"We're very pleased with our incoming class," Beichner said. "When you combine this class with our 12 returnees with starting experience and our eight returning redshirt freshmen, we feel that we have a competitive team, not just now, but for years to come."
Included in the returnees is also Ryan Needle (Newfane, NY/Newfane), Section VI's all-time wins leader, as the Ohio State transfer will compete for the Bulls for the first time after shoulder surgery kept him out for the entire 2005-06 season.
The Bulls will benefit from the addition of Section VI's Aris twins, as Mike Aris (Barker, NY/Barker) and Vince Aris (Barker, NY/Barker) have both committed to UB. Mike Aris finished his career with two stellar seasons, as he won the 2005 New York State High School Division II Championships with an impressive 3-0 performance to finish his junior year 42-2. He set the school's record for consecutive wins and all-time wins and won his second Section VI Class A title as a senior, Aris lost in the semifinals of the state tournament before rebounding to finish fifth, wrapping up a 39-4 season. He also earned mention in Wrestling USA's Best 2006 High School Seniors, ranking 27th in the list of 30, in the list released in February.
Vince Aris also wrapped up a stellar senior campaign, as he went 40-9 en route to a fourth-place finish at the Division II Championships at 140 pounds. Along the way, he won more than 100 matches in his career, joining his brother as the top-two winningest grapplers in school history, and won two Section VI Class A titles.
Dan Audy (Clarence, NY/Clarence), an Empire State Games bronze medalist in 2005, comes to UB after wrapping up a 39-3 senior season that saw him rise to second in the Section VI Individual Rankings at 130 pounds before wrapping up a Class AAAA Section VI title. He moved on to a fifth-place showing at the 2006 New York State Division I Championships, finishing 3-2 at the tournament. At the Empire State Games, Audy wrestled in the 59 kilogram (132 pounds) weight class, going 4-1 and defeating Western teammate Mike Bunn, 14-7, to medal at the event.
Jason Brown (Cato, NY/Cato-Meridian) will have one of the toughest jobs in UB's lineup, as he will be asked to step into three-time NCAA Qualifier Kyle Cerminara's (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter) shoes at 197 pounds. However, Brown does have the credentials for it, as he wrapped up a New York State Division II State Championship at 215 pounds as a senior, finishing with a 37-1 record after winning four matches at the state championship and pinning two in the event. Brown, who won the Section III Championship after a second-place finish as a junior, was also a member of Cato-Meridian's football team, starting as a running back.
"We are very glad we have some very good local wrestlers coming in," Beichner said of the Aris twins and Audy. "That's a goal of any program, to keep local talent close to home and we kept three solid Section VI wrestlers with Division I potential, as well as Brown, who is from Section III, just two hours away."
Sean Bauer (Walden, NY/Valley Central) comes to UB from Sacred Heart University, where he participated with the team for one season. He comes to UB to join former high school teammates senior Pat Lloyd (Middletown, NY/Valley Central) and redshirt freshman Ricky Scott (Walden, NY/Valley Central). Bauer wrapped up his senior season in style in 2005, as he completed a 36-7 season in the New York State Division I Championships by falling to 2006 NCAA finalist Troy Nickerson. Bauer moved up in weight after qualifying for the state tournament in 2004 and won a Section IX title at 125 pounds as a senior to go along with his championship run.
Joe Wilson (Chester, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) will also join the team as a transfer from Sacred Heart.
"The two transfers are also good New York wrestlers," Beichner said. "We are getting guys who went out of state and are coming back."
Reid Garcia (Ballwin, MO/Parkway South) earned St. Louis Post-Dispatch Honorable Mention All-Metro honors three times in his career, as he finished with a school-record 166 wins for Parkway South. A four-time District Champion, Garcia finished fourth at the Missouri State Championships as a sophomore, second as a junior and third as a senior. With plenty of experience on the national level in folkstyle, Garcia also finished second at the USA Wrestling National Kids Folkstyle Championships Cadet Division in 2003.
Carlo Izzo (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) also completed a notable senior season, as the 112-pounder won the Class C Sectional Championship and also won the Section II Division II title. He capped off his 36-4 senior season by finishing fourth at the New York State Division II Championships and then posting a 3-2 record at the NHSCA Senior Nationals at 112 pounds.
"One of the problems we had last year was at 125 pounds," Beichner said. "With this recruiting class, we think that we have some solid depth at the class with Bauer, Garcia and Izzo to go along with redshirt freshman Dan Bishop (Whitehall, NY/Whitehall) and our end-of-the-year starter Eric Piedimonte (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport).
Mark Germano (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) will add depth at the heavyweight class, as he enters the same wrestling room that took 2006 graduate Harold Sherrell (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) from a walk-on from Jack Williams' Warriors program five years ago and turned him into an NCAA Qualifier.
Tom Graff (Lagrangeville, NY/Arlington) will give the 157-pound weight class more depth, as he comes to UB after wrapping up a four-letter career with the Admirals, earning All-League and All-Section honors as a senior during a 37-1 season that helped him to Poughkeepsie Journal All-Star honors. In 2005, he won the Long Island Wrestling Association "Summer Heat" Tournament at 163 pounds and he also competed at the 2006 National High School Senior Wrestling Nationals, winning a match at the event at 160 pounds. He also played football for the Admirals.
"Graff and Germano are kids with a blue-collar attitude that didn't have the ends to their high school careers that they would have liked," Beichner said, "and these are the kinds of kids we have had a lot of success with in the past. These are two guys who still have a lot left to prove in their careers."
Corey Greene (Bennington, VT/Mount Anthony) will give the Bulls an added layer of depth at 133 pounds as senior Mark Budd (Orrville, OH/Orrville) wraps up his NCAA-qualifying career in 2006-07. Greene was a three-time Vermont state champion and a two-time New England Region Champion, earning Wrestling USA All-America honors. Like Aris, he also found a slot in Wrestling USA's top 30 high school seniors at 130 pounds, ranking 14th. He was also among Intermat's top 200 recruits and was the 2005 National High School Coaches Association Open Champion. He finished his career 192-13 with 92 falls at Mount Anthony, earning Vermont's Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award in April. The award is handed out to one wrestler in each state by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum and is given to wrestlers who demonstrate scholastic achievement, character, citizenship and community service on top of mat prowess.
Jimmy Hamel (Natick, MA/Natick) will become a contributer for the Bulls at 184 pounds after winning a Massachusetts State Championship at 189 pounds before finishing second at the New England Championships. Hamel was named the Bay State Conference Wrestler of the Year in 2006 and to the Boston Globe's All-Scholastics Wrestling Team for his efforts. In 2005, he also had a second-place showing at the New England Championships, wrestling at 171 pounds. He finished his career with a 146-23 record and also excelled on the football field, helping Natick to Massachusetts Division 2 Super Bowl Championship. He was also the lacrosse team's captain.
"We look for kids with blue-collar work ethics," Beichner said. "Both Corey and Jimmy are blue-chip recruits with blue-collar work ethics. They really sold themselves to the coaching staff and we believe they will make a difference on the team."
2006-07 Buffalo Recruiting Class Projected Collegiate Weights
125
Sean Bauer (Walden, NY/Valley Central/Sacred Heart)
Reid Garcia (Ballwin, MO/Parkway South)
Carlo Izzo (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie)
133
Corey Greene (Bennigton, VT/Mount Anthony)
Dan Audy (Clarence, NY/Clarence)
Mike Aris (Barker, NY/Barker)
Joe Wilson (Chester, NY/Monroe-Woodbury)
141
Vince Aris (Barker, NY/Barker)
157
Tom Graff (Lagrangeville, NY/Arlington)
184
Jimmy Hamel (Natick, MA/Natick)
197
Jason Brown (Cato, NY/Cato-Meridian)
HWT
Mark Germano (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool)
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