Tag Archives: Buffalo Wrestling

More than 30 NY Wrestlers in Latest Release of RPI and Coaches' Panel Rankings

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On Thursday, the NCAA released updates to two of the key criteria used to select the field for the NCAA tournament – the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and the Coaches’ Panel Rankings.  A number of wrestlers who compete for the six Division I schools in New York sit in those rankings.  They are:

(RPI ranking, Coaches Ranking) 33 wrestlers make the field at each weight.

125:

Nahshon Garrett, Cornell (RPI 8, Coaches 6)

Steve Bonanno, Hofstra (32, 17)

133:

Jordan Thome, Army (NR, 28)

Jamie Franco, Hofstra (31, 31)

141:

Mike Nevinger, Cornell (8, 13)

Luke Vaith, Hofstra (10, 17)

Connor Hanafee, Army (26, 31)

149:

Donnie Vinson, Binghamton (7, 4)

Steve Santos, Columbia (NR, 6)

Chris Villalonga, Cornell (13, 18)

Daniel Young, Army (NR, 19)

Blake Ruolo, Buffalo (33, NR)

157:

Jake O’Hara, Columbia (21, 21)

Wally Maziarz, Buffalo (22, NR)

Tyler Banks, Hofstra (NR, 33)

165:

Kyle Dake, Cornell (2, 1)

Mark Lewandowski, Buffalo (7, 13)

Paul Hancock, Army (27, 23)

174:

Stephen West, Columbia (18, 21)

Marshall Peppelman, Cornell (16, NR)

John-Martin Cannon, Buffalo (NR, 18)

Jermaine John, Hofstra (25, NR)

Coleman Gracey, Army (NR, 33)

184:

Steve Bosak, Cornell (NR, 4)

Cody Reed, Binghamton (33, NR)

197:

Nate Schiedel, Binghamton (16, 5)

Jace Bennett, Cornell (17, 22)

Bryce Barnes, Army (30, 32)

285:

Stryker Lane, Cornell (18, 27)

Paul Snyder, Hofstra (25, 22)

For the full RPI and Panel Rankings, see this link.

Other New York natives present in one or both of the rankings are:  (Feel free to provide feedback if any are missing).

133:

Nick Wilcox, Bloomsburg (13, 14)

Jimmy Morris, Rider (22, 26)

Sam Speno, NC State (26, 24)

141:

Steven Keith, Harvard (15, 11)

149:

Andrew Lenzi, Penn (NR, 33)

165:

Ryan LeBlanc, Indiana (11, 19)

Josh Veltre, Bloomsburg (23, 11)

Johnny Greisheimer, Edinboro (22, 22)

174:

James Brundage, Rider (13, 32)

197:
Christian Boley, Maryland (19, 15)

285:

Peter Capone, Ohio State (11, 12)

Ernest James, Edinboro (23, 20)

 

 

FLWC's Grey and Realbuto Win Titles; Buffalo Places Four at Edinboro Open

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While the New York Division I wrestling teams didn’t see dual action on Saturday, a number of wrestlers from the Empire State placed at the Edinboro Open in Pennsylvania.

Realbuto, Photo by BV

A pair of grapplers from the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club (FLWC) in Ithaca won titles – Mark Grey (133) and Brian Realbuto (157).  Grey once again battled with Lehigh’s Mason Beckman, an opponent he has faced a number of times dating back to high school.  Beckman has had a very impressive redshirt year, but Grey came out with the 4-3 victory.  Meanwhile, Realbuto picked up five wins, including three by bonus points and topped Pittsburgh’s Donnie Tasser 9-7 in the championship bout.

Also placing for the FLWC were Gabe Dean at 184 (fourth) and Angelo Silvestro at 141 (fifth).

Those wrestlers will likely suit up for Cornell in the future.  Some current Big Red grapplers delivered strong performances on Saturday, with 197-pounder Billy George earning second place behind American’s Daniel Mitchell at 197 and 141-pounder Joe Rendina grabbing fourth.

Buffalo put four wrestlers on the podium, including three fourth place finishers – Blake Ruolo (149), Tony Lock (197) and Justin Heiserman (285).  Notching fifth was Justin Lozano at 165 pounds.  Lozano lost to eventual gold medalist Ian Miller of Kent State in the second round but came back to win five consolation matches.

Binghamton’s David White was edged in the 125-pound finals by Pittsburgh’s Anthony Zanetta, while 2012 Frewsburg High School state runner up Nick Mitchell of Edinboro picked up third at 174.  Mitchell’s one setback was against champion PJ Tasser of Pittsburgh, but he responded with four consecutive victories to collect bronze.

Brackets are available here: EUP_Open_2013

 

 

Cornell Wins 11th Straight Ivy Title, Comes Back to Beat Hofstra; Plus Army, Binghamton and Buffalo Results

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Cornell picked up two dual victories on the road on Saturday, including a 29-12 win over Columbia in the evening that sealed the Big Red’s 11th consecutive Ivy League championship.

Midway through the opening match against Hofstra it looked like a weekend sweep might not be in the cards as Cornell faced a 15-3 deficit going into the intermission.

Freshman Nahshon Garrett had given the Big Red a 3-0 lead after defeating returning All-American Steve Bonanno 3-1 to begin the dual, however, Hofstra registered wins in the next four bouts. Jamie Franco edged Bricker Dixon at 133 in the tiebreakers, Luke Vaith dominated in the top position in a 5-0 victory over Mike Nevinger at 141, Cody Ruggirello got the crowd excited with a pin over Ryan Dunphy at 149 and Tyler Banks outlasted Jesse Shanaman in multiple overtimes at 157.

“I’m not going to lie – it was a little nerve-racking,” said Cornell assistant coach Damion Hahn. “We definitely didn’t expect to be down like that.  The first five weights, there was a stubbornness in how we wrestled.  It was like the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  There were the same mistakes again and again.  We went back to the locker room and talked about making changes in the next five matches.”

There was an immediate difference after the break. With his team needing a boost, three-time NCAA champion Kyle Dake took the mat and delivered with a first period pin against Nick Terdick.

“Any time you start with Kyle Dake, you’ll get the momentum going,” Hahn said. “He was dominant as usual and got us what we needed.”

Peppelman, Photo by BV

With the deficit now a more manageable six points, the Big Red’s Marshall Peppelman took the mat against Jermaine John at 174 pounds.

The Pride sophomore held a 2-1 lead heading into the third period, but Peppelman notched a pair of takedowns, including one with less than five seconds to go, to capture the pivotal bout by a 5-3 score.

“We saw 174 as a toss up match going in,” Hahn said. “Marshall fell behind but he wrestled hard and stayed focused for the entire match. People don’t get to see how powerful Marshall is because he usually doesn’t take too many risks. But the people in the arena [at Hofstra] saw how explosive he can be.  I mean, he hit a double in the middle of the mat and drove [John] all the way to the edge where he finished.  And then with time running out, he hit another strong attack. In the past, he stopped when his shot was defended. In that match, he showed confidence and finished for the win.”

Cornell trailed 15-12 but it was smooth sailing from there, beginning with a quick fall for defending NCAA champion Steve Bosak at 184 against Taras Luzhnyy.

“I told Steve we needed six right before he went out there and he got the job done,” Hahn said. “I couldn’t be happier with what our veterans, Kyle and Steve, have been doing for us.”

And sophomore Jace Bennett followed suit with a pin of his own.

“Jace has been focused on some key aspects of his wrestling, especially not getting sloppy on top,” Hahn said. “We know he has a lot of talent. He can take down anyone in the country. When he gets on top, he has to focus on not rushing the legs. He needs to get to a good ride, in a dominant position and not force the legs.  That’s gotten him into trouble.  He did a good job staying in control.”

In the final match, Jacob Aiken-Phillips was in a battle with Hofstra senior Paul Snyder when the Pride wrestler injury defaulted.

“The last time [Aiken-Phillips] wrestled Snyder he lost to him at the Binghamton Open last year,” Hahn said. “He’s really good on the mat and when he got on top, he was riding really hard.  I felt like he was gaining momentum.  Unfortunately, Snyder got hurt.”

So, despite some shaky moments early, the Big Red captured the dual by a seemingly comfortable 30-15 score.

“Those last five guys came out and performed when we needed them to,” Hahn said. “Maybe they were a little angry about the first five and rightfully so.  But there are definitely positives we can take away from winning at the end.”

Those positives carried over to the second meet of the day in New York City as the Big Red brought the Ivy title back to Ithaca for the 11th time in a row.

To watch videos of all 10 matches of Cornell vs. Columbia see this link.

Photo by BV

The Big Red never trailed as Garrett opened the event with an 11-1 major decision over Penn Gottfried. Leading the way for Cornell with pins were Dake and Bosak, with Bennett picking up a major at 197.  Mike Nevinger (141), Chris Villalonga (149) and Aiken-Phillips all got their hands raised as well.

In the most dramatic bout of the night, Columbia senior Stephen West recorded a third period fall over Duke Pickett at 174.  The Big Red freshman led for most of the match, but with little time left in the final stanza, West threw Pickett to his back and grabbed six points for the home team.  Also winning for the Lions were Matt Bystol at 133 and Jake O’Hara at 157.

The victory capped off another undefeated conference season for Cornell and 11 straight years at the top of the Ancient Eight.

“We’re a little bit spoiled because we’ve had so many great kids over the past 11 years,” said Cornell head coach Rob Koll. “Sometimes it’s easy to fall into the trap of not appreciating the accomplishments.  We’ve had more losses this year, but we need to be thankful for the victories and not focus only on the defeats. We’re happy to be Ivy League champions again but we know that we have a lot of work to do to get our seventh EIWA title in a row, get to the finals weekend of the National Duals and perform the way we want to at NCAAs.”

Army Hosts All-Academy Championships, Navy Takes First

Army took fourth at the 19th Annual All-Academy Championships held in West Point on Saturday.  The Black Knights were led by four second place finishers – Jordan Thome (133), Tyler Rauenzahn (141), Paul Hancock (165) and Bryce Barnes (197).

Taking bronze for Army were John Belanger (149) and Patrick Marchetti (157).

Navy finished atop the team standings on the strength of seven individual gold medalists.

For more on the All-Academy Championships, see here.

American Tops Binghamton; Kent State Edges Buffalo

Nationally-ranked 149 pounder Donnie Vinson notched another quick pin and Nate Schiedel picked up a technical fall at 197, but it wasn’t enough as American topped the Bearcats, 26-14 in Washington D.C..  Also getting his hand raised for Binghamton was Cody Reed, who won by decision at 184.

For more on the Binghamton dual, see here.

Meanwhile, Buffalo got off to a strong start against Kent State with five wins in the first six bouts.  However, in the 174-pound match, John-Martin Cannon was forced to injury default and the Golden Flashes won the remainder of the contests, including a major decision and a pin to capture a 22-19 triumph.

For more on the Buffalo dual, see here.

Cornell Extends Winning Streak Against Penn; Columbia Tops American in Saturday College Action

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Cornell continued its decade-long winning streak in the Ivy League as the Big Red topped rival Penn 24-9 at the Friedman Center on Saturday afternoon. Rob Koll’s squad captured seven of the 10 bouts, including Kyle Dake‘s 11th pin of the season at 165 pounds. Freshman Nahshon Garrett set the tone for the day when he edged fellow top 20 wrestler Mark Rappo 2-1 to begin the meet.

For more on the Big Red’s victory see here.

Columbia Registers Win Over American

American dropped a dual to a New York squad for the second straight day on Saturday. After facing Hofstra on Friday, the Eagles visited Columbia in New York City and the Lions came out on top 24-13.  The Ivy League squad was fueled by bonus points. Nick Mills recorded a pin at 197 while Josh Houldsworth (165), Stephen West (174) and Jake O’Hara (157) all notched major decisions.

For more on Columbia’s victory see here.

Buffalo Drops MAC Contest

Buffalo faced conference foe Ohio on Saturday evening and lost a 26-13 contest. Picking up victories for the Bulls were Max Soria at 125, Erik Galloway at 141, Blake Ruolo at 149 and Mark Lewandowski at 165.

First NCAA Coaches Rankings Revealed; 25 NY Wrestlers Included, Dake First at 165

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The NCAA revealed the first Coaches Panel Rankings for the 2012-13 campaign on Thursday.  25 wrestlers from the six Division I programs in New York were included.

There will be two more sets of these rankings this season and the final version will be used as one of the key components of the selection process for the NCAA tournament, along with winning percentage and rating percentage index (RPI).

Here are the wrestlers currently included:

125:

Nahshon Garrett, Cornell (6th)

Steve Bonanno, Hofstra (19th)

 

133:

Jamie Franco, Hofstra (Tie 27th)

Derek Steeley, Binghamton (Tie 27th)

Jordan Thome, Army (33rd)

 

141:

Photo by BV

Mike Nevinger, Cornell (6th)

Luke Vaith, Hofstra (17th)

Connor Hanafee, Army (30th)

 

 

 

 

149:

Donnie Vinson, Binghamton (3rd)

Steve Santos, Columbia (8th)

Chris Villalonga, Cornell (15th)

Daniel Young, Army (18th)

 

157:

Jake O’Hara, Columbia (17th)

Jesse Shanaman, Cornell (30th)

 

165:

Kyle Dake, Cornell (1st)

Mark Lewandowski, Buffalo (17th)

Paul Hancock, Army (22nd)

 

174:

John-Martin Cannon, Buffalo (16th)

Stephen West, Columbia (22nd)

Coleman Gracey, Army (33rd)

 

184:

Steve Bosak, Cornell (4th)

 

197:

Nate Schiedel, Binghamton (5th)

Jace Bennett, Cornell (24th)

 

285:

Paul Snyder, Hofstra (25th)

Stryker Lane, Cornell (27th)

 

For the full rankings, see here.

Friday College Roundup: Buffalo Earns First Dual Win of the Season; Bucknell Tops Columbia

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Courtesy of buffalobulls.com

BUFFALO, NY – Last weekend was a frustrating one for the Buffalo wrestling team, with two of the three matches wrestled at the Virginia Duals being lost in the final bout of the match – heavyweight – to fall to 0-7 on the season. On Friday night, though, both monkeys were taken off UB’s back and thrown to the mat, as the Bulls (1-7, 1-1 MAC) beat the Eastern Michigan Eagles (6-10, 0-2 MAC) 19-14 at Alumni Arena.

Heiserman, Photo by BV

It was not just the team’s first win of an injury-riddled season, but the dual fittingly came down to heavyweight Justin Heiserman. The sophomore won 3-1 over Khodor Hobollah to seal the win. After going up 1-0 with a quick escape in the second period, Heiserman then came out on top of a scramble to finish the second period up 3-0 and held off his opponent for the final two minutes.

“We have had a lot on his (Heiserman’s) shoulders this year, and it’s nice to see him come up on the good end of it,” head coach Jim Beichner said. “As the heavyweight, a lot of times it comes down to you, and he handled it well tonight.”

The dual started on a similar note the team has seen for the past month, with the two teams trading decisions in the lower weights. Max Soria controlled the pace in a 10-5 win over Alexander Calandrino to open the dual, and after a UB loss at 133, Erik Galloway and Blake Roulo won close matches at 141 and 149, respectively. Eastern cut into the 9-3 lead with a win at 157, but the senior leaders for UB would help extend the lead back out.

For more, see here.

Bucknell 24, Columbia 14

Courtesy of gocolumbialions.com

LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Columbia wrestling team rallied from a 15-point deficit to within one point of Bucknell Friday night, but the Bison were able to hold on with victories in the final two matches to knock off the Lions, 24-14, inside Davis Gym.

Bucknell rushed out to an early 15-0 advantage on Columbia, taking three decisions and a pin in the opening four matches. No. 18/18 Jake O’Hara got the Lions on the board in the 157-pound match, earning a 10-2 major decision over Vincent Favia. After building a 7-1 lead in the first period with two takedowns and a near fall, O’Hara would stay in control through the remainder of the match to secure the win giving Columbia four points.

Josh Houldsworth followed suit in the 165-pound bout, picking up his fourth major decision of the season over Ray Schlitt. Houldsworth notched four points in each of the first two periods and added another for riding time to raise the final tally to 9-0 and bring the team score to 15-8 in favor of Bucknell.

For the third straight match, the Lions came out on top, as No. 17/- Stephen West garnered a 4-2 decision over Stephen McPeek. The match entered the third period scoreless, but West used an escape, takedown and the riding time point to tally his 16th win of the season and get the Lions within four, 15-11.

In the loudest match of the night inside Davis Gym, Drew Rebling took advantage of the full time allotment, scoring a reversal in the final seconds of the third period to tie the match at 6-6. Having maintained the top position throughout much of the second and third periods, Rebling earned the riding time point and the win, 7-6, for Columbia. The victory, Rebling’s seventh of the year, got the Lions within one, 15-14.

For more, see here.

College Roundup: NWCA National Duals, Virginia Duals, Cornell Blanks Princeton

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Cornell Begins Ivy Slate By Blanking Princeton, 42-0

ITHACA, N.Y.—The No. 6 Big Red wrestling team opened in 2012-13 Ivy season off strong on Saturday afternoon, shutting out Princeton 42-0 at home in the Friedman Wrestling Center. Kyle Dake (165), Jace Bennett (197) and Jacob Aiken-Phillips led Cornell with pins, while Mike Nevinger notched a win by technical fall. Freshman Nahshon Garrett also added a bonus point for Cornell with a major decision at 125 pounds.

With the win Cornell improves to 6-2 (1-0 Ivy) on the season, while Princeton fell to 0-8 (0-1 Ivy).

The dual opened at 125 pounds, with Garrett facing Max Rogers. Garrett had a 4-0 lead after the first period with a takedown and two back points. The Big Red freshman racked up 2:42 in riding time in the first. Garrett chose to start the second down and nearly had a reversal but a stalemate was called and brought the action back to center. Garrett settled for an escape and added a takedown midway through the period. Rogers chose to start the third at neutral. Garrett grabbed a double leg takedown, and with 5:03 in riding time, won a 10-0 major decision.

At 133 pounds, sophomore Bricker Dixon took on Andrew Hirai. Dixon had an early takedown and tilted his opponent for three back points. Hirai escaped, but with a double leg, Dixon took him down once again. Dixon immediately reversed his opponent from his starting down position in the second and grabbed another takedown. Hirai chose to start the third down and was awarded a point when Dixon was penalized for locking his hands. Hirai escaped, but with 3:40 in riding time, Dixon won a 12-5 decision.

For more from cornellbigred.com, see here.

Binghamton, Buffalo and Army Compete at the Virginia Duals

Contact: John Hartrick (hartrick@binghamton.edu)

HAMPTON, Va.—Binghamton wrestling (3-8) received a pair of six-point wins from its nationally-ranked duo but dropped the remaining eight bouts in a 30-12 loss to North Dakota State Saturday morning at the Virginia Duals. The defeat ends the tournament for the Bearcats, who split their two matches on Friday to start the event.

Against the Bison, BU dropped an overtime bout and a pair of four-point decisions which might have tightened the outcome.

Senior 197-pound Nate Schiedel provided the highlight of the match with his second pin in as many days. Schiedel, No. 6 in the latest InterMat rankings, needed just 1:24 to put Kallen Kleinschmidt to his back and end the encounter. Schiedel improved to 18-2 overall, 11-0 in duals.

Earlier, No. 7 Donnie Vinson received a forfeit win at 149 to also remain undefeated in duals. Vinson, who won twice on Friday, including a 6-3 decision over the No. 6 wrestler in the country, lifted his record to 21-1, 11-0 in duals.

The Bearcats will remain in Virginia all week training for the CAA Duals, hosted by George Mason next Saturday. There, BU will face the host Patriots, Rider and Drexel.

For more on Binghamton’s Virginia Duals results, see here.

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HAMPTON, VA – The Buffalo wrestling team dropped both matches Friday at the Virginia Duals tournament, forcing the team into an early exit from the event. The Bulls (0-5) lost to Boise State (2-5) 29-9 in the first round, and then was edged 20-16 by Bucknell (3-6) in the consolation bracket.

Wrestling with a shuffled lineup, the team hung tough with the Broncos, who were receiving votes in the NWCA top 25 at the beginning of the week. Max Soria opened with an 8-5 decision over Rami Haddadin, and Erik Gallowayreturned to the lineup at his new 141 pound weight to win 10-5 over Travis Himmelman. Then, down 9-6, Mark Lewandowski tied up the dual with a 9-2 win over Holden Packard. Boise State would finish with wins in the final four matches, including bonus points at 184, 197, and heavyweight.

Then in the consolation round, the Bulls were forced to rally against the Bison, losing the first four matches of the dual in close affairs. Five different UB wrestlers competed at brand-new weight classes due to severe depth issues, but three would pull of wins in their new divisions to lead the way. Blake Roulo snapped the team out of its slump in a big way in the 157-pound bout, winning 16-1 over Vincent Favia for a five-point technical fall (the first of his career in a dual meet). That would be the first of four straight wins for UB, giving the team a 16-12 lead in the team score.

For more from buffalobulls.com, see here.

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HAMPTON, Va. – Senior Connor Hanafee pinned his opponent at 141 pounds and two other Black Knights recorded wins by decision, but the Army wrestling team fell to 17th-ranked Boise State, 24-12, in the consolation quarterfinals at the 33rd annual Virginia Duals on Saturday at Hampton Coliseum.

Boise State (3-5) posted wins by decision in the first two bouts, but Hanafee drew Army (3-4) even when he pinned Ben DeMuelle in 2 minutes, 38 seconds.

The Broncos won five of the final seven bouts, however, to clinch the match. The loss eliminates Army from the Virginia Duals. The Black Knights posted a 1-2 mark at the event.

Junior Paul Hancock edged Holden Packard (1-0) in the 165-pound bout, and freshman Bryce Barnes upended Cody Dixon (7-2) at 197 pounds to account for Army’s other two wins.

Army returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 19, when the Black Knights travel to Lewisburg, Pa., to face EIWA rival Bucknell. The conference dual match is set to get under way at 4 p.m.

Match Notes: Army falls to 0-1 all-time versus Boise State … Paul Hancock improves to 7-0 in dual matches this season … Hancock boasts a team-best 20 wins this year (20-7) … Hancock and Bryce Barnes both authored perfect 3-0 records at the Virginia Duals.

goarmysports.com talks about the dual with Citadel here

goarmysports.com talks about the dual with Edinboro here

 NWCA National Duals – Cortland Takes Fourth

SPRINGFIELD, ILL. – The nationally third-ranked Cortland wrestling team finished fourth at the 16-team NWCA/Cliff Keen Div. III National Duals after dropping a 26-19 decision to second-ranked Elmhurst College in the semifinals and losing to fifth-ranked Centenary College (N.J.), 20-18, in the third-place match. The Red Dragons went 2-2 at the tournament, which featured the top 10 ranked teams in the country, and are now 11-2 on the season.

For more from cortlandreddragons.com, see here.

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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Ithaca College wrestling team defeated eighth-ranked Coe and fell to top-ranked Wartburg and 30th-ranked Wesleyan at the NWCA Division III National Duals on Saturday. The Bombers are 5-3 in duals this season, and five of Ithaca’s eight duals have come against nationally-ranked opponents. Ithaca returns to action next weekend, with a Friday afternoon dual match against Waynesburg and the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference tournament on Saturday. Jules Doliscar (Dix Hills/Holy Trinity) was 3-0 on the day for the Bombers and Ricky Gomez (Brentwood/Brentwood) was 2-0 in his bouts.

For more from the Ithaca College website, see here.

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Niagara County Community College advanced to the semifinals in the NJCAA National Duals before losing to Labette, the eventual champion.

 

 

Binghamton's Donnie Vinson Takes Second at the Midlands Tournament at 149 Pounds

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Binghamton’s Donnie Vinson has accomplished quite a bit in the past few years.  A third place finish at the NCAA tournament. The CAA Wrestler of the Year honors. A win over Cornell’s Kyle Dake.

But there was a wrestler who got the best of Vinson in both his sophomore and junior seasons – Columbia’s Steve Santos.

This weekend, Vinson got another chance at Santos and took full advantage. In the semifinals of the prestigious Midlands tournament, Vinson topped the Lion wrestler, 6-1.

In the finals, Vinson dropped a 3-1 decision to Virginia Tech’s Nick Brascetta, who had an extraordinary tournament, defeating former All-Americans Nick Lester of Oklahoma and Montell Marion (a post grad from Iowa) prior to the title bout.

Against Vinson, Brascetta jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening period with a takedown with less than 45 seconds left. The wrestlers traded escapes in the second and third periods to result in a 3-1 decision for the Hokie wrestler.

Vinson was the only finalist from the New York State Division I squads at the 50th Annual Midlands, but not the only placer. Santos took fourth at 149 while Buffalo had a pair of medalists – Mark Lewandowski (sixth at 165) and John-Martin Cannon (fourth at 174).

 

Buffalo Raises over $14,000 at Takedown Cancer Dual; Drops Matches to Iowa and Bloomsburg

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Courtesy of buffalobulls.com

BUFFALO, NY – A crowd of over 1,700 fans came out to Alumni Arena for the fourth annual Takedown Cancer fundraiser and dual on Monday evening to open the home schedule, as the Bulls (0-2) hosted the fifth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. The event, which raised over $14,000 for cancer research for the day, was marked with explosive offense between the two teams, with the Hawkeyes (10-0) prevailing 39-3. Mark Lewandowski earned a win at 165 pounds for the team’s lone win.

“What people don’t see is the controlled steady pace that Iowa wrestles,” head coach Jim Beichner said. “They’re consistent and put the pressure on you. We need to do the same in return, but today we faded. We scored a lot of takedowns, but ultimately you need to win those battles and win those matches. You have nothing to lose against a team like Iowa, but when you’re aggressive you need to have a big gas tank to go with it.”

Lewandowski, who came into the night ranked in the low 20s at his class by most media outlets, was a slight underdog in his match against Iowa’s Nick Moore. The senior started with a takedown in the final minute of the first period and rode Moore out. He scored another takedown in the second period and led 4-2 going into the final two minutes of the match. He made a quick escape, then took Moore down and earned a riding time point for the 8-3 win.

“Mark was in control tonight, and that comes with experience,” Beichner said. “He dominated from start to finish and was able to get an important win. We want him to be on the All-American podium at the end of this season, and if he keeps wrestling like this he’ll get there.”

After only one wrestler scored more than five points in the season-opening dual against Central Michigan, the Bulls were able to be more liberal on offense for the night, case in point with the 149 pound bout between Blake Roulo and Mike Kelly. In the first 20 seconds of the match, Roulo scored a big takedown and turned Kelly for two near-fall points. Kelly would squeeze away and it would spark off a first period that saw an 8-8 tie after just the first three minutes. Kelly would ultimately take advantage of Roulo’s aggression, turning a handful of errant scoring attempts by Roulo into takedowns and earned a 21-13 win.

RESULTS: Iowa 39, Buffalo 3
141 – #11 Mark Ballweg (IA) major dec. Andrew Schutt (UB), 12-3; 4-0
149 – Michael Kelly (IA) major dec. Blake Roulo (UB), 21-13; 8-0
157 – #1 Derek St. John (IA) major dec. Wally Maziarz (UB), 21-7; 12-0
165 – Mark Lewandowski (UB) dec. Nick Moore (IA), 8-3; 12-3
174- #7 Mike Evans (IA) major dec. John-Martin Cannon (UB), 14-1; 16-3
184 – #7 Ethen Lofthouse (IA) major dec. Tony Lock (UB), 12-4; 20-3
197 – Nathan Burak (IA) major dec. Angelo Malvestuto (UB), 12-4; 24-3
285 – #5 Bobby Telford (IA) pinned Justin Heiserman (UB), 1:36; 30-3
125 – Matt Gurule (IA) dec. Max Soria (UB), 15-10; 33-3
133 – #3 Tony Ramos (IA) pinned Erik Galloway (UB), 4:27; 39-3

Bloomsburg 18, Buffalo 15 (Tuesday)

BLOOMSBURG, PA – The Buffalo wrestling team rallied strong from its Monday night loss to Iowa, but could not close the deal for its first win of the season on Tuesday and lost 18-15 to Bloomsburg. The Bulls (0-3) and Huskies (7-2) won five matches apiece, but Bloomsburg scored a technical fall and major decision to boost it to the win.

The Bulls took three of the first four matches of the night, starting with Mike Soria‘s 6-4 win over Sean Boylan. Filling in for his brother Max, who was hurt early in his match against Iowa last night, Mike was able to get the win in his first-ever start in a dual meet and start the team off on the right foot. After a loss at 133, Andrew Schutt scored a 7-2 win over Matt Rappo after cruising to a 6-1 lead after just the first period.

His win was followed by Blake Roulo, who won 2-1 at 149 after neither wrestler could manage to take the other down. He was able to get a third period escape and used riding time to get the win and pad the UB lead. It would come in handy, as the Huskies earned a tech fall at 157 and Mark Lewandowski lost 3-2 to Josh Veltre in a battle of two top-20 ranked wrestlers at 165 pounds.

Bloomsburg’s lead would be short-lived, as John-Martin Cannon rebounded strong from a frustrating loss to Iowa and won 9-4 thanks to a quartet of takedowns against Chris Smith. He was followed by a tremendous effort from true freshman Tony Lock, who earned his first career dual meet win in a big spot. He beat Andre Petroski 4-2 thanks to a pair of points in the third period to break a 2-2 tie that had held since the first period. The win would give the Bulls a 15-11 lead in the dual, but a major decision loss at 197 pounds and a win for the Huskies in the final match of the night would provide the 18-15 final.

Now after two matches in just over 24 hours, the team will have an extended break for the Holidays before returning to action. Next up will be The Midlands Championship Tournament and the Brute Invitational on Dec. 29, when the team will send selected wrestlers to each event to compete against some of the very best in the country. Full results from each tournament will be available through BuffaloBulls.com.

RESULTS: Bloomsburg 18, Buffalo 15

125: Mike Soria (UB) dec. Sean Boylan (BU), 6-4; 3-0
133: Nick Wilcox (BU) dec. Erik Galloway (UB), 9-4; 3-3
141: Andrew Schutt (UB) dec. Matt Rappo (BU), 7-2; 6-3
149: Blake Roulo (UB) dec. Simon Kitzis (BU), 2-1; 9-3
157: Frank Hickman (BU) tech. fall Wally Maziarz (UB), 22-6, 5:48; 9-8
165: Josh Veltre (BU) dec. Mark Lewandowski (UB), 3-2; 9-11
174: John-Martin Cannon (UB) dec. Chris Smith (BU), 9-4; 12-11
184: Tony Lock (UB) dec. Andre Petroski (BU), 4-2; 15-11
197: Richard Perry (BU) maj. dec. Angelo Malvestuto (UB), 13-5; 15-15
285: Justin Grant (BU) dec. Justin Heiserman (UB), 5-1; 15-18

Here Come the Hawkeyes: Iowa Visits Buffalo for Annual Takedown Cancer Fundraiser

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Monday night provides a unique opportunity to fans in the Buffalo area – the chance to watch one of the storied programs in college wrestling come to town for an exciting dual as well as the chance to contribute to a great cause.

At 7:00 p.m. the #5 Iowa Hawkeyes will visit the hometown Bulls for the annual “Takedown Cancer” dual meet which will benefit a number of cancer-related charities.

Mark Lewandowski, Photo by BV

Buffalo first got involved a few years ago to benefit former Bulls wrestler Jeff Parker, who was battling melanoma at the time. While he passed away in 2010, the team’s involvement has continued. This year, according to head coach Jim Beichner, the funds raised will be donated to the Jeff Parker Foundation, Carly’s Club and to a family or families in the area with a child currently battling cancer.

Beginning at 5 p.m. there will be a number of fundraising activities, including auctions including 60-80 items, according to Beichner. The purchase of a $10 raffle ticket earns entry into the drawing for the grand prizes, which are two round trip Delta plane tickets to anywhere in the continental United States, four tickets to Jim Kelly’s suite at the upcoming Buffalo Bills-New York Jets game and a dinner for 10 at a popular local restaurant, Ilio DePaolo’s.

The Bulls are hoping to exceed last year’s fundraising total of $23,000. However, they aren’t losing sight of what they need to do – battle the Hawkeyes.

“We think this is going to be a great fundraiser,” Beichner said. “But we remember that we’re there to wrestle Iowa. We’re there as a team to compete and everything else happening is a wonderful bonus. It’s a great sign for our program to have a Big 10 or Big 12 team in our home gym for the third year in a row. Iowa’s probably the most dominant program in the last 30 years or so and we are proud to have them come to Buffalo.”

The Hawkeyes went 2-0 at the Grapple at the Garden, to push their 2012-13 record to a perfect 10-0. Eight of their starters sit in the Top 20 nationally.

Beichner said his group is looking forward to the challenge.

“We know they’re a great team,” he said. “We think we’ll have some very competitive match ups. I expect a full effort from every guy. The Hawkeye symbol shouldn’t matter. We need to have the mindset when we step out on the mat that we’ll win.”

Leading the way for the Bulls are nationally-ranked seniors Mark Lewandowski and John-Martin Cannon. Lewandowski is 13-2 at 165 pounds this year after a one-point loss to Mike Ottinger of Central Michigan in the team’s first dual meet of the season.

“Mark is wrestling very well,” Beichner said. “He lost on a penalty point and you hate to see a match between two good wrestlers decided that way on a late call. He wrestled an aggressive match – he was by far the more aggressive wrestler. He has the right mindset and will respond.”

Cannon has seen limited action due to a number of setbacks this season. He was out early in the campaign while recovering from an injury and in his first bout back, he was hit in the face, suffering a broken nose and a concussion. However, he returned and notched a victory against Central Michigan.

“[Cannon] is getting back to 100%,” the coach said. “He looks really good and he’ll be a threat no matter who he wrestles.”

A third grappler Beichner singled out was 197 pounder Angelo Malvestuto, who he said “wrestled extremely well” against the Chippewas. He expects those wrestlers and others to step up in front of the hometown crowd.

“We’re really excited about [Monday],” Beichner said. “The thing we really want to promote is that we’re having the University of Iowa in our home gym. It’s our opportunity to wrestle well against great opponents. That’s what’s so important for our program.”

To find out more about the organizations involved in this event:

Jeff Parker Foundation

Carly’s Club