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.

Kevin Smith: MAC Wrestler of the Week

MAC WRESTLER OF THE WEEK: 

KEVIN SMITH 133 LBS.

University at Buffalo wrestler Kevin Smith has been named the MAC Wrestler of the Week for the week of November 8-14, the Mid-American Conference announced from its offices in Cleveland this morning. 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.

S

mith 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.

Buffalo will be hitting the road for the Body Bar Invitational this Saturday for an all-day tournament. It will be hosted by the nation's top-ranked team, Cornell.

UB Press Release - Oklahoma Gold Tournament

Bulls Earn Two Titles at Oklahoma Gold Classic

BROCKPORT, NY - Fresh off an exciting dual meet against nationally ranked Oklahoma University, members of the Buffalo Bulls wrestling team headed to Brockport, NY for the Oklahoma Gold Classic, hosted by the Sooners. Two Bulls earned individual titles and the team as a whole finished fifth in a loaded tournament that ran all day Saturday.

Junior Kevin Smith finished off a solid two-day stretch by making it through the 133-pound bracket unscathed and winning an individual title. The Mexico, NY native won four straight matches, including a tight rematch against Dustin Reed of Oklahoma and a win over Reed's OU teammate Jordan Keller, 9-3, to win the championship.

The team's second title came at 149 pounds, with junior Desi Green looking to rebound after falling at the Oklahoma dual. After beating Dexter Lederer of nationally ranked Maryland in the first round, Green soon found himself matched up against Mario Mason of Rutgers, ranked fourteenth in the nation. Green, who hails from just down the road from Brockport, beat Mason 4-1 to make the finals. He then edged out Clarion's Anthony White 4-3 to win his second tournament in as many weeks.

The Bulls placed several other wrestlers in the top six in multiple divisions. Sophomore Andrew Schutt placed fifth at 141, junior John-Martin Cannon placed fifth at 165, sophomore Mark Lewandowski placed sixth at 157 and senior Jimmy Hamel put up a fourth place showing. In the heavyweight division, sophomore Brett Correll also placed fourth.

The team as a whole will have a much needed rest before hitting the road again next Saturday. Next up will be the Body Bar Invitational, hosted by Cornell, currently the top-ranked team in the nation. The team will look to boost it's national profile against more of the top wrestlers and teams in the country. For fans of the Bulls, the tournament will run all day and will start at 9:00 am.

Team Rankings

1. 145.5 #8 Oklahoma
2. 124.5 #23 Rutgers
3. 101.5 Maryland
4. 95 Clarion
5. 89 Buffalo
6. 75 Army
7. 68 American
8. 17 Brockport

Notable Bulls Placing

133 - Kevin Smith: 1st
141 - Andrew Schutt: 5th
149 - Desi Green: 1st
157 - Mark Lewandowski: 6th
165 - John-Martin Cannon: 5th
184 - Jimmy Hamel: 4th
HWT: Brett Correll: 4th

UB Press Release -- Oklahoma Dual

Buffalo Hangs Tough, Falls to Oklahoma

BUFFALO, NY - In one of the team's most anticipated home dual meets in program history, the Buffalo Bulls welcomed in Big 12 power Oklahoma to Alumni Arena Friday afternoon. The Buffalo loss by a score of 28-7 belied the numerous terrific matches held, five of which were decided by four points or less.

Redshirt sophomore Taylor Golba led off the meet at 125 pounds, facing Jarrod 
Patterson, who came in ranked ninth in the country in the weight class. The 
Buffalo, NY native held tough in a low-scoring match, losing 4-1.

His teammates picked him up right away, however, as juniorKevin Smith 
dominated his match at 133 pounds and took a major decision with a 14-5 win, 
putting the Bulls ahead early in the match 4-3. The team recorded its other win 
of the day at 157 pounds, as redshirt sophomore Mark Lewandowski scored an 
early takedown and controlled pace throughout in a 4-2 win.

Oklahoma earned close wins in the 149, 165 and 184 matches to swing the meet
in its favor. Junior Desi Greenwas slow-played early in his match, and he ended 
up going to two overtimes before being taken down, 6-2. At 165, junior 
John-Martin Cannon had a dogfight and was unable to get a late takedown to win
the match, falling 5-3 in overtime as well. In the match of the night, Jimmy 
Hamel took on Erich Schmidtke in a match of top 20 grapplers. It was a defensive
match throughout, and Hamel had a late takedown disallowed before his 
opponent scored again to put it out of reach, 4-0

The loss drops the team to an even 1-1 in dual meets, and the squad will have 
little time to rest as it travels to various tournaments tomorrow morning. Most of
the team will makes its way to Brockport, NY for the Oklahoma Gold Classic, 
while some members will participate at the Washington & Jefferson Open 
Wrestling Invitational.

OKLAHOMA 28, BUFFALO 7

125 - #9 Patterson (OU) dec. Golba (UB), 4-1
133 - #17 Smith (UB) maj. dec. Reed (OU), 14-5
141 - #1 Bailey (OU) maj. dec. Schutt (UB), 14-4
149 - N. Lester (OU) dec. #11 Green (UB), 6-2 (7OT)
157 - Lewandowski (UB) dec. M. Lester (OU), 4-2
165 - Nelson (OU) dec. #15 Cannon (UB), 4-3
174 - #8 Caldwell (OU) dec. Majerus (UB), 7-1
184 - #15 Schmidtke (OU) dec. #18 Hamel (UB), 4-0
197 - Hall (OU) dec. Peters (UB), 9-4
HWT - #10 Fernandez (OU) pinned Correll (UB) F 2:58

Follow Today's Results Online

I just found out that www.intermatwrestle.com is going to be at the Oklahoma Gold Classic.  They will be providing a free live blog so you can follow us throughout the tournament.  Here is the link to get updates:  http://www.intermatwrestle.com/articles/7476.

Also, some of our wrestlers (mostly red shirts) will be competing unattached in the Washington and Jefferson College Open today.  W&J is down by Pittsburgh and wrestling starts at 10 AM.  The following wrestlers will compete at the W&J Open - Mike Soria (125), Max Soria (125), Justin Farmer (133), Rickey Bronson (149), Wally Maziarz (149), Josh Micek (149), Matt Dehney (157), and Zach Ward (184).  Results are supposed to be updated online match by match.  Here is the link:  http://sikorasoftsystems.com/.

Coach Beasley

UB vs. Oklahoma University Recap

Our team was very competitive with top 10 ranked Oklahoma University.  They are ranked between 6th and 9th in every poll and have a very good team.  The match was much closer than the score indicated.  We battled tooth and nail in nearly every weight class.

125 - Golba wrestled a tight match with #9 Patterson.  He gave Patterson all he could handle but was unable to finish a few take downs and fell 1-4.  Golba was in deep and in scoring position a few times but unable to pull-off the upset.

133 - Smith did exactly what he was supposed to do and dominated his opponent.  He looked great and dominated both on his feet and on the mat.  He was aggressive and scored several take downs on his way to a 14-5 major decision.  As time ran out, he threw his opponent to his back but did not get the points as the buzzer sounded before he established control.

141 - Schutt had a tall task in front of him as he wrestled returning All-American and #1 nationally ranked Bailey.  Bailey controlled the match in a 14-4 major decision.  Andrew made him work for every point as Bialey got no easy scores.

149 - Green lost a heart-breaker here.  He was all over Lester the entire match.  From the opening whistle to the seventh overtime, Green attacked and Lester ran from him.  In the first period, Green got a take down and Lester escaped.  Lester was hit for stalling in the first and ran the entire match but the referee refused to call stalling a second time even though Green was constantly shooting and attacking.  The crowd was all over the referee and I think even OU's coaches were surprised that Lester wasn't called for stalling many times during the match.  Ultimately, in a scramble while Green was on top, the referee awarded a reversal and two back points.  I hope that Green gets to wrestle Lester at the Oklahoma Gold Classic.

157 - Lewandowski looked great in his match with Lester (his twin brother wrestled Desi).  He got a take down in the first period and never looked back.  He cruised to a 4-2 victory.  He also got an escape and a riding time point in the match.  Mark had the most impressive performance of the night in my opinion.  He looked like an All-American.

165 - Cannon lost a heart breaker.  He had several near-take downs on the edge of the mat but Nelson got our of bounds nearly every time.  Cannon scored a take down and an escape in the match but he allowed Nelson to control the tempo of the match.  Nelson scored a take down late into the first overtime period on one of Cannon's shots.  From where I was sitting, Cannon was the better wrestler but Nelson wrestled a little bit smarter match.

174 - Majerus stepped in against returning All-American Caldwell and battled him tough.  Majerus, like Golba was in deep on a couple of shots but Caldwell fought off the take down attempts.  Majerus never backed down and went after last year's NCAA 5th place finisher.  Caldwell walked away with a 7-1 decision.

184 - In a battle of two top twenty ranked wrestlers, the OU wrestler (Schmidtke) squeaked by Hamel.  Schmidtke was up 1-0 with riding time late into the 3rd period.  With the clock winding down, Hamel got in on a shot and should have scored a take down with six seconds remaining but the referee did not award the points.  Hamel had one foot in bounds and was all the way behind Schmidtke, who was basically on his hands and knees.  It was a terrible call.  With six seconds left, Jimmy tried a desperation attempt to score and was scored on at the buzzer to end the match at 0-4.

197 - Peters got ahead early with the opening take down.  Hall responded with a quick escape and the match continued to go back and forth throughout.  Hall broke away in the third period and came out on top with a 9-4 win.

HWT - Correll went right after the top 10 ranked Fernandez.  Correll scored the first take down or two and was on fire.  Fernandez scored with a take down that put Correll on his back that got him the fall.  I really hope these two meet and Correll gets a rematch at the Oklahoma Gold Classic.

We went toe-to-toe with a top 10 team in the country.  There was a lot of good that we can take from the match.  Our guys battled hard and I do not feel like we were out wrestled.  It seemed like we lost the close matches.  We pretty much controlled or dominated both the matches we won but lost all the close ones.  We need to finish out our matches better and find ways to win against the best wrestlers in the country.

Coach Beasley

Oklahoma Gold Tournament Preview

NOTE:  Later this weekend, I will review the match we had with Oklahoma University.

Here is a preview of some of the top wrestlers competing in the Oklahoma Gold Classic tomorrow.  The tournament starts at 10AM in the Tuttle North Gym at SUNY Brockport.  The teams competing are UB, the top 10 ranked Oklahoma University, the top 20 ranked Rutgers University, the top 20 ranked American University, Army, Clarion University, the top 25 ranked University of Maryland, and NCAA Division III #17 SUNY Brockport.  There may only be 8 teams in the tournament but four are ranked in the top 25 in NCAA Division I, 3 of the schools are just outside of the rankings, and 1 of the schools is ranked in the top 20 in Division III.  This is a tough tournament that we are excited to compete in tomorrow.

Note the following rankings com from D1collegewrestling.net except the D3 wrestlers.

125 - UB entrants - Golba and Walton
125 - other top contenders - #11 Patterson of Oklahoma, #24 Gentry and Strizki of Maryland, Fusco and Langel of Rutgers, #6 Marlow of Brockport, Hicks of Clarion, Coffey of Army, and Williams and Broshoff of American

133 - UB entrant - #20 Smith
133 - other top contenders - Ivanco and Waltko of Clarion, Keller of Oklahoma, Thome of Army, Demarco of Rutgers, Boone and Rouland of Maryland, Tao of American, and Demanchick of Brockport

141 - UB entrants - Schutt, Conti, and Crisafulli
141 - other top contenders - #1 Bailey of Oklahoma, #20 Melde and Greenwald of Rutgers, #22 Mariacher of American, Kohler of Maryland, Thome of Army, Moran and Pisani of Clarion, and Fallot and Collura of Brockport

149 - UB entrants - #13 Green and Loomis
149 - other top contenders - #15 Mason and McAuley of Rutgers, Lester and Vernon of Oklahoma, Sanjaa of American, Cash of Maryland, Golding of Brockport, White of Clarion, and Young of Army

157 - UB entrant - Lewandowski
157 - other top contenders - #4 Fittery of American, #17 John of Maryland, #18 Cocozzo of Rutgers, #22 Fleming of Clarion, Lester of Oklahoma, Rispoli of Brockport, and Chelednik of Army

165 - UB entrants - #19 Cannon, Brady, and Day
165 - other top contenders - #5 Asper and Sheptok of Maryland, #7 Winston of Rutgers, Abdurakhmonov of Clarion, Graham of American, Nelson of Oklahoma, #9 James of Brockport, Turner of Rutgers, and Vetter of Army

174 - UB entrants - N/A (both Sheehan and Majerus are unfortunately not able to compete tomorrow but will hopefully be healthy next weekend for the Body Bar Tournament)
174 - top contenders - #7 Caldwell of Oklahoma, #11 Letts of Maryland, #17 Caruso and Pagnotta of Rutgers, Wittmeyer of Army, Neivert of Brockport, Joseph of Clarion, and Barriero of American

184 - UB entrants - #18 Hamel and Smith
184 - other top contenders - #11 Schmidtke and James of Oklahoma, Rinaldi and Boyden of Rutgers, Peltier and Nielson of Maryland, #9 Pariso of Brockport, Cressley of Clarion, and Clessas of American

197 - UB entrants - Peters and Peter
197 - other top contenders - #19 Mitchell of American, Thomas and Podish of Clarion, Ross of Army, Hall of Oklahoma, Wagner and Seidenburg of Rutgers, Boley of Maryland, Brown of Army, and McGrath of Brockport

HWT - UB entrants - Correll and Donner
HWT - other top contenders - #6 Russo of Rutgers, #8 Fernandez and Bach of Oklahoma, #9 Flores of American, McCorkle of Clarion, Myers of Maryland, Krenz of Brockport, and Botero of Army

I will provide a recap of the tournament on either Sunday or Monday.

Coach Beasley

Coach Beasley's Pre-Match Notes

Coach Beasley previews today's match with #8 Oklahoma below.

125 – Taylor Golba vs. Jarrod Patterson – Patterson was a Big 12 Champion last year and top 12 at the National Tournament.  Patterson is very solid and Taylor will need to move him well to get to his attacks.

133 – Kevin Smith vs. Jordan Keller – Keller transferred into OU after initially starting at Cleveland State.  He was one of Cleveland State's best wrestlers and just missed qualifying for the national tournmants two years ago.  Keller redshirted last year and is a former high school national champion.  Kevin will need to be the aggressor in the match.

141 – Andrew Schutt vs. Zack Bailey – Bailey was an All-American last year and is ranked #1 in the country.  Shutt will need to get off bottom and utilize counter-offense in this match.

149 – Desi Green vs. Nick Lester – Lester is a redshirt freshman who was one of the top ranked prospects in the country coming out of high school.  Lester had a great redshirt year last year and placed 5^th at the University Nationals, beating All-American LeValley of Bucknell.  Lester is tough on top and won his first college dual last week because he turned his opponent.  Desi needs to get off bottom quickly in this match.

157 – Mark Lewandowski vs. Matt Lester – Lester is a redshirt freshman who was one of the top ranked prospects in the country coming out of high school.  Lester had a great redshirt year last year and was a finalist at the University Nationals.  Like his twin brother, he is tough on top and Mark needs to out-wrestle him on the mat.

165 – John-Martin Cannon vs. Chase Nelson – Nelson was a Junior College National Champion last year and is very athletic.  He has good shots and likes to wrestle in upper-body ties.  John-Martin will need to wrestle smart and avoid Nelson’s big throws.

174 – Ron Majerus vs. Tyler Caldwell – Caldwell was a true freshman All-American last year (5^th) and ranked high nationally.  Caldwell is very solid in all positions.  Ron should be the aggressor and create some flurries in the match.

184 – Jimmy Hamel vs. Erich Schmidtke – Schmidke was a National Qualifer last year but has really improved a lot since then.  He beat top 12 ranked 2X National Qualifier, Jeff James, in the wrestle-off.  Then, he beat #5 ranked Chris Perry of Oklahoma State last week.  Schmidke is very powerful.  Jimmy will have to use his set-ups to clear the heavy hands of Schmidke.

197 – Josh Peters vs. Keldrick Hall – Hall is a very raw and athletic kid from Texas.  Not too many people know who he is yet but he quietly put together a 20-11 record last year behind All-American Eric Lapotsky.  This should be a great match between two big, athletic 197 pound wrestlers.  Both can shoot well and the key might be wrestling on the mat.

285 – Brett Correll vs. Nathan Fernandez – Fernandez has beaten several All-Americans in his college career but has yet to get to the podium himself.  He wrestles hard and goes after his opponent.  He is like a bull.  Brett needs to create angles on him to beat him.

The match begins at 3 pm in Alumni Arena.  Following the match, the UB Football squad takes on Ball State at 6 pm.  Come out and support both UB programs! 

UB vs. #8 Oklahoma Sooners - NOVEMBER 12

To download a PDF version of this program, click here.

Jake Waste signs National Letter of Intent to Wrestle for UB

The following article is from the Pioneer Press in Minneapolis, MN.

Flashbulbs and pens got a workout Wednesday, the first day of the national signing period when high school athletes formally declare their collegiate athletic intentions.

Here's a closer look at who signed where:

APPLE VALLEY

A school-record nine athletes signed Division I letters of intent.

Activities director Pete Buesgens said he knew of two others who were going to sign, but nine participated in the ceremony in the school's theater. Five were wrestlers from Apple Valley's nationally top-ranked squad.

Wrestler Jacob Waste, who signed with the University of Buffalo, was flanked by four playful, trash-talking teammates. On Waste's right were teammates and Gophers recruits Jordan Kingsley and Steven Keough. To his left were Wisconsin recruits Matt Kelliher and Destin McCauley.

"When I heard they were going to Wisconsin, I told them, 'Get out of here,' '' said Keough, the Class AAA 160-pound champion last season.

"You never thought it would happen that you are teammates one season and not the next,'' said Kelliher, the big-school 125-pound champion last year. "I guess we knew we couldn't all go to the same college, so we kind of knew this would happen someday.''

McCauley, the top-ranked wrestler in the country, will hold off enrolling at Wisconsin until 2012. After the state tournament in March, he will train with the national team in Colorado Springs, Colo., with hopes of qualifying for the London Olympics.

He said no to Minnesota in September and ended his recruitment last month when he gave an oral commitment to wrestle for the Badgers. He selected Wisconsin in part because the Badgers were most supportive of his Olympic aspirations.

At the conclusion of his prep career, McCauley likely will be considered Minnesota's most dominant wrestler.

"I am really glad this is over,'' McCauley said of the signing. "Now there won't be the pressure of calls and we can concentrate on wrestling.''

There is a possibility that McCauley, a 152-pounder, could face Keough in college.

"No, I don't want to wrestle him,'' Keough said. "Personally, I don't think we want to wrestle one another, but if we have to, we will.''

Wednesday's signing contingent represented the most Division I wrestling signees Apple Valley's tradition-rich program has had in a year.

"It is a remarkable day for Apple Valley High School,'' wrestling coach Jim Jackson said. "We are very proud of all of the Apple Valley student-athletes that signed tenders.''

Also signing were volleyball players Melissa Racz (Liberty) and Taylor Voss (Columbia); basketball player Tom Schalk (William & Mary) and baseball player Aaron Gretz (Ohio State).

MINNEHAHA ACADEMY

Katelyn Adams, a 6-foot-5 center, signed her letter of intent at 7:30 a.m. to play basketball at Liberty University, and coach Josh Thurow faxed the paperwork two hours later. Her signing ceremony was pushed back to today.

Adams has helped lead the Redhawks to three state tournament appearances, including the Class AA title last season.

"Katelyn Adams doesn't know what it's like to not play in the state tournament,'' Thurow said. "She's one of the main reasons we've played deep into March the last three years. She is a great post defender, an outstanding shooter, tremendous student and will represent us well at the Division I level.''

HILL-MURRAY

Another standout post player was the center of attention at Hill-Murray, where 6-4 senior Bethany Doolittle signed to play for Iowa. Before she moves on to college, she has two items she wants to take care of during her senior year.

"I want to get back to the (Class AAA) championship game, and I would like to dunk sometime,'' she said with a laugh. "I need to work hard on both of those goals.''

Standing on the periphery and taking mental notes was her teammate Tessa Cichy, a junior guard who will be in the same position a year from now. Cichy is being recruited by numerous Big Ten and Big East programs. She said Wednesday she wants to play in the Midwest.

"I want to sign early if possible,'' she said. "I am learning about the recruiting process from watching Bethany. I am waiting for one of those aha moments that will tell me what school I will choose.''

Said Hill-Murray coach Erin Herman: "This is pretty exciting stuff. I feel like (Doolittle) is one of my children. There are so many great things in front of her.''

STILLWATER

When Carson Cannon tells people he is going to the University of Denver to play lacrosse, he gets quizzical looks.

"Many people still don't know about the sport,'' said Cannon, a defender in lacrosse as well as a standout football player. "I feel I have to educate them. It is a way of giving back to the lacrosse program.''

Stillwater classmate Hannah Bowen put herself on the Minnesota swimming map by winning a championship in record time as a sophomore. Now she wants to do the same at Notre Dame.

"I am looking to put Notre Dame on the map for women's swimming,'' she said. "I want to help make us a power.''

CRETIN-DERHAM HALL

Kiera Jansen said she started swimming at age 2. On her first plunge, she started to sink. She quickly graduated from dog paddling to Division I swimmer. Jansen, who has won six state championships, signed a letter of intent to swim at Minnesota.

She displayed her Gophers pride with golden-sparkling pumps and a maroon headband.

"I have always worked hard and have had big dreams,'' she said. "Part of those dreams include the Olympics, but first, I can't wait to be a Gopher. I am really excited.''

Last summer, she was captain of a Junior Olympic team that competed in Singapore.

Cretin-Derham Hall classmate Jennifer Hartjes never settled in her quest to be a Division I tennis player.

"I kept pushing my game really hard over the years,'' the Creighton recruit said. "I love the strategy behind every stroke and being able to use my strengths to my advantage.''

Hartjes was a four-time Section 4AA singles champion and helped lead the Raiders to three state tournament berths.

The link to the article can be found here.