SUNY Binghamton University Men's Wrestling

A native of Upstate New York with a track record of success in college wrestling, Ryan LeBlanc was named the eighth Head Wrestling Coach of Binghamton University on Aug. 25, 2025.   LeBlanc, who hails from Morrisville, N.Y., joins Binghamton after successfully serving as the Head Wrestling Coach at The Citadel since 2020. In his five seasons in charge of the Bulldogs, LeBlanc helped the program reach new heights by leading them to 41 dual victories, including a school-record 14 in 2023-24. The Citadel won 22 matches against Southern Conference opponents during that span, with the Bulldogs winning six league duals in each of their last two seasons. As a result of the team’s performance during the 2024-25 season, LeBlanc was named Coach of the Year by the Southern Conference.   The Bulldogs’ success under LeBlanc also translated to the postseason. The Citadel won five individual SoCon championships, including three in 2025, where the Bulldogs finished second in the conference tournament. That was the team’s best finish at the event since 2013-14. Additionally, LeBlanc had eight wrestlers reach the NCAA Wrestling Championships.   In the classroom, the Bulldogs had 15 NWCA Scholar All-Americans under LeBlanc’s watch. Twice, the Bulldogs qualified as an NWCA Scholar All-American Team, finishing 13th in the country in team grade point average in 2025 (3.531) and 25th in 2024 (3.361).   Before joining The Citadel, LeBlanc developed his coaching skills at another Southern Conference school. He worked as an assistant coach at Appalachian State from 2016-20, with his final two years having him serve as the Co-Head Assistant Coach. Working under Head Wrestling Coach JohnMark Bentley, LeBlanc helped the Mountaineers finish in the top two in the Southern Conference each year, winning three regular season championships in the process. During that time, LeBlanc coached 10 NCAA qualifiers and seven conference champions. In his final season with the Mountaineers in 2019-20, LeBlanc oversaw a historic season for the program. Appalachian State had a school-record six wrestlers qualify for nationals while leading the country with four dual meet shutouts. That year, Appalachian State was also one of three Division I programs with four conference champions, and one of six teams to have all 10 of its starters finish the season with a winning record.   LeBlanc began his coaching career at SUNY Cortland, where he worked as an assistant from 2014-16. In those two seasons, the Red Dragons finished 13th in 2015 and 7th in 2016 at the NCAA Division III Championships. SUNY Cortland crowned two individual national champions (Joe Giramita at 197 lbs., in 2015 and Bobby Dierna at 157 lbs., in 2016), four All-Americans, four NWCA Scholar All-Americans and seven national qualifiers. LeBlanc is also credited with creating a periodization plan for wrestling, strength and cardiovascular training throughout his time with the Red Dragons.   LeBlanc’s transition into coaching began after he enjoyed a prominent collegiate wrestling career at Indiana. While wrestling for the Hoosiers from 2009-14, LeBlanc won 103 matches and qualified for the NCAA Wrestling Championships three times (2012-14). His best finish in the national tournament came in 2014, when he reached the Round of 12. LeBlanc was a three-time NWCA Academic All-American, a two-year captain and made the Big Ten Academic All-Conference Team four seasons in a row. In 2014, he received the Big Ten Medal of Honor, one of the most prestigious conference awards in college athletics. The award is given to one student-athlete from the graduating class of each university who attains, “the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work.” He went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Indiana in 2014 and a master’s degree in sport management from SUNY Cortland in 2016.   Coached by his father Duane LeBlanc at Morrisville-Eaton High School, Ryan LeBlanc won back-to-back New York state championships (2008-09), the first wrestler in school history to accomplish that feat. Ryan LeBlanc was ultimately victorious in 200 matches throughout his high school career. In 2023, LeBlanc was inducted into the Section III Wrestling Hall of Fame.  

Dernlan, a 12-year coaching veteran with a strong pedigree and recruiting ties, will enter his fourth season at the helm of the Binghamton wrestling program in 2015-16. With a strong conference affiliation with the EIWA and outstanding facilities, Dernlan has the Bearcats poised for success. In 2014-15, Binghamton won nine dual matches and produced a pair of NCAA Championship qualifiers. Senior Tyler Deuel recorded an outstanding season, going 28-6 as a heavyweight and winning the program's first EIWA Championship. Deuel put together a 16-match winning streak late in the year. Jack McKeever, a 184-pound junior, also advanced to NCAAs following a sixth-place finish at the EIWA Championships. McKeever was one of six Bearcats to win at least 20 matches on the season. BU came on strong late, posting an 18-16 win at No. 22 Bucknell on February 20. It marked Binghamton's first win over a ranked foe since the 2011-12 season. The 2013-14 campaign saw BU finish seventh at the 18-team EIWA Championships. Senior Cody Reed placed second and David White finished fourth at the event, as both qualified for the NCAA Championships. Reed won a pair of matches at NCAAs, coming up one win shy of All-American honors.  Dernlan, who has strong ties with Penn State and Olympic wrestling, came to Binghamton from Clarion University. In his first season in 2012-13, Dernlan produced four NCAA qualifiers and a runnerup finish at the CAA Championship. Under his tutelage, BU had two wrestlers ranked in the nations top-10 throughout the season. During the year, Dernlan orchestrated two key victories off the mat - first with an elite recruiting class that was tabbed 14th-best in the nation by Amateur Wrestling News. Then in April, Binghamton earned membership into the prestigious EIWA, positioning itself for the future. This is monumental on a number of levels, Dernlan said of the affiliation. Academically, it speaks volumes about Binghamton as an institution and President Stengers vision moving forward that we are seen as in line with some of the most elite private schools in the country. From a wrestling standpoint, to be viewed as adding value to one of the most powerful wrestling conferences in the country speaks to what the future holds as we progress as an emerging national power.  Dernlan led the 2012 Clarion team to an 18th place finish at the NCAA Championship that schools highest national finish in 15 years. The Golden Eagles had four NCAA qualifiers and crowned two All-Americans same as Binghamton at the championship in St. Louis. In his first season at the helm, Dernlans squad finished the regular season with a 6-7 dual meet record against some of the top wrestling teams in the nation, placed third at the PSAC Championships, fourth at EWLs and 11th at the prestigious Midlands Tournament. He was chosen as the Amateur Wrestling News national Rookie Coach of the Year for 2011-12. We are pleased and fortunate to hire someone with Matts integrity and experience, Elliott said at the time. He has a noteworthy pedigree of being part of a championship program at the highest level and has shown rapid success as a Division I head coach. Matt is committed to the academic achievement and citizenship of his student-athletes and I believe he is a perfect fit at Binghamton. Prior to taking the head coaching reigns at Clarion, Dernlan served seven years at Penn State, helping orchestrate the rise of the Nittany Lions to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2011 and 2012. As head assistant and director of recruiting from 2005-09, he produced three consecutive top-4 nationally-ranked recruiting classes (2005, 2006, 2007) and helped lead PSU to a third-place NCAA finish in 2008. Dernlan served as director of operations from 2009-11 under head coach Cael Sanderson and was part of the Nittany Lions staff that captured a 2011 Big Ten crown and then brought home the schools first NCAA wrestling title since 1953. At Penn State, Dernlan also was responsible for the academic success of the wrestling team and served as the teams liaison with admissions, compliance and student-athlete services. Additionally, he was head coach of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, where he coached 10 full-time resident athletes in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games. A native of West Liberty, Ohio, Dernlan enjoyed an outstanding competitive career and was inducted into the Ohio High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2002. At West Liberty-Salem High, he went 154-4 overall and was a three-time, undefeated Ohio state champion (1989-91) and a three-time USA Wrestling High School All-American (1989-91). Dernlan become an NCAA qualifier at Liberty University as a sophomore 126-pounder in 1993. After he red-shirted in 1994, Liberty dropped its wrestling program but Dernlan stayed at the school and earned his bachelors degree in sports management in 1996. He then received a masters degree in sport administration from Bowling Green in 2002 and has been working toward a Ph.D. in higher education administration from University of Toledo. He began his coaching career as an assistant at St. Paris Graham High School (Ohio) from 1997-99 and then was an assistant coach at Ohio Northern from 2001-04, where he also served as assistant director in the schools host role for the 2003 NCAA Division III Championship. Matt and his wife, Carie, have two daughters, Ava and Aubrey.       

Brevin Cassella enters his first season as an assistant coach of the Binghamton wrestling team in 2025-26 following a stellar five-year career with the Bearcats.   Cassella stands as one of the most accomplished wrestlers in program history. While competing for the Bearcats from 2020-25, the Clinton, Mass., native won 102 matches during his collegiate career, including 47 in dual competition. He also recorded 16 major decisions, 12 technical falls, eight pins and posted 178 team points for Binghamton in duals. Cassella spent his first four seasons wrestling at 165 lbs., before moving up to 174 lbs., for his final year in 2024-25.   In each of his final four seasons, Cassella qualified for the NCAA Wrestling Championships, winning a combined five matches at the national tournament. The furthest he reached in the tournament was in both 2024 and 2025, when he made it to the third round in the consolation bracket. In 2025, he received his highest ranking at nationals when he entered the event as the No. 6 seed.   That ranking came off the heels of Cassella winning the 2025 EIWA championship, the fifth one in program history. Cassella won all three of his matches, including a thrilling 4-1 decision in the second tiebreaker against No. 1 seed Danny Wask of Navy in the finals. That final victory was Cassella’s 100th of his career. For his performance throughout the tournament, Cassella became the first Binghamton wrestler to receive the Coaches’ Trophy for being voted as the outstanding wrestler of the EIWA Championships. Cassella ultimately reached the podium at the EIWAs in each of his five seasons, improving his finish at the tournament each year.   Cassella also found success in the classroom. Earlier in May, he received the EIWA’s Academic Achievement Award. In order to qualify for the honor, Cassella maintained a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 while competing in nationals. In 2025, he graduated from Binghamton with a bachelor’s degree in human development.  

Borshoff enters his sixth season in 2015-16. Prior to joining the Bearcats he had a stellar collegiate career at American University. He was a four-time EIWA placewinner and 2008 NCAA qualifer before graduating cum laude in 2008.   Borshoff was a two-time Academic All-American and received his bachelor's degree in health promotion with a 3.6 grade-point average. He was a six-time Dean's List honoree and helped the Eagles produce the highest wrestling GPA in the nation two times and second-highest another year. While at Binghamton, Borshoff helped the Bearcats achieve its highest finish at the  2012  NCAA Tournament, placing 14th. Binghamton recorded a pair of Division I All-Americans (Donnie Vinson, Nick Gwiazdowski) at the national tournament for the first time in program history.  Borshoff has been key on the recruiting trail as well helping Dernlan bring in countless former state champions, including a nationally-ranked recruiting class prior to the 2013-14 campaign. In the 2014-15 season, BU won nine dual matches and produced two NCAA qualifiers. Tyler Deuel became the program's first EIWA Champion, while Jack McKeever took sixth at EIWAs on his way to the NCAA Championships. His father, Tim, was a standout wrestler at Binghamton in the 1970s and was inducted into the University's Hall of Fame in 2001.