Weekly Wrestling Release 11.23.10

Bulls Wrestling Faces Top Competition at Body Bar Invite

Members of the Buffalo wrestling team made the middle leg of its three-straight weekend tournaments with a trip to Ithaca for the Body Bar Invitational. The tournament - hosted by Cornell - featured three top-20 teams and plenty other top competition including the number-one ranked Big Red. The Bulls placed wrestlers in the top three in six different weight classes and finished fifth out of 11 teams.

Three of the place winners for Buffalo were runners up, starting with sophomore Mark Lewandowski. The Depew, NY native continued his breakout season with three straight wins before his only loss of the day came in the finals against James Fleming of Clarion. Another second place effort was turned in by junior John-Martin Cannon, who also went 3-0 before losing a heartbreaker to fifth-ranked Justin Kerber of host Cornell, 3-2.

The team's third runner up on the day was heavyweight Brett Correll, who continues to produce as Buffalo's go-to starter at the weight class. Correll won two straight before losing to thirteenth ranked Brendon Barlow of conference rival Kent State, 6-2.

Three other wrestlers made the top three to help Buffalo's team score, starting with sophomore Andrew Schutt at 141 pounds. Schutt won two straight before losing to eventual champion Matthew Bonson of Lock Haven, but the Greenwood Township, MI native battled back in the consolation bracket and beat Kent State's Chase Skonieczny in a high-scoring 11-9 win.

Senior Jimmy Hamel now sits just three wins away from 100 career victories after three wins today earned him a third-place finish at 184 pounds. Finally for the Bulls, sophomore Josh Peters finished third at 197 pounds after besting Central Michigan's Craig Kelliher 8-7 in the third-place match.

Smith Earns MAC Wrestler of the Week

Kevin Smith was named the MAC Wrestler of the Week for the week of November 8-14, the Mid-American Conference announced from its offices in Cleveland. Smith is the first MAC wrestler to earn the honor this season and the award is the Mexico, NY native's first in his career.

Smith started his week by dominating his match at 133 pounds and took a major decision with a 14-5 win over Dustin Reed of Oklahoma at the Oklahoma duals last Friday afternoon.  Smith then followed it up with an individual title at the prestigious Oklahoma Gold Classic on Saturday, held at SUNY Brockport. He came out of the all-day tournament unscathed with four straight wins to take the 133-pound bracket.

His wins included a rematch victory over Reed of Oklahoma, a 6-0 shutout win over Jordan Thome of Army and a commanding win over Reed's Oklahoma teammate Jordan Keller in the championship match, 9-3.

Smith, a two-time member of the conference's All-Academic team and the NWCA All-Academic Division I team, is one of the Bulls' four returning national qualifiers. He is currently ranked second on the team with eight overall wins so far this season and has 66 career wins, and his 77 career takedowns put him in the top 20 in program history.

Up Next

Buffalo will now have a much-needed two week break to rest up and heal some bumps and bruises before heading out to the final tournament in this stretch of the schedule. The Penn State Open will be held December 5 by the host Nittany Lions. The tournament will again be an all-day event.

UB Press Release - Jake Waste Commitment

Bulls Add Decorated Wrestler for 2011

BUFFALO, NY - The Buffalo Bulls wrestling staff announced its lone recruit of the early signing period Monday afternoon, blue-chip wrestler Jacob Waste of Apple Valley High School in Minnesota. Waste, currently a senior for the number-one ranked Eagles, has been widely regarded as one of the nation's best at 171 pounds.

"He was the number one guy we wanted this year and we signed him early," said assistant coach Frank Beasley. "We knew we wanted him and saw him wrestle a lot over the course of his high school career. He was our first phone call and he was the number one guy we wanted all along and we got him. We're excited to have him at UB."

Waste started strong right off the bat as a high school freshman, finishing fourth in the state championship and then placing second as a junior. In fact, heading into his junior year, Waste already had won 107 matches for Apple Valley, a high school that has won the state champion 17 times including nine championships in the past ten years.

Along with a runner-up finish at states his junior year, Waste went on to become just the sixth wrestler in history to earn the Cadet Triple Crown - winning the Cadet Freestyle National Tournament, the Cadet Greco Roman National Championship and the Cadet Folkstyle National Tournament. Waste is currently a five-time state champion in greco roman and a six-time state champion at the freestyle championships. He ended his junior year with a 44-3 overall record.

Adding to his superlatives, Waste went undefeated at The Clash Minnesota, a high school dual meet tournament featuring 32 of the top high school teams in the nation. He also just missed winning the Cheesehead Wrestling Tournament in Wisconsin, losing in overtime in the championship bout. Most recently, Waste won the 171-pound bracket of the Intermat JJ Classic.

There will be some adjustment moving to the college level, but it will be a subtle one as Waste already has experienced wrestling on the collegiate level, winning the Kaufman/Brand Open as a junior. The tournament featured some of the best in the NCAA Division I, II and III ranks as well as junior college wrestlers, and he tallied wins over a wrestler from the University of Iowa along with wins over nationally ranked grapplers from Division III and a handful of junior colleges.

This pedigree will serve him well, as the Buffalo coaching staff will look to him to fill some very large shoes.

"We see him as a 174 or 184 pounder down the line. Our 174 and 184 pound starters (Brian Sheehan and Jimmy Hamel, respectively) are both graduating this year and he (Jake) is going to be able to step in and do very well right off the bat," said assistant coach Frank Beasley. "We expect big things out of Jake and we expect him to be a multiple-time national champion, and those are his expectations for himself as well."

Waste's National Rankings

Overall Recruits

#25 - HSWrestling.net

#33 - D1CollegeWrestling.net

#44 - Intermatwrestle.com

In 171-pound Weight Class

#5 - WIN Magazine

#6 - Wrestling USA Magazine

#6 - Intermatwrestle.com

#6 - TheOpenMat.com

UB Press Release: Bulls Wrestling Faces Top Competition at Body Bar Invite

ITHACA, NY - Members of the Buffalo wrestling team made the middle leg of its three-straight weekend tournaments with a trip to Ithaca for the Body Bar Invitational.

The tournament - hosted by Cornell - featured three top-20 teams and plenty other top competition including the number-one ranked Big Red. The Bulls placed wrestlers in the top three in six different weight classes and finished fifth out of 11 teams.

Three of the place winners for Buffalo were runners up, starting with sophomore Mark Lewandowski. The Depew, NY native continued his breakout season with three straight wins before his only loss of the day came in the finals against James Fleming of Clarion. Another second place effort was turned in by junior John-Martin Cannon, who also went 3-0 before losing a heartbreaker to fifth-ranked Justin Kerber of host Cornell, 3-2.

The team's third runner up on the day was heavyweight Brett Correll, who continues to produce as Buffalo's go-to starter at the weight class. Correll won two straight before losing to thirteenth ranked Brendon Barlow of conference rival Kent State, 6-2.

Three other wrestlers made the top three to help Buffalo's team score, starting with sophomore Andrew Schutt at 141 pounds. Schutt won two straight before losing to eventual champion Matthew Bonson of Lock Haven, but the Greenwood Township, MI native battled back in the consolation bracket and beat Kent State's Chase Skonieczny in a high-scoring 11-9 win.

Senior Jimmy Hamel now sits just three wins away from 100 career victories after three wins today earned him a third-place finish at 184 pounds. Finally for the Bulls, sophomore Josh Peters finished third at 197 pounds after besting Central Michigan's Craig Kelliher 8-7 in the third-place match.

Buffalo will now have a much-needed two week break to rest up and heal some bumps and bruises before heading out to the final tournament in this stretch of the schedule. The Penn State Open will be held December 5 by the host Nittany Lions. The tournament will again be an all-day event.

Buffalo Place Winners

141 – Andrew Schutt: 3^rd Place

157 – Mark Lewandowski: 2^nd Place

165 – John-Martin Cannon: 2^nd Place

184 – Jimmy Hamel: 3^rd Place

197 – Josh Peters: 3^rd Place

HWT – Brett Correll: 2^nd Place

Final Team Scores

1. Cornell 134 points

2. Kent State 94 points

3. Central Michigan 83.5 points

4. Clarion 75.5 points

5. Buffalo 74 points

6. Lock Haven 43.5 points

7.  Ithaca 40 points

8. Binghamton 37.5 points

9. Army 35 points

10. Drexel 33 points

11. Sacred Heart 24 points

Body Bar Tournament Preview

Cornell will welcome 10 teams to Newman Arena for the Body Bar Invitational on Saturday. Wrestling will begin at 9 a.m.  

Teams Competing
Army - Binghamton - Buffalo - No. 6 Central Michigan - Clarion - No. 1 Cornell - Drexel - Ithaca College - No. 18 Kent State - Lock Haven - Sacred Heart 

Watch Live

Fans can watch the Cornell battle No. 5 Central Michigan on Friday night live with a subscription to Cornell's RedCast. Live updates will also be available for both Friday's dual and for the Body Bar Invitational on Saturday. Check wrestling's page at www.CornellBigRed.com for links.

125 – UB entries – Taylor Golba and Sean Walton

125 – Other Top Contenders – Bedelyon (Kent), Perrelli/Brischetta (Cornell), Waldo/Cullinan/Roth (Central Michigan), Hyatt (Lock Haven), Coffey/Renkey (Army), & Chamberlain (Sacred Heart)

133 – UB Entries – Kevin Smith

133 – Other Top Contenders – Cimato (Drexel),Ecker (Ithaca), Thome (Army), Sentes (Central Michigan), Stanzione (Cornell), & Walto/Ivanco (Clarion)

141 – UB Entries – Andrew Schutt, Chris Conti, and John Crisafulli

141 – Other Top Contenders – Stierly (Ithaca), Bonson (Lock Haven), Mattingly (Central Michigan), Manson/Nevinger/Villalonga (Cornell), & Skonieczny (Kent)

149 – UB Entries – Jimmy Loomis

149 – Other Top Contenders – Sommer (Drexel), Woszczak (Ithaca), Wilkinson (Lock Haven), Corby (Central Michigan), Dake (Cornell), & Clopton/Sasfy (Kent)

157 – UB Entries – Mark Lewandowski

157 – Other Top Contenders – Brenon (Ithaca), Chelednick/Rafferty (Army), Cline/Cubberly (Central Michigan), Eifert/Meagher/Shanaman (Cornell), & Cathell/Bostelman (Kent)

165 – UB Entries – John-Martin Cannon and Pat Brady

165 – Other Top Contenders – Booth (Drexel), Miller (Central Michigan), Kerber/Peppelman (Cornell), Tice (Kent), Kaylor (Binghamton), & Abdurakhmonov (Clarion)

174 – UB Entries – Brian Sheehan

174 – Other Top Contenders – Preist (Thaca), Bennett (Central Michigan), McDonald/Lewnes (Cornell), & McGarity (Binghamton)

184 – UB Entries – Jimmy Hamel and Kyle Smith

184 – Other Top Contenders – Callender (Drexel), Mendez (Ithaca), Friend (Central Michigan), Bosak (Cornell), Newberg/Witt (Kent), & Schiedel (Binghamton)

197 – UB Entries – Josh Peters and Tyler Peter

197 – Other Top Contenders – Palik (Drexel), Kelliher (Central Michigan), Jochym/Simaz (Cornell), Kilgore/Tymosuzuk (Kent), Reed (Binghamton), & Podish/Thomas (Clarion)

HWT – UB Entries – Brett Correll, James Donner, and Jedd Mason

HWT – Other Top Contenders – Mahon (Ithaca), Snyder/Stala/Lane (Cornell), Barlow (Kent), Bittner (Binghamton), & McCorkle (Clarion)

Foxboro Reporter: Holiday won't be the same without 'Parks'

This article was published in the Foxboro Reporter, remembering the life of Jeff Parker.

Holiday won't be the same without 'Parks'

By Christine Igo Freeman

Published: Thursday, November 18, 2010 10:00 AM EST

Jim and Stephanie (Loder) Fraser celebrate Thanksgiving breakfast every year with family and friends. This year, there will be someone special missing for the holiday season.

Jeff Parker used to be part of that annual family tradition. Parker wrestled for Jim Fraser, who was coach of the Foxboro Warriors when Parker was in high school. But along the way, he also became a member of the Fraser family.

Sadly, Parker died in May of 2010 after a battle with cancer. In memory of her friend, seventh-grader Taylor Fraser designed a special t-shirt complete with angel wings to wear on what would have been Parker's 26th birthday on Nov. 10.

Taylor is the oldest of Jim and Stephanie's three children, and she remembers how she and "Parks" would fight over the fortune cookies at Thanksgiving breakfast every November.

Shortly after Thanksgiving came Christmas, and with Christmas came "Parks," as they called him, with presents for Taylor, her sister Mackenzi and their little brother James.

It was these happy memories that inspired Taylor to want to do something special in memory of her friend on his birthday.

So, Taylor Fraser and her friend Jen Dooley decorated t-shirts to wear to the Ahern School on Parker's birthday. Mackenzi and James Fraser also made t-shirts and wore them to the Igo School that day, where Mackenzi is in grade 4 and James is in kindergarten.

The t-shirts were decorated with angel wings, flying doves, #56 (which was Parker's football number at FHS), UB for the University of Buffalo, where he went to college, and 285, which was Parker's heavyweight wrestling class. Taylor's mother Stephanie becomes emotional as she explains, "It was all Taylor's idea to make and wear t-shirts for Parker's birthday."

This story all starts with wrestling. Jim Fraser is now in his ninth season as head coach of the Foxboro High School wrestling team. Prior to that, he served as an assistant for Foxboro for more than a decade. Before he became a wrestling coach, he was a wrestler for the Warriors and is a former state champion in the 135-pound division. He graduated from Foxboro High School in 1986. It was that same year that he became only the school's third state champion ever, following Bob Moreshead and Bernie Cataloni.

While Fraser was coaching his high school team, his nephew Mike Ragusa used to come by the high school gym daily. Ragusa became his uncle's biggest fan from the time he was in fifth grade. Ragusa's best friend began to wonder where he went every day after school. So, Ragusa invited his friend to go watch practice sessions and wrestling meets. Ragusa's friend was Jeff Parker.

Parker was from a big hockey family and wrestling was new to him. By the time the boys were in the eighth grade, they became teammates on Fraser's high school team. At that time, eighth graders were attending Foxboro High School and that enabled Parker and Ragusa to join the team a year earlier than most. By 2002-03 season, the two friends were senior co-captains and won their fifth consecutive MIAA Division 3 State title.

To this day, they are the only two kids in FHS history to win five straight state titles. Parker, Ragusa and teammate Tyler Laracy each won individual state titles that year. Coach Fraser was named MIAA Division 3 Coach of the Year. Parker and Ragusa both ended up going to the University of Buffalo where they were teammates on the college's wrestling team. By senior year, Parker was team captain and beat his friend Ragusa in the number of take-downs in a single season.

Ragusa was already a member of the Fraser Family, and thanks to his longtime friendship with Parker, "Parks" also became part of their family.

Sadly, "Parks" will not be home for the holidays in Foxboro as in years past; but thanks to his friends like Taylor Fraser, his spirit will be here generation after generation in the hearts of all those he loved.

To link to the original article, click here.