff said. “We’re wasting too much time sitting back and allowing our opponents to dictate the way they want the match to go instead of us being offensive.”

Next Saturday, Binghamton will return home for a marquee matchup against No. 9 North Carolina State. The match will serve as the nightcap of a doubleheader with the men’s basketball team, who will take on Army immediately before.

“The season for us is a marathon, all these matches for us are practice to get ready for the conference championship and national championship,” Borshoff said. “For the most part, we’re just gonna go out and wrestle hard.”

The match against the Wolfpack is set to begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23 at the Events Center in Vestal, New York.