Jim Beichner Will Not Return as Buffalo Head Coach

 
 
Courtesy of buffalobulls.com

BUFFALO, NY – University at Buffalo Director of Athletics Danny White has announced today that Jim Beichner will not be returning as head wrestling coach next season.

“This was a very difficult decision and we appreciate all that Coach Beichner has done for UB wrestling in his 18 years of service,” White said. “After a comprehensive evaluation of the program, we concluded it was time to move in a new direction. We are committed to winning Mid-American Conference championships at the University at Buffalo and believe a leadership change in wrestling is necessary at this time. Coach Beichner served as a fine role model to our student-athletes and we are grateful for all he has done in the continued development of our wrestling program.”

White confirmed a national search will commence immediately.

NCAA Session 3: Cornell's Garrett Upsets McDonough, Joins Dake, Bosak and Santos in the Semis

 
 
4-for-4 for New York.  In the Friday quarterfinals, Columbia’s Steve Santos and the Cornell trio of Nahshon Garrett, Kyle Dake and Steve Bosak all punched their tickets to the semifinals while solidifying All-American status.  They won’t be the only Empire State wrestlers in action in the evening, however, as the Big Red’s Mike Nevinger (141), Binghamton’s Donnie Vinson (149) and former Brockport standout Christian Boley (Maryland, 197) will compete in the Round of 12, looking to make the podium.

 

Binghamton:

Vinson, Photo by BV

Donnie Vinson continued his run through the consolations, beginning the morning with a victory over Michigan State’s Dan Osterman before an impressive 12-0 major over Michigan’s Eric Grajales.  197-pounder Nate Schiedel also got off to a winning start on Friday when he handled UTC’s Nik Brown.  In his second contest, he took an early lead against Iowa’s Nathan Burak, however, the Hawkeye followed by hitting a headlock and registering the fall.

133-pounder Derek Steeley was eliminated in the morning session with a loss to Maryland’s Geoff Alexander.

Upcoming Match

149: Donnie Vinson vs. Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) – Round of 12

 

Buffalo:

John-Martin Cannon endured a significant injury in his first match of the tournament, a victory over 12th seeded Mathew Miller of Navy.  He continued to battle, beginning his consolation action on Friday with a 3-2 tiebreaker win over Cal State Bakersfield’s Bryce Hammond.  After finishing regulation knotted at 1 and a scoreless sudden victory period, Cannon notched a reversal to move ahead 3-1.  Hammond later escaped, but it wasn’t enough.

Cannon next took the mat against Ohio’s Cody Walters.  The Bobcat got on the board first with a first period takedown and the wrestlers later traded escapes, resulting in a 3-1 decision for Walters.

 

Columbia:

Steve Santos became the school’s first All-American since Matt Palmer in 2007 when he defeated Air Force’s Cole Von Ohlen in the quarterfinals.  The Columbia senior avenged a loss to Von Ohlen at last year’s NCAAs.

The Ivy Leaguer took a 4-1 lead into the third period, where he brought his riding time advantage to over two minutes.  However, late in the stanza, his opponent escaped and then picked up a takedown with less than 20 seconds to go to make it 4-4 on the scoreboard.  Santos’s riding time was the difference in the 5-4 decision.

EIWA finalist Matt Bystol and senior Stephen West each collected a victory in their first trip to the NCAAs, before completing their seasons on Friday.

Upcoming Match

149: Steve Santos vs. Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State), Semifinals

 

Cornell:

Garrett, Photo by BV

The Big Red wrestlers combined for a 5-0 record during Session 3, including a sweep of quarterfinal matches by Nahshon Garrett, Kyle Dake and Steve Bosak.  Garrett took on three-time NCAA finalist Matt McDonough of Iowa at 125 and fell behind 2-0 on a late first period takedown.  However, he got a key escape with just seconds left in the period to trail 2-1 after the opening stanza.  Garrett selected bottom and after McDonough notched just over a minute of riding time, the Cornell freshman got out to tie the score at 2.  Going into the third, the Hawkeye chose down and Garrett put on a dominant performance from the top position, riding the two-time NCAA champion out and forcing overtime.  (Garrett wound up with 58 seconds of riding time).

Garrett wasted little time in the sudden victory period, going on the offensive and earning the takedown to win a dramatic 4-2 match.

“I wasn’t nervous,” Garrett said. “I was much more excited than nervous. I didn’t think any of the pressure was on me.  I just went out there and wrestled.  I shot a couple of doubles earlier and got to his body. That last one [in sudden victory] was just a matter of strength and finishing.  It was just an awesome experience.”

There was far less drama for Kyle Dake at 165, as he controlled his bout against Virginia’s Nick Sulzer from the opening whistle.  Dake had his way in all three positions as he triumphed 13-0 in a match that was never in doubt. The win ensured that Dake will be a four-time All-American, although he’s shooting for loftier goals.

Steve Bosak made it two wins for the Big Red over the Hawkeyes on Friday morning when he defeated Ethen Lofthouse at 184.  After a scoreless first, Lofthouse chose bottom and Bosak went to work, remaining in control for the entire two minutes.  In the third, Bosak escaped quickly and added a takedown. With riding time tacked on at the end, the final score was 4-1.

Mike Nevinger made it three in a row in the wrestlebacks with a fall against Chris Mecate of Old Dominion in his opening action on Friday, followed by a 7-2 win over Missouri’s Nick Hucke later on.  The latter win avenged a loss to the Tiger at the Grapple at the Garden.

Upcoming Matches

125: Nahshon Garrett vs. Jesse Delgado (Illinois), Semifinals

165: Kyle Dake vs. Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma St), Semifinals

184: Steve Bosak vs. Ed Ruth (Penn St), Semifinals

141: Mike Nevinger vs. Mark Ballweg (Iowa), Round of 12

 

Hofstra:

Steve Bonanno and Jamie Franco began Friday with victories in the wrestlebacks.  Bonanno topped Cal State Bakersfield’s Tyler Iwamura 7-4 while Franco triumphed in overtime for the second straight time when he reversed North Carolina’s Joey Ward in the tiebreakers to win 3-1.  Both completed their NCAA runs in the next round, however as Minnesota’s David Thorn topped Bonanno and Central Michigan’s Scotti Sentes defeated Franco at 133. Luke Vaith also completed his season on Friday, against Missouri’s Nick Hucke.

 

Additional New York Natives in the Field

Boley, Photo by BV

Christian Boley of Maryland collected a pair of victories on Day 2 to earn a spot in Session 4 Friday evening.  He first upended Arizona State’s Jake Meredith 6-3 before over Phil Wellington of Ohio.

Upcoming Match

Christian Boley (Maryland) vs. Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma St), Round of 12

Reviewing NCAA Session 2: Cornell's Dake, Bosak and Garrett Join Columbia's Santos in the Quarterfinals

 
 
Four New York wrestlers earned bids to the quarterfinals with victories in Session 2 on Thursday night.  The Cornell trio of Nahshon Garrett (125), Kyle Dake (165) and Steve Bosak (184) all advanced, as did Columbia’s Steve Santos (149).  Dake and Bosak controlled their matches all the way, while Garrett and Santos came back from early deficits to get their hands raised.  For more on how Session 2 went for all six of the Empire State’s Division 1 squads as well as additional New York natives, see below.

Army:

The Black Knights wrestled a number of close matches, but won’t have grapplers in the competition on Day 2.

149-pounder Daniel Young had a brutal draw, leading returning NCAA finalist Dylan Ness in the third period of his opener before the Minnesota wrestler notched a late takedown and then losing to nationally-ranked Andrew Alton. Connor Hanafee (141), Paul Hancock (165) and Bryce Barnes (197) also completed their seasons on Thursday.

Binghamton:

Donnie Vinson rebounded from a loss earlier in the day by easily handling Clarion’s Tyler Bedelyon in his first wrestleback contest.  He will be one of three Bearcats on the mat on Friday.  Derek Steeley and Nate Schiedel will also compete in the consolations after Round of 16 setbacks.

Upcoming Matches:

133: Derek Steeley vs. Geoff Alexander (Maryland)

149: Donnie Vinson vs. Dan Osterman (Michigan St)

197: Nate Schiedel vs. Nik Brown (UTC)

Buffalo:

After a gutsy 5-4 victory over #12 Mathew Miller in Round 1, John-Martin Cannon, dropped an 8-3 decision to returning All-American Josh Asper of Maryland.  The senior will square off with Cal State Bakersfield’s Bryce Hammond in Friday’s first session.

Upcoming Matches:

174: John-Martin Cannon vs. Bryce Hammond (Bakersfield)

Cornell:

Garrett, Photo by BV

The first two Big Red grapplers to take the mat on Thursday evening got the team off to a good start.  Jace Bennett responded to an early morning loss to Mario Gonzalez of Illinois by pinning Ohio State’s Andrew Campolattano at 197.  Shortly afterwards, Nahshon Garrett overcame a late 3-2 deficit with a tilt and back points in the third to defeat Stanford’s Evan Silver, 5-3.  With the victory, Garrett moves on to the quarterfinals against Iowa’s Matt McDonough.  Also continuing on to the Round of 8 are top seeded Kyle Dake at 165, who dominated from start to finish against fellow New York native Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana) and 184-pounder Steve Bosak, who blanked Navy’s Mason Bailey, 2-0.

Returning All-American Mike Nevinger beat Lehigh’s Anthony Salupo at 141 to move forward, however, teammates Chris Villalonga (149), Jace Bennett (197) and Stryker Lane (285) were eliminated on Thursday night.

Upcoming Matches:

125: Nahshon Garrett vs. Matt McDonough (Iowa)

165: Kyle Dake vs. Nick Sulzer (Virginia)

184: Steve Bosak vs. Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa)

141: Mike Nevinger vs. Chris Mecate (ODU)

Columbia:

Fifth-seeded Steve Santos faced #12 Eric Grajales of Michigan in the Round of 16 and the Wolverine scored first, taking an early 2-0 lead.  However, Santos responded with a pair of escapes and then notched a takedown with just a few seconds left in the second period to go ahead 4-2.  As he has most of the season, Santos owned the final stanza, riding his opponent for the bulk of the period before adding insurance points after an escape for a 6-3 win.

EIWA finalist Matt Bystol came out on top against Davidson’s Anthony Elias in the consolations, while 174-pounder Stephen West won a 4-2 decision over Cody Weishoff of Oregon State to move on to Friday action.

Upcoming Matches:

133: Matt Bystol vs. Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan)

149: Steve Santos vs. Cole Von Ohlen (Air Force)

174: Stephen West vs. Nick Bonaccorsi (Pitt)

Hofstra:

In the Round of 16, Steve Bonanno took an early lead against the #7 seed, Nathan Kraisser of North Carolina, however the Tar Heel responded to collect a 5-3 triumph.  At 141, Luke Vaith dropped his bout against fourth-seeded Mitchell Port of Edinboro.  Bonanno and Vaith will be joined on the mat on Friday by 133-pounder Jamie Franco, who came back from a deficit to capture a 6-4 triumph in sudden victory.

Upcoming Matches

125: Steve Bonanno vs. Tyler Iwamura (Bakersfield)

133: Jamie Franco vs. Joey Ward (UNC)

141: Luke Vaith vs. Nick Hucke (Missouri)

Additional New York wrestlers remaining in the field for Day 2 are Billy Watterson of Brown at 125, Josh Veltre (165) and Nick Wilcox of Bloomsburg (133), Steven Keith of Harvard at 141, Ryan LeBlanc of Indiana at 165 and Christian Boley of Maryland at 197.

Upcoming Matches:

125: Billy Watterson (Brown) vs. David Thorn (Minnesota)

133: Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg) vs. Shelton Mack (Pitt)

141: Steven Keith (Harvard) vs. Bryan Pearsall (Penn State)

165: Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg) vs. Nate Moore (Iowa)

165: Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana) vs. John Staudenmeyer (UNC)

197: Christian Boley (Maryland) vs. Jake Meredith (Arizona St)

 

Session I NCAA Recap: Cornell Sends Three, Binghamton and Hofstra Both Advance Two to the Round of 16

 
 
After Session I of the 2013 NCAA Championships in Des Moines,  a number of New York wrestlers remain in the championship bracket.  A few will meet in the Round of 16, with Cornell’s top-seeded Kyle Dake taking on Indiana’s Ryan LeBlanc, a former Section 3 star, at 165 pounds.

Hofstra’s Steve Bonanno defeated Air Force’s #10 seed Josh Martinez in one of the “upsets” in favor of New York wrestlers.  On the other end of upsets were a pair of 2012 All-Americans, who both fell in overtime.  Binghamton’s Donnie Vinson, the number three seed at 149, dropped a bout to American’s Kevin Tao while Cornell’s Mike Nevinger was upended by Virginia Tech’s Zach Niebert.

Here is a team-by-team Session I recap for each of the six New York colleges as well as for former New York high schoolers.

Army:

Daniel Young gave returning NCAA finalist Dylan Ness a major scare in Round 1, taking the lead with a reversal early in the third and going over a minute of riding time.  However, the Golden Gopher responded with a late takedown and erased the RT advantage, taking a 4-2 victory.  Paul Hancock, Connor Hanafee and Bryce Barnes will also get to work in the consolation brackets.  Barnes notched a takedown against Bloomsburg’s Richard Perry as time expired in the third period to tie the bout at 5, however, Perry picked up two of his own in the sudden victory session to get the win.

Army’s next matches

Consolations:

141: Connor Hanafee vs. Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia)

149: Daniel Young vs. Andrew Alton (Penn State)

165: Paul Hancock vs. Tyler Wilps (Pitt)

197: Bryce Barnes vs. Derrick Borlie (Virginia Tech)

 

Binghamton:

We all know Donnie Vinson can wrestle back really well after he captured seven straight victories at the NCAAs in 2012 to take the bronze.  He’ll have to do the same again this time, as he lost a match in the tiebreaker to American’s Kevin Tao after handling Ohio State’s Ian Paddock in the pigtail round.  Joining him in the consolations will be 184-pounder Cody Reed, who lost by decision to sixth-seeded Ryan Loder of Northern Iowa.

Victorious in their first bouts were 133-pounder Derek Steeley who prevailed over Fox Lane High’s Sam Speno of North Carolina State and 197-pounder Nate Schiedel, who dominated Conner Hartmann of Duke in a 10-1 major.

Binghamton’s next matches

Championship Bracket:

133: Derek Steeley vs. (4) AJ Schopp (Edinboro)

197: (7) Nate Schiedel vs. (10) Scott Schiller, Minnesota

Consolations:

149: (3) Donnie Vinson vs. Tyler Bedelyon (Clarion)

184: Cody Reed vs. Ophir Bernstein (Brown)

 

Buffalo:

Cannon, Photo by BV

John-Martin Cannon won a hard-fought 5-4 clash with 12th seeded Mathew Miller of Navy, with riding time the difference.  His teammates similarly faced tough draws, with Blake Roulo and Mark Lewandowski dropping their initial bouts to the seventh and third seeds, respectively (Scott Sakaguchi of Oregon State and Peter Yates of Virginia Tech).  Max Soria was upended in the pigtail round by Penn’s Mark Rappo.

Buffalo’s next matches

Championship Bracket:

174: John-Martin Cannon vs. (5) Josh Asper, Maryland

Consolations:

125: Max Soria vs. Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State)

149: Blake Roulo vs. Josh Roosa (Bloomsburg)

165: Mark Lewandowski vs. Mike Ottinger (Central Michigan)/Austin Wilson (Nebraska)

 

Columbia:

Steve Santos, a Round of 12 finisher a year ago, began with a fall in his opening match against UTC’s Alex Hudson.  It was a tough battle, with Santos falling behind early before taking control in the third period.  Jake O’Hara dropped his pigtail bout to Penn State’s Dylan Alton while Matt Bystol and Josh Houldsworth lost to seeded wrestlers Cody Brewer and Cody Yohn, respectively.  Jon Fausey of Virginia picked up a 3-0 victory over Stephen West of the Lions at 174.

Columbia’s next matches

Championship Bracket:

149: Steve Santos vs. (12) Eric Grajales (Michigan)

Consolations:

133: Matt Bystol vs. Anthony Elias (Davidson)

157: Jake O’Hara vs. Ryan Watts (Michigan St)

165: Josh Houldsworth vs. Ramon Santiago (Rider)

174: Stephen West vs. Cody Weishoff (Oregon State)

 

Cornell:

Defending national champions Kyle Dake (165) and Steve Bosak (184) began the day with shutouts, with Dake topping Ohio State’s Mark Martin 3-0 and Bosak breezing past Ty Vinson of Oregon State 12-0.  Nahshon Garrett was also dominant, with a 10-1 major decision over Campbell’s Eric Montoya in his first-ever NCAA action.  The Big Red’s other seeded wrestler, Mike Nevinger, battled Virginia Tech’s Zach Niebert in a low scoring affair won by the Hokie 3-1 on a reversal in the overtime.  He’ll look to go on a winning streak in the wrestlebacks as he did in 2012, as will 149-pounder Chris Villalonga, 197-pounder Jace Bennett and heavyweight Stryker Lane.

Cornell’s next matches

Championship Bracket:

125: Nahshon Garrett vs. Evan Silver (Stanford)

165: Kyle Dake vs. Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana)

184: Steve Bosak vs. Mason Bailey (Navy)

Consolations:

141: (11) Mike Nevinger vs. Anthony Salupo (Lehigh)

149: Chris Villalonga vs. Ian Paddock (Ohio State)/David Habat (Edinboro)

197: Jace Bennett vs. Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State)

285: Stryker Lane vs. Blake Herrin (American)

 

Hofstra:

Bonanno, Photo by BV

Returning All-American Steve Bonanno got off to another good start at the NCAA tournament, decisively defeating #10 seed Josh Martinez of Air Force in Round 1.  The Pride wrestler trailed early but kept the pace high and moved ahead 8-2 after the second stanza with some late back points.  He finished with a 9-2 decision.  Joining Bonanno as a first round winner was 141-pounder Luke Vaith, who topped West Virginia’s Nathan Pennesi.  Jamie Franco was edged 3-2 at 133 pounds by Pittsburgh’s Shelton Mack.

Hofstra’s next matches

Championship Bracket:

125: Steve Bonanno vs. (7) Nathan Kraisser (North Carolina)

141: Luke Vaith vs. (4) Mitchell Port (Edinboro)

Consolations:

133: Jamie Franco vs. Brandon Gambucci (Duke)/Devon Lotito (Cal Poly)

 

Additional NY High School Wrestlers

Winning their first round bouts were: Billy Watterson (John Jay HS, Brown), Steven Keith (Shoreham Wading River HS, Harvard), Josh Veltre (Greece Olympia HS, Bloomsburg) and Ryan LeBlanc (Morrisville Eaton, Indiana).

Next Matches, Championship Round

125: Billy Watterson (Brown) vs. (2) Jesse Delgado (Illinois)

141: Steven Keith (Harvard) vs. Hunter Stieber (Ohio State)

165: (9) Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg) vs. (8) Nick Sulzer (Virginia)

165: Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana) vs. (1) Kyle Dake, (Cornell)

Consolations:

133: Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg) vs. Daryl Thomas (Illinois)

133: Sam Speno (North Carolina State) vs. Rossi Bruno (Michigan)

133: Jimmy Morris (Rider) vs. Mackenzie McGuire (Kent State)

149: Ian Paddock (Ohio State) vs. David Habat (Edinboro)

165: John Greisheimer (Edinboro) vs. Pierce Harger (Northwestern)

197: Christian Boley (Maryland) vs. Conner Hartmann (Duke)

285: Steven Graziano (Penn) vs. Evan Knutson (North Dakota St)

 

NCAA Matchups for NY Wrestlers: Check for Updates Throughout the Tournament

UPDATES BELOW

Refresh to see the latest results.

 

Session 5 (Saturday Morning)

Medal Rounds

125 Third Place: Nahshon Garrett dec Alan Waters (Missouri), 6-1

141 Fifth Place: Mike Nevinger dec Evan Henderson (UNC), 9-2

149 Third Place: Steve Santos dec Dylan Ness (Minnesota), 7-3

184 Third Place: Steve Bosak vs. Ben Bennett (Central Michigan)

Consolation Semifinals

125: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech), 13-9

141: Hunter Stieber (Ohio St) maj Mike Nevinger (Cornell), 9-0

149: Steve Santos (Columbia) dec Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon St), 4-2

184: Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland), 3-0

 

Session 4 (Friday Evening)

Semifinals

125:  Jesse Delgado (Illinois) dec Nahshon Garrett (Cornell), 10-5

149: Jordan Oliver (Oklahoma State) major Steve Santos (Columbia), 14-3

165: Kyle Dake (Cornell) dec Tyler Caldwell (Oklahoma St), 2-0

184:  Ed Ruth (Penn St) dec Steve Bosak (Cornell), 4-1

 

Consolations – Round 2

141: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) dec Nick Dardanes (Minnesota), 6-2

 

Consolations – Round 1

141: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) dec Mark Ballweg (Iowa), 12-8

149: Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) dec Donnie Vinson (Binghamton), 2-1

197: Blake Rosholt (Oklahoma St) major Christian Boley (Maryland), 10-2

 

Session 3 (Friday Morning)

Consolations – Second Friday Round

125: David Thorn (Minnesota) dec Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 3-0

133: Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan) fall Jamie Franco (Hofstra), 2:25

133: Levi Wolfensperger (Northern Iowa) fall Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg)

141: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) dec Nick Hucke (Missouri), 7-2

141: Nick Dardanes (Minnesota) dec Steven Keith (Harvard), 7-4

149: Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) major Eric Grajales (Michigan), 12-0

165: John Staudenmayer (UNC) dec Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg), 3-2 TB

174:  Cody Walters (Ohio) dec John-Martin Cannon (Buffalo), 3-1

197: Nathan Burak (Iowa) win by fall Nate Schiedel (Binghamton)

197: Christian Boley (Maryland) dec Phil Wellington (Ohio), 8-2

 

Quarterfinal Matches

125: Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec Matt McDonough (Iowa), 4-2 SV

149: Steve Santos (Columbia) dec Cole Von Ohlen (Air Force), 5-4

165: Kyle Dake (Cornell) major Nick Sulzer (Virginia), 13-0

184: Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec Ethen Lofthouse (Iowa), 4-1

Consolations – First Friday Round

125: Steve Bonanno (Hofstra) dec Tyler Iwamura (Bakersfield), 7-5

125: David Thorn (Minnesota) win by fall Billy Watterson (Brown)

133: Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg) vs. Shelton Mack (Pitt), 6-1 TB

133: Jamie Franco dec Joey Ward (UNC), 3-1 TB

133:  Geoff Alexander (Maryland) maj Derek Steeley (Binghamton), 13-5

133: Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan) major Matt Bystol (Columbia), 11-1

141: Mike Nevinger (Cornell) win by fall Chris Mecate (ODU)

141: Nick Hucke (Missouri) dec Luke Vaith (Hofstra), 6-2

141: Steven Keith (Harvard) dec Bryan Pearsall (Penn State), 8-3

149: Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) dec Dan Osterman (Michigan St), 7-2

165: Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg) dec Nate Moore (Iowa), 8-5

165: John Staudenmeyer (UNC) dec Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana), 4-2 SV

174: John-Martin Cannon (Buffalo) dec Bryce Hammond (Bakersfield), 3-2 TB

174: Nick Bonaccorsi (Pitt) dec Stephen West (Columbia), 2-1

197: Nate Schiedel (Binghamton) win by fall Nik Brown (UTC), 6:12

197: Christian Boley (Maryland) dec Jake Meredith (Arizona St), 6-3

 

Session 2 (Thursday Night)

Round of 16 Matches
125: (7) Nathan Kraisser (North Carolina) dec Steve Bonanno (Hofstra), 5-3
125: (6) Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec Evan Silver (Stanford), 5-3
125: (2) Jesse Delgado (Illinois) tech fall Billy Watterson (Brown), 20-5
133: (4) AJ Schopp (Edinboro) tech fall Derek Steeley (Binghamton), 18-1
141: (4) Mitchell Port (Edinboro) major Luke Vaith (Hofstra), 13-2
141: (1) Hunter Stieber (Ohio State) dec Steven Keith (Harvard), 7-3
149: (5) Steve Santos (Columbia) dec (12) Eric Grajales (Michigan), 6-3
165: (1) Kyle Dake (Cornell) major Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana), 10-0
165: (8) Nick Sulzer (Virginia) dec (9) Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg), 3-1 TB
174: (5) Josh Asper (Maryland) dec John-Martin Cannon (Buffalo), 8-3
184: (4) Steve Bosak (Cornell) dec Mason Bailey (Navy), 2-0
197: (10) Scott Schiller, Minnesota dec (7) Nate Schiedel (Binghamton), 9-5

Wrestlebacks
125: Eddie Klimara (Oklahoma State) maj Max Soria (Buffalo), 9-1
133: Jamie Franco (Hofstra) dec Brandon Gambucci (Duke), 6-4
133: Matt Bystol (Columbia) dec Anthony Elias (Davidson), 3-1
133: Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg) major Daryl Thomas (Illinois), 8-0
133: Rossi Bruno (Michigan) dec Sam Speno (North Carolina State), 10-4
133: Mackenzie McGuire (Kent State) dec Jimmy Morris (Rider), 8-5
141: Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia) dec Connor Hanafee (Army), 5-3
141: (11) Mike Nevinger (Cornell) dec Anthony Salupo (Lehigh), 6-3
149: Josh Roosa (Bloomsburg) dec Blake Roulo (Buffalo), 4-1
149: (3) Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) major Tyler Bedelyon (Clarion), 13-1
149: Andrew Alton (Penn State) win by fall Daniel Young (Army)
149: David Habat (Edinboro) dec Ian Paddock (Ohio State), 13-6
149: David Habat (Edinboro) dec Chris Villalonga (Cornell), 3-1
157: Jake O’Hara (Columbia) dec Ryan Watts (Michigan St), 2-1; Walter Peppelman (Harvard) dec Jake O’Hara (Columbia), 3-1
165: Austin Wilson (Nebraska) win by fall Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo)
165: Tyler Wilps (Pitt) dec Paul Hancock (Army), 10-4
165: Ramon Santiago (Rider) major Josh Houldsworth (Columbia), 13-1
165: Pierce Harger (Northwestern) dec John Greisheimer (Edinboro), 6-5
174: Stephen West (Columbia) dec Cody Weishoff (Oregon State), 4-2
184: Ophir Bernstein (Brown) major Cody Reed (Binghamton), 13-3
197: Derrick Borlie (Virginia Tech) dec Bryce Barnes (Army), 8-6
197: Jace Bennett (Cornell) win by fall Andrew Campolattano (Ohio State); Nik Brown (UTC) dec Jace Bennett, 10-5
197: Christian Boley (Maryland) dec Conner Hartmann (Duke), 4-2
285: Blake Herrin (American) dec Stryker Lane (Cornell), 7-3
285: Evan Knutson (North Dakota St) dec Steven Graziano (Penn), 4-0

 


Pigtails/Round 1

Army:

141 Pounds: Joey Lazor (Northern Iowa) maj Connor Hanafee (Army), 12-2

149 Pounds: (6) Dylan Ness (Minnesota) dec Daniel Young (Army), 4-2

165 Pounds: (12) Taylor Massa (Michigan) dec Paul Hancock (Army), 11-7

197 Pounds: Richard Perry (Bloomsburg) dec Bryce Barnes (Army), 7-5 SV

Binghamton:

133 Pounds: Derek Steeley dec Sam Speno (NC State), 11-6

149 Pounds: Donnie Vinson dec Ian Paddock (Ohio State), 9-5; Kevin Tao (American) dec Donnie Vinson (Binghamton), 3-1 TB

184 Pounds: (6) Ryan Loder (Northern Iowa) dec Cody Reed (Binghamton), 4-0

197 Pounds: Nate Schiedel maj Conner Hartmann (Duke), 10-1

Buffalo:

125 Pounds: Mark Rappo (Penn) maj Max Soria (Buffalo), 13-4

149 Pounds: (7) Scott Sakaguchi (Oregon State) maj Blake Roulo (Buffalo), 13-5

165 Pounds: (3) Peter Yates (Virginia Tech) dec Mark Lewandowski (Buffalo), 5-3

174 Pounds: John-Martin Cannon dec (12) Mathew Miller (Navy), 5-4

Columbia:

133 Pounds: (6) Cody Brewer (Oklahoma) TF Matt Bystol (Columbia), 20-5

149 Pounds: (5) Steve Santos win by fall Alex Hudson (UTC)

157 Pounds: (8)Dylan Alton maj Jake O’Hara (Columbia), 10-2

165 Pounds: (11) Cody Yohn (Minnesota) dec Josh Houldsworth (Columbia), 7-1

174 Pounds: Jon Fausey (Virginia) dec Stephen West (Columbia), 3-0

Cornell:

125 Pounds: (6) Nahshon Garrett maj Eric Montoya (Campbell), 10-1

141 Pounds: Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech) dec Mike Nevinger (Cornell), 3-1 TB

149 Pounds: Derek Valenti (Virginia) dec Chris Villalonga (Cornell), 8-4

165 Pounds: (1) Kyle Dake dec Mark Martin (Ohio State), 3-0

184 Pounds: (4) Steve Bosak maj Ty Vinson (Oregon State), 12-0

197 Pounds: Mario Gonzalez (Illinois) maj Jace Bennett (Cornell), 12-3

285 Pounds: (1) Dominique Bradley (Missouri) maj Stryker Lane (Cornell), 10-1

Hofstra:

125 Pounds: Steve Bonanno dec (10) Josh Martinez, Air Force, 9-2

133 Pounds: Shelton Mack (Pittsburgh) dec Jamie Franco (Hofstra), 3-2

141 Pounds: Luke Vaith dec Nathan Pennesi (West Virginia), 8-3

 

Additional New York High School Wrestlers:

125 Pounds: Billy Watterson (Brown) dec Joe Duca (Indiana), 7-6

133 Pounds:  (2) Tony Ramos (Iowa) pin Nick Wilcox (Bloomsburg)

133 Pounds: Derek Steeley (Binghamton) dec Sam Speno (NC State), 11-6

133 Pounds:(10) Scotti Sentes (Central Michigan) maj Jimmy Morris (Rider), 13-2

141 Pounds: Steven Keith (Harvard) win by fall Julian Feikert (Oklahoma State)

149 Pounds: Donnie Vinson (Binghamton) dec Ian Paddock (Ohio State), 9-5

165 Pounds: Josh Veltre (Bloomsburg) dec Nijel Jones (NC State), 7-0

165 Pounds: Josh Condon (UTC) dec Johnny Greisheimer (Edinboro), 7-4

165 Pounds: Ryan LeBlanc (Indiana) dec Mike Ottinger (Central Michigan), 5-3; LeBlanc (Indiana) dec Peyton Walsh, Navy, 6-1

197 Pounds: (10) Scott Schiller (Minnesota) maj Christian Boley (Maryland), 10-1

285 Pounds: (2) Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec Steven Graziano (Penn), 4-0

 

 

Buffalo Earns Four NCAA Qualifiers at the MAC Championships – Lewandowski, Cannon, Roulo and Soria

 
 

Mark Lewandowski, John-Martin Cannon and Max Soria have all wrested at the NCAA tournament in the past. And they all will do so again in Des Moines, as they punched their tickets at the MAC Championships this weekend in their home gym. Joining them on the road to Iowa will be Blake Roulo, who came into the event seeded sixth, but who upset the #2 and 3 wrestlers in the 149-pound bracket to finish second.

Lewandowski entered the weekend as the number three seed at a weight with only two guaranteed qualifying spots for Nationals. However, the senior made his way to the finals with an opening round victory over Jacob Davis of Eastern Michigan and a semifinal win against Missouri’s Zach Toal. After dropping a decision to Central Michigan’s Mike Ottinger in the finals, his day wasn’t done as he faced Caleb Marsh of Kent State in a “true second” tilt, with the victor getting the trip to NCAAs. Lewandowski prevailed 4-1 to secure his spot in the field.

Soria, Photo by BV

A year ago, Soria traveled with Lewandowski out to St. Louis for Nationals after earning the MAC’s final qualifying slot with a fourth place conference showing. He needed to at least match that performance this weekend to return to NCAAs and he did just that, taking fourth as the #5 seed.

Cannon came into the tournament in the fourth spot in the bracket, but rode an upset of top-seeded Todd Porter of Missouri to the title bout. He was upended by Cody Walters of Ohio there, but will be headed back to the Nationals after last year’s redshirt season.

As a team, Buffalo took seventh place, with Missouri bringing home top honors. The Tigers, in their first season in the MAC, broke Central Michigan’s long grasp on the MAC conference crown.

MAC Preview: Host Buffalo Looking to Capture Automatic NCAA Bids on Sunday

 
 
It’s Missouri’s first year in the MAC and the former Big 12 school comes into the conference tournament as the favorite. The Tigers feature six wrestlers pre-seeded #1 with the four other starters all in the top 4 in their classes.

For Buffalo, the host team, a trio of NCAA qualifiers look to return to the biggest tournament of the year.  In the 2012 MAC tournament, Max Soria rode a strong performance to a fourth place finish and a spot at Nationals.  The 125-pound bracket once again has four automatic bids this year and Soria earned the fifth seed.  The field is challenging, led by the nation’s #1 grappler, Alan Waters of Missouri as well as top 20 competitor Christian Cullinan of Central Michigan.  Soria lost 2-0 to Cullinan but hasn’t faced Waters or the other two wrestlers seeded above him, Steve Mitcheff of Kent State and Jared Germaine of Eastern Michigan, this season.  Can he make another strong March run to get back to Nationals?

Lewandowski, Photo by BV

Joining Soria at the NCAAs a year ago was 165-pounder Mark Lewandowski.  To get a guaranteed spot at that event again, the senior, who is 28-6 this season, will need to place first or second.  The Buffalo wrestler received the #3 seed, with Central Michigan’s Mike Ottinger and Missouri’s Zach Toal above him.  He has had a number of tight battles with Ottinger, including a 2-1 loss earlier this campaign. Head coach Jim Beichner felt early on that Lewandowski could make some noise in March, as he did when he came within one victory of All-America status a few years ago.

Another wrestler who could make his presence felt in Des Moines is 174-pounder John-Martin Cannon.  The senior has been hampered with injuries this season, but is looking to make a run in his last weeks of college wrestling.  He is seeded fourth in a class that has qualified five spots for Nationals.  The bracket is full of solid wrestlers, as six different entrants have been in the national rankings at some point this season.

While 174 pounds will send a number of grapplers forward, there is just one automatic slot at 141.  That was earned for the conference by Northern Iowa’s Joey Lazor.  Looking to take that spot away is Buffalo’s Erik Galloway, who moved up from 133 in mid-January.  The transfer from Pittsburgh recently defeated the third seed Kevin Fanta of Northern Illinois.

Another transfer, Angelo Malvestuto (from Virginia Tech), missed a portion of the season, but recently returned to the lineup at 197.  He sits in the #5 position and is looking to finish a few places higher, as the top three advance to Des Moines.

Also aiming to finish high on the podium this weekend for Buffalo will be 149-pounder Blake Ruolo, who was pre-seeded sixth as well as those sitting in the seventh slot for the Bulls – Justin Farmer (133), Wally Maziarz (157), Tony Lock (184) and Justin Heiserman (heavyweight).

Wrestling will begin on Sunday, March 10 with quarterfinal action at 10 a.m. at Alumni Arena on Buffalo’s campus.  The finals are scheduled for 5:20 p.m..

MAC Pre-Seeds Are Released; Galloway, Lewandowski and Cannon in the Top Four for Host Buffalo

(Courtesy of buffalobulls.com)

The following are the pre-seeds for the MAC Championships, which will be held in Buffalo this weekend.  Leading the way for the Bulls are Erik Galloway (#2 at 141), Mark Lewandowski (#3 at 165) and John-Martin Cannon (#4 at 174).  Returning NCAA qualifier Max Soria (125) and Angelo Malvestuto (197) are both pre-seeded fifth.

The full list is below:

125:
1) Alan Waters, Missouri
2) Christian Cullinan, Central Michigan
3) Steve Mitcheff, Kent State
4) Jared Germaine, Eastern Michigan
5) Max Soria, Buffalo
6) Ryan Jauch, Northern Iowa
7) Kevon Powell, Ohio
8)Derek Elmore, Northern Illinois

133:
1) Nathan McCormick, Mizzouri
2) Scotti Sentes, Central Michigan
3) Levi Wolfensperger, Northern Iowa
4) Nick Smith, Northern Illinois
5) Mackenzie McGuire, Kent State
6) Vince Pizzuto, Eastern Michigan
7) Justin Farmer, Buffalo
8)Joey Munoz, Ohio

141:
1) Joey Lazor, Northern Iowa
2) Erik Galloway, Buffalo
3) Kevin Fanta, Northern Illinois
4) Nick Hucke, Missouri
5) Scott Mattingly, Central Michigan
6) Seth Schaner, Eastern Michigan
7) Dillon Kern, Kent State
8)Kagan Squire, Ohio

149:
1) Drake Houdasheldt, Missouri
2) Donnie Corby, Central Michigan
3) Bart Reiter, Northern Iowa
4) Andrew Romanchik, Ohio
5) Rob Jillard, Northern Illinois
6) Blake Roulo, Buffalo
7) Mike Shaw, Eastern Michigan
8)Andrew Candillo, Kent State

157:
1) Kyle Bradley, Missouri
2) David Bonin, Northern Iowa
3) Aaron Sulzer, Eastern Michigan
4) Spartak Chino, Ohio
5) Lucas Smith, Central Michigan
6) Andrew Morse, Northern Illinois
7) Wally Maziarz, Buffalo
8)Tommy Sasfy, Kent State

165:
1) Mike Ottinger, Central Michigan
2) Zach Toal, Missouri
3) Mark Lewandowski, Buffalo
4) Caleb Marsh, Kent State
5) Harrison Hightower, Ohio
6) Jake Davis, Eastern Michigan
7) Sam Bennett, Northern Illinois
8)Jarrett Jensen, Northern Iowa

174:
1) Todd Porter, Missouri
2) Cody Walters, Ohio
3) Sam Wheeler, Kent State
4) John-Martin Cannon, Buffalo
5) Craig Kelliher, Central Michigan
6) Cody Caldwell, Northern Iowa
7) Matt Mougin, Northern Illinois
8)Phillip Joseph, Eastern Michigan

184:
1) Ben Bennett, Central Michigan
2) Ryan Loder, Northern Iowa
3) Mike Larson, Missouri
4) Casey Newburg, Kent State
5) Michael Duckworth, Ohio
6) Khodor Hoballah, Eastern Michigan
7) Tony Lock, Buffalo
8)Bryan Loughlin, Northern Illinois

197:
1) Dustin Kilgore, Kent State
2) Brent Haynes, Missouri
3) Nick Whitenburg, Eastern Michigan
4) Phillip Wellington, Ohio
5) Angelo Malvestuto, Buffalo
6) Parker Settecase, Northern Illinois
7) Taylor Ketteman, Northern Iowa
8)Jackson Lewis, Central Michigan

285:
1) Dom Bradley, Missouri
2) Jarod Trice, Central Michigan
3) Jeremy Johnson, Ohio
4) Blayne Beale, Northern Iowa
5) Jared Torrence, Northern Illinois
6) Keith Witt, Kent State
7) Justin Heiserman, Buffalo
8)Chris Eggert, Eastern Michigan

NCAA Updates: 30 NY Wrestlers in the Coaches' Panel Rankings/RPI; Automatic Qualifer Spots Announced

The NCAA made several announcements today as we get closer to the NCAAs.  First, the number of automatic qualifier spots allocated to each conference were announced by weight class.  In addition, the final Coaches’ Panel Rankings and Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) were released.  Those statistics are some of the key criteria used to select wrestlers for the NCAA tournament.

For the full NCAA release, see here.

Making the Coaches’ Panel Rankings and/or the RPI from the six Division I colleges in New York are:

(RPI, Coaches’ Panel)

Army

Jordan Thome, 133 (NR in the RPI, 33 in Coaches’ Panel Rankings)

Connor Hanafee, 141 (25, 29)

Daniel Young, 149 (19, NR)

Paul Hancock, 165 (25, 23)

Coleman Gracey, 174 (NR, 32)

Bryce Barnes, 197 (NR, 32)

Binghamton

Donnie Vinson, 149 (4, 4)

Cody Reed, 184 (30, NR)

Nate Schiedel, 197 (18, 5)

Buffalo

Mark Lewandowski, 165 (8, 14)

John Martin Cannon, 174 (NR, 18)

Columbia

Steve Santos, 149 (5, 5)

Jake O’Hara, 157 (27, 20)

Stephen West, 174 (17, 21)

Cornell

Nahshon Garrett, 125 (10, 6)

Bricker Dixon, 133 (NR, 32)

Mike Nevinger, 141 (6, 8 )

Chris Villalonga, 149 (16, 16)

Jesse Shanaman, 157 (15, 33)

Kyle Dake, 165 (6, 1)

Marshall Peppelman, 174 (18, NR)

Steve Bosak, 184 (4, 4)

Jace Bennett, 197 (25, 23)

Stryker Lane, 285 (20, 28)

Hofstra

Steve Bonanno, 125 (32, 17)

Jamie Franco, 133 (26, 29)

Luke Vaith, 141 (8, 16)

Tyler Banks, 157 (NR, 33)

Jermaine John, 174 (32, NR)

Paul Snyder, 285 (24, 25)

(NY high school wrestlers not wrestling at one of the colleges listed above not currently included)

 

 

 

Columbia Splits Pair of Ivy Duals; Northern Illinois Tops Buffalo

Columbia split a pair of Ivy matches over the weekend in New York City.  On Friday, the Lions dominated in a 30-7 victory over Princeton at the New York Athletic Club.  On Saturday, Penn came out on top in a 23-9 dual.  Winning twice for Columbia over the weekend were seniors Steve Santos (149), Jake O’Hara (157) and Stephen West (174).

For more details on the dual against the Quakers, see here.

For more on the meet versus the Tigers, see here.

Northern Illinois Tops Buffalo, 20-18

In a battle that came down to the last match, Northern Illinois pulled out a 20-18 win in MAC action on Saturday.  Winning for the Bulls were Max Soria (125), Erik Galloway (141), Mark Lewandowski (165), Tony Lock (184) and Angelo Malvestuto (197).

For the coverage from the Huskies site, see here.