Binghamton ready to battle at EIWA Championship
February 25, 2021

 


Bearcats head to Manheim, Pa. coming off stellar dual season

The Binghamton University wrestling team will compete at the 117th EIWA Championships Friday afternoon in Manheim, Pa. following a strong dual season on the mat. The Bearcats are one of 10 schools participating at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex, which is a neutral site. 45 automatic berths to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Missouri and an individual team title are on the line.

"We've prepared ourselves just like it was any other dual match," head coach Kyle Borshoff said. "Our attitudes have remained the same and we're ready for any and all situations during these matches."

For the first time since 1909 and just the sixth time in conference history, the EIWA Championships will move to a one-day format. Friday's action will kick-off at 10 a.m. with the pigtail, quarterfinal, and pigtail consolation rounds. The semifinal, consolation quarterfinal and consolation semifinal begins at 2 p.m. The placement round, followed by the award presentation, begins at 5:30 p.m.


Where to Watch

All EIWA Championship matches will be on FloWrestling. Live results can be found here. You can follow live updates of Binghamton's wrestlers on twitter @BearcatsWrestle.


A Year Ago

The Bearcats tied for the team's best finish in program history, taking sixth out of 16 teams. Four wrestlers made the podium, including Lou DePrez and Joe Doyle, who will look to continue their success Friday.


2021 EIWA Championship Lineup (All rankings from NCAA Coaches poll)

125 - No. 32 Micah Roes (4-0)
133 - Anthony Sobotker (3-1)
141 - Dane Heberlein (1-1)
149 - Michael Zarif (3-1)
157 - Matt Swanson (0-0)
165 - No. 32 Brevin Cassella (4-0)
174 - Jacob Nolan (4-0)
184 - No. 4 Lou DePrez (4-0)
197 - Sam DePrez (1-3)
285 - Joe Doyle (0-0)

Spotlights

No. 4 Lou DePrez comes in as the defending 184-pound champion, and has his sights set on another title. The reigning All-America selection has a 4-0 record this season, with two pins and a major decision. DePrez has been ranked as high as third in the country and is one of three EIWA representatives in the NCAA Coaches Poll rankings at 184 pounds.

133-pounder Anthony Sobotker will enter as the three seed Friday and is projected to take on the sixth-seeded Mark Montgomery of Army to kick things off. Sobotker earned a 10-5 decision over Montgomery last month and is no stranger to high leverage situations, as he was crowned a National Junior College All-American last season at Nassau CC.

A pair of true freshmen will look to make a splash and punch their tickets to St. Louis in March. 125-pounder Micah Roes sits at 4-0 and had a notable pin over Rider's Jonathan Tropea in his collegiate debut. Roes has shown resilience in two of his matches, mounting comebacks after falling behind early. Brevin Cassella is another true freshman looking to make a push Friday. He also owns a 4-0 record and has been able to put away close matches. In his season debut, Cassella pulled out a 3-2 decision over Jake Silverstein (now 5-1), and followed it up with another 3-2 decision over Army's Beau Guffey.

Heavyweight Joe Doyle made the podium a season ago, and will look to continue his success in Manheim. The redshirt junior has yet to wrestle this season but is coming off a year where he led the Bearcats in dual victories.

174-pounder Jacob Nolan has taken a positive step this year, and is among four Bearcats with 4-0 records. Now competing in his second EIWA Championship, the sophomore is back at 174 pounds (from 2020's 165 pounds).

157-pounder Matt Swanson and 197-pounder Sam DePrez also return as EIWA Championship veterans. Swanson, in his third postseason tournament, has not wrestled this season but earned a victory a year ago against Harvard's Zeth Dean at the tournament. DePrez earned two victories at his first EIWA opportunity in 2020, including a pin over Columbia's Sam Wustefeld.

Michael Zarif and Dane Heberlein are competing in their first EIWA Championships this season. Zarif compiled a 3-1 record this season, with his only loss coming by sudden victory. Heberlein wrestled in two matches thus far, recording a pin in his opening match.





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