Sachem East wrestling stand out Mark Tracy made it official on last week when he signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his wrestling career at SUNY Binghamton.
Tracy had an outstanding senior season at Sachem East winning the New York State and Suffolk County titles at 182 pounds and finishing third in the nation to earn All-American honors at the NHSCA Senior Nationals last month.
Known for his bruising style on the mat, Tracy will be a welcome addition to second year coach Matt Dernlan’s Binghamton squad. He also received serious offers from Rider, Hofstra, and Maryland, but it was the combination of academic and wrestling opportunities that led Tracy to choose the Bearcats.
At Binghamton Tracy will enroll in the prestigious School of Management and pursue a five-year MBA program.
“The programs at Binghamton are well developed,” he said. ‘The opportunity to compete for a highly competitive Division I program and obtain an MBA from the School of Management will enable me to excel both on and off the mat and was exactly what I was looking for.”
On his expectation for his experience at Binghamton Tracy said, “I really liked the coaching staff and team members and am most looking forward to developing the relationships that will help me grow into a better person. I am hoping to make an impact on the team and help the team reach new heights.”
Tracy certainly had an impact on the Sachem East program, leading the team to back-to-back Section XI team titles, becoming the programs second State Champion and winning over 100 matches in his career.
“Binghamton is very fortunate to add Mark Tracy to their team,” said Sachem East coach Isaac Ramaswamy. “He has a tremendous work ethic and has all the physical tools to compete on the national level. “Often times coaches are inspiring athletes to push themselves to be their best. Mark is such a hard worker that at one point during the season we had to tell him to back off the extra running and lifting, so he would be fresh and peak at the end of the season. It is this kind of work ethic that makes Mark special and inspires those around him.”
Mike Pistone and Anthony Messina to compete at the college level
Sachem East Wrestling captains Mike Pistone and Anthony Messina both committed to wrestle in college.
Pistone, a two time All-County wrestler, will compete for SUNY Oswego next year. He narrowed his choices down to Oswego and Cortland before deciding. Pistone finished his high school career with 102 victories.
Anthony Messina currently sits at No. 3 on the all-time wins list at Sachem East as he amassed 130 career victories. Messina a League Champion and third place finisher in Section XI will compete at SUNY Oneota.