AU senior wrestler Mike Cannon, whose major decision at 184 pounds tied him for second place on AU’s all-time wins list, led the Eagles to a 21-16 win over Binghamton University on Thursday, extending their win streak to five in a row.
The Eagles won six of their 10 matches and the first five of the meet. Jasen Borshoff, ranked 17th in the nation, picked up a major decision at 125 pounds to start the meet, defeating Dan Riggi by a score of 17-6. Then, Thomas Williams and Jordan Lipp earned decisions at 133 pounds and 141 pounds respectively.
At 149 pounds Kyle Borshoff, ranked 12th in the nation, defeated Donnie Vinson by a score of 6-2. Meanwhile, Steve Fittery, ranked 3rd in the nation, earned his 19th straight victory, with a major decision at 157 pounds to bring the score to 17-10 in favor of AU.
The Eagles dropped their next two matches at 165 pounds and 174 pounds before Cannon took to the mat. The two-time All American earned a major decision by the score of 22-8 over Binghamton’s Matt Beretta.
Binghamton fought back with two wins in the 197-pound and heavyweight division, but AU held on for the victory 21-16.
Cannon’s win moved him into a tie with 2007 NCAA National Champion Josh Glenn for second place on AU’s all-time wins list.
“I honestly had no idea that I had moved into the number two spot on the wins list,” Cannon told AU Athletics. “It’s a great accomplishment to have my name next to someone as famous in the sport of wrestling as Josh Glenn. He is truly someone I look up to and aspire to be like.”
Though Cannon is proud of the accomplishment, he is focused on joining Glenn on more than just the wins list.
“There is still a lot of time left in the season, and I still have my eyes set on winning an NCAA national title and finishing with the most wins in AU history,” Cannon said. “I feel like, if I can accomplish that then I will have completed what I set out to do five years ago when I walked on campus for the first time.”
The wins record is just one of many accomplishments for the 184-pounder this season. He claimed his fourth consecutive Keystone Classic title with a 9-0 major decision in November. His career record now stands at 110-18 and 18-1 on the season.
Fellow grappler K. Borshoff has a shot to join Cannon among AU’s all-time best. His victory Thursday moved him one win short of tying Bret Ruth and Mark Snuffin for fifth on the all-time wins list and improved his season record to 17-4.
The team victory bumped AU’s dual meet record above .500 to 7-6 on the season. They will look to add a pair of victories next Sunday when they take on George Mason and UNC on Sunday.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
