FINAL | Our first win against a Big Ten opponent since 2017!
— Binghamton Wrestling (@BearcatsWrestle) February 17, 2024
𝗗𝗘𝗘𝗣 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗣𝗜𝗭𝗭𝗔 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗬𝗢𝗡𝗘!!!#ClawsOut | #ONEBinghamton pic.twitter.com/4xA0jLooNd
Win is the Bearcats' first against a Big Ten opponent since 2017
EVANSTON, Ill. ? The Binghamton wrestling team added another significant win to its resume this season by defeating Northwestern 21-15 Friday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The win was not only the first for the Bearcats against NU, but it was also their first victory against a Big Ten opponent since Nov. 26, 2017, when Binghamton defeated Indiana 29-6.
With the win, the Bearcats have now won their last five duals and eight of their last 10. Their nine wins this season are their most since 2018-19, when they won 10 duals.
In the back-and-forth meet, Brevin Cassella helped secure the win for the Bearcats in the final match of the night at 165 lbs. With Binghamton up 18-15, the No. 17 ranked wrestler in the country defeated No. 15 Maxx Mayfield 5-0 to keep the Bearcats ahead.
"Northwestern really made us fight for the win tonight," said Binghamton Head Coach Kyle Borshoff. "Our guys performed well enough to get the win, but with room for improvement before the EIWAs. Brevin Cassella did an incredible job beating their best guy while under pressure with the match on the line."
Highlights
Dimitri Gamkreldize began the night with a 9-4 victory over David Ferrante. This was Gamkrelidze's first appearance on the mat since the NCAA revealed that he was ranked No. 32 in the RPI Rankings.
Lou DePrez and Cory Day each recorded a major decision to extend Binghamton's lead to 11-3. DePrez defeated Evan Bates 11-1, while Day took down Jack Jessen 9-0. It is Day's third straight major decision, and DePrez's second. DePrez was ranked No. 6 in the coaches rankings and No. 9 in the RPI rankings, while Day is No. 10 in the RPI and No. 15 in the coaches.
Micah Roes added a third major decision for the Bearcats when he defeated Patrick Adams 9-0. Roes entered the dual ranked No. 23 in the RPI rankings.
Nate Lucier defeated Kolby McClain 9-2 for his fifth straight dual victory.
This is the second time Cassella has defeated Mayfield in as many matches this season. At the Round of 16 of the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Wrestling Invitational on Dec. 1, Cassella defeated Mayfield in a tiebreaker 2-1.
Binghamton 21 Northwestern 15
174 Dimitri Gamkrelidze (BU) def. David Ferrante (Northwestern) DEC 9-4, BU 3 Northwestern 0
184 Troy Fisher (Northwestern) def. No. 14/11 Jacob Nolan (BU) DEC 7-3, Northwestern 3 BU 3
197 No. 9/10 Lou DePrez (BU) def. Evan Bates (Northwestern) MD 11-1, BU 7 Northwestern 3
285 No. 15/18 Cory Day (BU) def. Jack Jessen (Northwestern) MD 9-0, BU 11 Northwestern 3
125 Massey Odiotti (Northwestern) def. Carson Wagner (BU) DEC 11-5, BU 11 Northwestern 6
133 No. NR/32 Micah Roes (BU) def. Patrick Adams (Northwestern) MD 9-0, BU 15 Northwestern 6
141 Nate Lucier (BU) def. Kolby McClain (Northwestern) DEC 9-2, BU 18 Northwestern 6
149 Aiden Vandenbush (Northwestern) def. Michael Zarif (BU) MD 11-0, BU 18 Northwestern 10
157 No. 22/21 Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) def. Carter Baer (BU) TF 19-3 6:19, BU 18 Northwestern 15
165 No. 19/17 Brevin Cassella (BU) def. No. 15/21 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) DEC 5-0, BU 21, Northwestern 15
*rankings based on FloWrestling/InterMat
Up Next
Binghamton closes out its dual season with a meet up the road at No. 8 Cornell on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m.