CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State University wrestling team will close the regular season this weekend by facing an opponent for the first time in program history.
CSU will welcome Binghamton Saturday, Feb. 23, at 1:00 p.m. The Vikings will honor three seniors in a pre-dual ceremony before the final home competition of the season. Live results and live video will be available through TrackWrestling with links located at the top of this article.
The Vikings dropped two duals on the same day last weekend, losing to Northern Illinois and nationally ranked Lock Haven. In the dual against the Huskies, CSU lost two matches that required more than seven minutes to decide and dropped two additional bouts by two points or fewer.
Redshirt sophomore Ryan Ford notched a win against the ranked Bald Eagles at 165 pounds. He secured a takedown with just eight seconds remaining to turn a deficit into a lead before picking up back points in the final seconds. In doing so, he improved to 12-7 on the season.
True freshman Ben Smith picked up a win over Northern Illinois at 197 last weekend and dropped a one-point decision to his LHU foe. He moved to 16-14 in a CSU singlet in his first collegiate season.
Redshirt senior Armando Torres (133) and redshirt sophomore Nico O'Dor (157) continue to lead the team in wins this season with 27 and 22, respectively. Torres has 14 bonus-point wins on the campaign. He and redshirt freshman Brady Barnett are tied for the team lead in duals wins (9) while Barnett tops the team with eight pins.
After losing its first three duals, two against nationally ranked foes, Binghamton has won eight consecutive duals entering the final weekend of the regular season. The Bearcats are now earning votes in the national dual rankings. Redshirt freshman Lou DePrez is 24-4 at 184 pounds and ranked among the top 10 nationally by multiple outlets. Junior Anthony Sparacio owns a 22-9 mark at 141 pounds, including a 10-1 record in dual matches.
Cleveland State will contest the Eastern Wrestling League Championships Saturday, March 9, at George Mason.