2012 State Tournament, Photo by Boris Veysman

When he took the head coaching job at Binghamton, Matt Dernlan said he wanted to win with New York talent.

He’s off to a great start, as one of the top rising seniors in the Empire State, Zack Zupan, verbally pledged to the Bearcats over the weekend.

The Canastota grappler won a loaded 170-pound bracket at the state tournament in 2012, defeating previously unbeaten Nick Mitchell (now at Edinboro) in the finals.  The weight also included All-Americans Burke Paddock of Warsaw and Troy Seymour of Peru.

The Section 3 star has made an impact for several years on both the national and state levels.  He placed fourth and fifth in New York in his freshman and sophomore campaigns before his championship as a junior.  He followed each of those performances in the Empire State by earning medals at national events, including two finals appearances at the NHSCAs in Virginia Beach, which yielded a championship as a ninth grader and a runner up finish as a sophomore.  Last season, Zupan placed at the competitive FloNationals tournament in Philadelphia.

Zupan is currently ranked as the #83 prospect in the country by Intermat and is one of the top 20 170-pounders in the country according to Flowrestling.

Zupan projects as a 184-pounder for the Bearcats.

Check back for an interview with Zack Zupan in the coming days.