He made the decision to redshirt 2003-04 All-American Kyle Cerminara (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter), leaving a gaping hole in the lineup that had produced three Mid-American Conference champions.
The team struggled, as a new core emerged of four freshmen starters and one first-year starting sophomore were thrust into some of the toughest schedules in the country, wrestling six nationally-ranked teams and participating in the prestigious Las Vegas Invitational.
Now a year older and much more seasoned, that core of nine starters has been around the block once, plus Cerminara re-enters the fold and is aiming for a national title. With three other wrestlers who finished in the top 25 in the nation in wins in their weight classes and four MAC placewinners in 2004-05 on the roster, the Bulls already have a core that will make some noise in the conference. Add onto that a Bulls' recruiting class that features two junior college All-Americans, three high school state champions plus two transfers from Ohio State including Ryan Needle (Newfane, NY/Newfane), a three-time New York State High School champion, and the Bulls are ready to become an elite program in the country.
125 pounds
The Bulls took a hit when they lost their only starter at this weight class, when after his sophomore year and two NCAA Championship berths, Mark McKnight left the program for Penn State.
However, Beichner quickly remedied the situation by bringing in five recruits, including two-time New York State champion Dan Bishop (Whitehall, NY/Whitehall). Bishop was ranked 10th by Intermat at 112 pounds in the magazine's 2004-05 senior rankings.
Freshman Tyler Laracy (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) also has state champion on his resume, winning the Massachusetts championship in 2003-04. Also adding depth in the weight class will be Andrew Stella (Tonawanda, NY/Sweet Home), who was a four-time Section VI champion, and Evan Veney (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), who won 87 matches in high school.
133 pounds
Junior captain Mark Budd (Orrville, OH/Orrville) has a hold on the starting position heading into the season, after going 23-16 in 2004-05. He finished the year on a 10-2 run that included a third-place finish at the MAC Championships. Budd went 4-1 in MAC dual meets and was sixth in the nation in wins by sophomores at 133 pounds. Budd also placed in three tournaments, including winning the New York State Collegiate Championship title on Jan. 24.
"He's a captain because he leads by example," Beichner said of Budd. "He is absolutely one of our hardest workers. He's got a great attitude. You very rarely see him down."
Also looking for time at 133 are Derek Eamer (Watertown, NY/General Brown) and New York State High School qualifiers Tim Higgins (Merrick, NY/Chaminade) and Luther Ruben (Ithaca, NY/Ithaca).
141 pounds
Sophomore Dana Gingerich (Spring Grove, PA/DeLone Catholic) will fight to keep his starting slot with six other wrestlers. Gingerich finished his first season as a starter by going 17-19 and earning a fourth-place finish at the MAC Championships after battling illness in the first half of the season that ended when he had his tonsils removed in December.
"He's come in healthy, heavy and strong," Beichner said. "We hope that's going to be the difference for him getting to the national championships. Dana can score points faster than anybody on our team. Our expectations are for him to be a leader on this team in many statistical categories."
Senior Cliff Smith (Merrick, NY/Calhoun) comes back from a redshirt year and will fight for a spot in the starting lineup at either 141 or 149 pounds after going 26-16 in 2003-04 at 133 pounds.
"Pound for pound, he may be one of the strongest kids on the team," Beichner said.
Junior Mike Shannon (Albany, NY/Colonie) will look for time on the mats after going 4-6 in his first year at Buffalo after transferring from Binghamton. Shannon started for one season at Binghamton, going 4-16.
"He prepared all summer long," Beichner said. "Keep an eye on him because he may find a way to make a dent."
Freshmen Josh Taylor (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville East) and Jason Hilliard (Genoa, NY/Southern Cayuga) will also find time on the mats along with junior Gus Manzur (Cheektowaga, NY/Oakton), a former member of the El Salvador national team.
149 pounds
Junior Pat Lloyd (Middletown, NY/Valley Central) has started the past two seasons for the Bulls and even placed fourth at the MAC Championships as a freshman, but the transfer of Needle from Ohio State plus Smith also making a run for the starting job in the weight class makes it one of the most contested in the wrestling room.
"There's three guys in there right now that are all very good," Beichner said. "Whoever wins that weight class is going to be a very solid Division I wrestler, just because there's so many good guys in the weight class."
Lloyd went 16-21 overall and 3-10 in dual meets as a sophomore, but he placed in five of the seven tournaments he wrestled in, including earning a second-place finish at the New York State Collegiates.
Needle, a three-time New York State High School champion, transfers in after compiling a 9-7 record and a 1-2 mark in Big 10 dual meets in his redshirt freshman year at Ohio State.
Sophomore Samuel Hermon (Byron, NY/Byron-Bergen) spent a year at West Virginia before transferring closer to home. He could also make an impact in the weight class along with senior Todd Feinkind (Irvington, NY/Irvington).
157 pounds
Sophomore Scott Rendos (Brockway, PA/Brockway) placed in three tournaments his freshman year, good for an 18-23 overall record. The former two-time state champion was 12th in the country in wins by freshmen at 157 pounds and looks to keep his starting slot this year.
"We think he improved a lot over the summer," Beichner said. "We expect a lot from him."
The competition for the spot will be fierce, however, with incoming two-time NJCAA All-American John Cummings (Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore) and Ohio State transfer Steven Muldrow (Cincinnati, OH/Summitt Country Day).
"This is what good Division I programs look like," Beichner said. "Depth is so important and this year we have depth. It's going to be a tightly-contested weight class and you want that. You want people fighting for those spots."
Cummings spent two seasons at Nassau Community College, finishing fourth in the country at 157 pounds in each season. He also was a New York State High School finalist in 2003, losing to teammate Ryan Needle in the championship.
"Thus far, in the season, he's impressed us very much as far as work ethic and attitude," Beichner said. "You can tell he loves the sport. He will beat people throughout the year by grinding them out. By the end of a match, people get tired, but that's not John."
Muldrow wrestled to a 1-4 record in two years at Ohio State, redshirting in one of the seasons. He won 112 matches at Summit Country Day. Also in the mix for the starting job are junior Chris Nebelecky (Tonawanda, NY/Tonawanda) and sophomore Jeremy Sheffer (Colonie, NY/Colonie), a transfer from Air Force.
165pounds
Three wrestlers each flashed brilliance at 165 pounds last year and all three are back to compete for the starting slot once again in 2005-06, as sophomores Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) and Mike Ragusa (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) and junior Jake Blowers (Johnstown, NY/Broadalbin-Perth) will all contribute during the season.
"We think those three guys are going to give us a great deal of depth," Beichner said. "We feel comfortable sending any of those three guys out on the mat."
Moran went 7-23 in his first year as a starter, splitting time at 165 and 174 pounds, but he did finish second at the New York State championships and fourth at the UB Open and won the starting slot in 2004-05 during wrestle-offs with Blowers and Ragusa.
Blowers entered the lineup in December when an injury moved Moran up a weight class. Blowers excelled in his first year as a starter, going 16-17 overall, earning five falls and finishing third at the MAC Championships. He earned two of those pins at crucial points in dual meet wins against North Dakota State and Kent State.
Ragusa, a former Massachusetts state champ, finished sixth at the Oklahoma Gold Classic, but was injured later that week to force him out for the season after redshirting in 2003-04.
174 pounds
The last time sophomore Nate Rock (Ephrata, PA/Ephrata) stepped on a mat, he delivered one of the most dramatic wins of the year for Buffalo, as he battled with a strained LCL and beat Kent State's Aaron Miller, 7-2, to secure an 18-16 dual meet win. He's back this year after finishing his injury-shortened rookie campaign 10-16 overall.
Competing with Rock are two strong transfers, as junior college All-American Hanif Abdush-Shahid (Uniondale, NY/Ithaca) and Drexel transfer Ray Lamb (Mays Landing, NJ/Absegami) will each look for time on the mats.
Abdush-Shahid finished third at the 2004 NJCAA Championships and was also a Junior Greco-Roman All-American in 2002, finishing third at the Junior Nationals.
"Those two guys are both very capable," Beichner said. "They're very strong and very competitive. Either of them will do a nice job for us."
Lamb, who will wrestle at either 174 or 184 pounds, started one season for the Dragons, splitting time between 157 and 165 pounds and going 9-21 overall and 2-3 in Colonial Athletic Association duals.
184 pounds
Senior Garrett Hicks (Chautauqua, NY/Chautauqua Lake) will serve his first year as a captain after having just completed his first full year as a starter in 2004-05. Hicks went 22-18 overall, finishing 23rd in Division I in wins. He beat MAC Champion Alex Lammers of Central Michigan, 7-2, in a dual meet on Feb. 5. He also placed at three tournaments and won his first collegiate tournament, claiming the UB Open title on Dec. 30.
"He's turned himself into a very valuable member of the program over the years," Beichner said. "He's someone who's turned himself into a leader, a quiet leader. He's not outspoken, but he does what he's supposed to do."
Freshman Ricky Scott (Walden, NY/Valley Central), a two-time state champion, was ranked third in the nation's seniors by Intermat at 171 pounds. The highly-touted recruit could also make an immediate impact with the Bulls.
Freshman Ben Carbrey (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville North) also will look for time on the mat.
197 pounds
Senior All-American Cerminara will search for a national title after redshirting in 2004-05, and he can reach quite a few milestones along the way. Entering his senior year, Cerminara is two wins shy of becoming just the third UB wrestler to reach 100 wins in his career. He is 16 wins away from breaking Gary Cooper's (1998-03) mark of 113 career wins. In 2003-04, Cerminara set a school single-season record with 41 wins as he went on to place eighth at the NCAA Championships to become the first male All-American in UB's Division I era. He was recently ranked sixth in USA Wrestling's annual freestyle rankings at 96 kilograms.
"We think we've potentially got one of the best Division I wrestlers in the country," Beichner said of Cerminara. "Very few people work as hard as Kyle. He's got his goals set in front of him and he knows where he wants to be at the end of the year."
Hwt
Senior Harold Sherrell (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) will adjust to his third weight class in three years as he will be the starter for Buffalo at heavyweight this year. In 2004-05, wrestling at 197 pounds, Sherrell went 22-17 to finish in the top 25 in the nation in wins and also placed third at the MAC Championships. He also placed at five of seven tournaments he wrestled in, including a second-place finish at the Beast of the East Collegiate Invitational on Dec. 17, at which he beat All-American Phil Davis of Penn State, 7-6.
"Harold Sherrell has been a workhorse for us," Beichner said. "He's been a dedicated, loyal wrestler. Everything we've asked of Harold, he has done. He's improved himself as a person and an athlete over the years in a way that I haven't seen over the years. He has single-handedly turned himself into a Division I wrestler."
Junior Jeff Parker (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) is the only redshirt that Beichner has announced before the season, allowing the former Massachusetts state champion a year to develop, after going 17-24 overall and 1-4 in MAC competition as a sophomore after transferring from Binghamton.
Senior Greg Thomas (Baldwin, NY/Uniondale/Nassau CC) could also see time on the mats.
Schedule
The Bulls have six dual meets scheduled for Alumni Arena three versus Mid-American Conference opponents along with the third annual UB Open.
The Bulls kick off their season with the Slippery Rock Open on Nov. 5 before heading to the Oklahoma Gold Classic, held in Brockport on Nov. 12. UB opens its dual meet and home portion of the schedule Nov. 20, facing Gardner-Webb, Findlay and Bloomsburg who recently named former UB standout John Stutzman its head coach.
The Mat Town USA Invitational (Nov. 26) and the prestigious Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 2-3) are once again included on the Bulls' slate.
UNC-Greensboro head coach Tom Shifflet will be making a return visit to Western New York on Jan. 15 when his Spartans stop by Alumni Arena. The Amherst native and Sweet Home High School graduate is entering his fourth season at the helm of the UNC-Greensboro program.
The remaining dual-meet opponents coming to UB include Appalachian State and Mercyhurst (Dec. 19); Ohio University, Ithaca and Delaware State (Jan. 28); Eastern Michigan (Feb. 4); and Central Michigan (Feb. 5).
The Bulls' other MAC matchups take place at Northern Illinois (Jan. 6) UB's conference opener and at Kent State (Feb. 10).
The MAC Championships are scheduled for March 4-5 at Northern Illinois, while this season's NCAA Championships will take place March 16-18 in Oklahoma City.
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