UB Summer Camps

The University at Buffalo is offering summer camps in 13 different sports this year at a variety of levels.  Campers will get the chance to practice on the same fields as the Bulls teams while receiving expert coaching from some of the Bulls head coaches and athletes.

Head Baseball Coach Ron Torglaski will bring 22 years of coaching experience to his three camps, which will be run according to age groups.  Head Men’s Basketball Coach Reggie Witherspoon will be running a college prospect camp for grades 10 and up, two separate week-long camps and a team camp while Women’s Basketball head coach Linda Hill-Macdonald will run a developmental camp for girls in grades 4-12.

Head Football Coach Jeff Quinn will run an Offensive/Defensive Line specific camp along with two one-day camps and two youth camps. Men’s Soccer will run a camp for Junior Booters, Bulls, Young Bulls, High School Elite, Strikers and Goalkeepers.  Women’s Soccer will run a total of seven camps including Kickin’ and Krackin’, Goalkeepers, Juniors, Open Girls and College Prospects.

2010 Mid-American Conference Men’s Champion Head Swimming Coach Andy Bashor will run a 5-day swimming camp.  There will also be a Diving camp conducted over six days in June by Diving Coach Karla Helder.

A three-day Softball camp will be offered as well as a three day Track & Field camp. Men’s and Women’s Tennis will be offering two separate camps open to both Boys and Girls aged 10 through 18.

Women’s Volleyball will offer an All Skills camp as well as a Position (Setter, Hitter and Libero) camp and a High Potential camp.

Mid-American Conference Wrestling Coach of the Year Jim Beichner will run a Team camp as well as a Youth camp, which is slated to take place in the newly refurbished Wrestling Complex in Alumni Arena.

For further information and contact details please click on the link below:

http://www.buffalobulls.com/camps/index

- Written by Pete Fardon

Intermat Gives Bulls #13 Recruiting Class Ranking

The Bulls recruiting efforts have been recognized once again, this time by Intermat.  Intermat ranks the Bulls' incoming recruiting class at #13 in the nation.  This is the highest ranking ever for a recruiting class by Intermat.

The excerpt about UB is below and the entire article can be found here, but you must have a premium subscription to read anything other than their #1 ranking.

While the #13 ranking is another school best, I can't agree with the comment about the Bulls always being at the back of the MAC Conference after their 2011 performance.  Although unable to pull of the MAC team championship, UB had more champions (141 through 165 lbs.), place winners, and national qualifiers than anyone else in the conference this year.

13. Buffalo 

Top 100 Recruits: No. 51 Blake Roulo (Matoaca, Virginia), No. 77 Justin Lozano (Selma, California), No. 87 Jake Waste (Apple Valley, Minnesota), and No, 92 Arik Robinson (Peru, New York)

Additional Nationally-Ranked Recruit: Justin Heiserman (Dundee, Michigan)

Commentary: For a program normally towards the back of the MAC (Mid-American Conference) standings, this is an unexpected yet impressive recruiting class. The Bulls should be commended on their efforts, while Jim Beichner and staff hope that this group of wrestlers can help them make a step towards overall relevance as a program -- as well as compete with Central Michigan for supremacy in the MAC. Buffalo has not had an All-American since 2004 (Kyle Cerminara), and before that the drought goes back to 1991 (Dan Engles).

UB Press Release - Ten UB Teams Over 975 in Latest APR Report

The Bulls wrestling program has improved their APR more than any other sport at the university over the last four years.  See the entire press release below.

BUFFALO, NY – For the second straight year, the University at Buffalo athletic department has seen all of its 20 intercollegiate sports finish above the cut line in the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores that were released today.

All 20 of the Bulls' programs finished the multi-year rate – which encompasses four years from 2006-07 to 2009-10 – above the minimum score of 925 out of 1,000. The APR, in its seventh year of existence, is a four-year rolling rate and focuses on each sport, not the institution’s overall performance and measures the retention and eligibility of student-athletes receiving athletic aid, and the eligibility measure is based on NCAA and UB eligibility standards.

In this year's report, the Bulls saw 16 teams record scores above 950 and 10 programs net out above 975, the most in school history. Four teams had perfect single-year rates of 1,000 – men's cross country, women's basketball, women's tennis and men's swimming – while women's tennis has a perfect four-year rate of 1,000 and was honored by the NCAA for that mark.

The UB football program continues to make huge strides, recording a four-year rate of 930 – the highest score in the seven years of the APR – up from a mark of 879 back in 2005-06. Other major success stories include the UB baseball program, whose four-year rate was 951 in 2009-10, up from 907 in 2005-06, and the Bulls' wrestling program, that has climbed from an 886 score in 2005-06 to a four-year rate of 967 this year (a jump of 81 points, the most of any UB program).

Of UB's 20 intercollegiate programs, 13 of them stayed the same or improved in the single-year from 2008-09 to this past year.

"I am as proud of our continued efforts to improve our retention and graduation rates, that are reflected so positively in this latest Academic Progress Rate report, as any championship we have won during my tenure here at UB,” said Warde Manuel, Vice President and Director of Athletics. “We have a tremendous staff and student-athletes that have bought into the culture of success in every facet of what we do, none more important than graduation and competing for excellence both on and off the fields of play.

“I am extremely appreciative of all of our coaches for continuing to spend the effort necessary to bring the right student-athletes to the University at Buffalo,” said Manuel, “and reinforcing the importance of balancing academics and athletics in the challenging arena of Division I athletics.”

Fun Fact of the Day: Coach Frank Beasley will tie the knot one month from today, June 25, 2011.  Sorry ladies, he's off the market. ;)

Wally Maziarz to Compete at Senior World Team Trials

Freshman Wally Maziarz has earned an opportunity to compete at the Senior World Team Trials in Oklahoma City, OK on June 10 & 11, 2011. Wally will compete in the Greco Roman Team Trials.


Here is a list of all athletes competing at the 66 kg/145.5 lbs weight class. A complete write-up from themat.com on all competitors can be found here.

2011 GRECO-ROMAN WORLD TEAM TRIALS QUALIFIERS

66 kg/145.5 pounds

U.S. Open Champion – Justin Lester, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)

U.S. Open, second place – Glenn Garrison, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)

U.S. Open, third place – C.P. Schlatter, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)

U.S. Open, fourth place – Pat Smith, Minneapolis, Minn. (Minnesota Storm)

U.S. Open, fifth place – Ben Sanchez, Leominster, Mass. (New York AC)

U.S. Open, sixth place – John Cox, Hampstead, N.C. (U.S. Marine Corps)

U.S. Open, seventh place – Tanner Andrews, North Aurora, Ill. (USOEC)

Northeast Regional Trials Champion – RaVaughn Perkins, Omaha, Neb. (Readyrp Mational)

Past U.S. World Team member – Faruk Sahin, Colorado Springs, Colo. (U.S. Army)

University Nationals Champion 66 kg – Bo Beckman, Orem, Utah (New York AC)

University Nationals True Second 66 kg– Wally Maziarz, North Tonawanda, N.Y. (Buffalo WC)

University Nationals Champion 63 kg – Joe Colon, Clear Lake, Iowa (Clear Lake)

University Nationals True Second 63 kg– James Clark, Hartland, Wis. (Ringers)

For a little background information on Wally, you can check out his Featured Freshman article from last summer here.

Wrestling Renovation Photo Update 05.19.11

The following pictures were taken May 19, 2011. Now that several walls are up I'll explain what you're looking at in these photos.. 

Entering the wrestling room from the main hallway in Alumni Arena... Coach Deubel's office is to the right and the student lounge is to the left.  The wrestling room is straight ahead.

Coach Ricky Deubel's Office

 Entering the Jeff Parker Student Lounge

Looking into Coach Frank Beasley's office from the Student Lounge 

 View from inside Coach Beasley's office looking out into the cardio area and wrestling room

Looking out from Coach Beasley's office into the Student Lounge 

Looking into Coach Jim Beichner's office from the Student Lounge 

View from Coach Beichner's office looking into the Student Lounge and wrestling room

The Jeff Parker Student Lounge and window to the wrestling room

Wrestling room

Looking into the Student Lounge & Coach Beichner's office from the wrestling room

Looking into the cardio workout area and Coach Beasley's office from the wrestling room

View of Coach Beasley's office from the cardio area

Looking out of the cardio area into the wrestling room

View of the wrestling room from the new exit door

Windows along the exterior wall of the wrestling room

More updates coming soon! The expected date of completion is July 1, 2011. 

NWCA Names 2011 All-Academic Top 30 Teams & Individuals

The Bulls had two individual wrestlers named to this year's NWCA All-Academic list.  Congratulations to...

Kevin Smith

&

John-Martin Cannon

...on a great accomplishment!

No doubt UB can continue their record-shattering year and have many more names on the list in 2012! Go Bulls!

A link to the entire NWCA press release can be found here.

The Open Mat Gives Bulls #11 Recruiting Class Ranking

The Open Mat has released 2011 recruiting class rankings.  The Bulls came in with an outstanding #11 class, a best in school history.  


Here is the excerpt about UB: 

#11  Buffalo  (LY: UR)

#17-Arik Robinson (NY), 125

#8-Blake Roulo (VA), 149

#13-Justin Lozano (CA), 165/174

#16-Jake Waste (MN), 165/174

#19-Justin Heiserman (MI), 197

Abdulgawi Mohammed (NY), 125

Danny Gormley (NY), 133

Class Overview:

The staff at Buffalo are on to something. After crowning 4 MAC Champions and sending a school-record, 6, individuals to NCAA’s, Jim Beichner has facility upgrades in the works and Frank Beasley, who works the recruiting trail tirelessly, has one of the best hauls of the year.

At the top, Arik Robinson became just the 4^th four-timer in NYS history. This season he was named Most Outstanding at both the state tournament and Eastern States, the highest regarded regular season tournament in the Empire State.

Roulo has long been in the national picture. A 3-time Fargo AA and this year’s Beast runner-up, Roulo became just the second wrestler to ever win four class titles at NHSCA’s.

Lozano was a state runner-up this year, earning his second state medal. He’s also made finals appearances in 5 Counties, Doc Buchanan, and NHSCA’s.

Waste has a lengthy resume in both folk and international styles. He just won a Fila GR title in April after winning a state title in Minnesota. In 2009 he became the 6^th ever Cadet Triple Crown Winner.

Heiserman was a three-time state finalist, two-time champ and an NHSCA placer this year.

Why They’re Here:

The Bulls nabbed quality kids at a number of weight classes that will keep that, at minimum, competitive in the MAC for years to come. With this group, look for an increased Buffalo presence in the rankings and at the NCAA tournament in the future.

Why They’re Not Higher:

Last year the Bulls brought in the Soria Brothers to man the lightweights. And they’ve performed better than expected in open competition last year. So Robinson starting isn’t a foregone conclusion.

This class, while heavy on ‘prospects’ in every sense of the word, lacks a #1 type guy. Their impact to their program is immediate, which is why they’re #11. But to become competitive nationally, the individuals here still have so work to do.

A link to the entire article can be found here. 

Bulls Announce Three 2011 Recruits to Join Waste, Roulo

The Buffalo wrestling coaching staff has announced three more outstanding talents to the 2011-12 recruiting class, further making the argument that the incoming freshman class will be among the best in all of Division I. Four-time New York state champion Arik Robinson, 2011 California state runner-up Justin Lozano and two-time Michigan champion Justin Heiserman signed on to become a Bull, adding depth and filling important needs for the team.

"It's the sign of a good program to add diversity from different states. We have wrestlers from at least seven different states now on the team, and every different state has its own style," said head coach Jim Beichner. "When you bring that diversity in, the wrestlers begin to teach each other and you want that to make them all better."

The team now has four recruits ranked among the top 100 in the nation, with only Big 10 members Ohio State and Wisconsin with more.

"We have six guys committed to us that are ranked in the top ten in their weight classes and we think they will make a huge impact on this team," said assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Frank Beasley. "Not all of them were 'need' weight classes but they were 'wants' because they're all so good."

Robinson, from Peru High School in upstate New York, recently became just the fifth wrestler ever to win the state title in each of his four years of high school. After winning the title this past season, he also earned the honor of Most Outstanding Wrestler. As a junior, he finished fourth at the NHSCA High School Nationals, and in other national tournaments, Robinson won the 2011 Eastern States Classic after winning previously in 2009 and finishing third in 2010. For his career, Robinson owns a 180-10 record with 108 pins.

"He's one of the very best to ever come out of New York state," said Beasley. "He's tough and very hard nosed and we're very happy to have him, we just couldn't pass up one of the best wrestlers ever to come out of New York." 

After finding success in the NCAA tournament with Wolverine State natives Andrew Schutt and Brett Correll, the Bulls will also welcome in Michigan standout Justin Heiserman. Ranked as the top 189-pound wrestler of all Division III high schools in the state, Heiserman is also the ranked the ninth best senior in Michigan by Michigan Grappler and will likely compete at 197 pounds for UB. 

During his career at Dundee High School, Heiserman was a two-time state champion and also was a runner up, earning a spot in the finals three times in his four years while finishing with a 192-27 career record. At the Disney Duals in 2010, he went undefeated for a gold medal win and earned All-American status after finishing eighth at the NHSCA Senior Nationals. 

"We really feel that he can be a difference-maker for us, both academically and athletically," Beichner said. "We're very happy to welcome him to the program." 

Justin Lozano joins the team from West Coast power Selma High School, where he recently finished second at the CIF State Championship in the 171 pound division, improving from a fifth-place spot as a junior. Intermat has ranked him as the 13^th-best wrestler at 171 pounds and the seventh-best senior at that weight. The Open Mat sees him as the ninth-best prospect at 174 pounds. 

"He brings a different style and mentality from the West Coast," Beasley said. "It diversifies the team a little bit. He has traveled all over the country and has wrestled some of the best guys in the country." 

At the NHSCA Junior Nationals, Lozano placed second, improving from a third-place finish at the Sophmore Nationals. In the prestigious Super 32 tournament, Lozano finished fourth in 2009 and in Selma's lone participation in the Reno Tournament of Champions, Lozano finished sixth as a freshman. 

"We're happy to add these three to a class of what we believe to be between nine and twelve wrestlers," Beichner said. The biggest thing is that we'll cover eight different weights with this incoming class and that's what we needed. We feel that this recruiting class will end up being the best recruiting class that this program has ever seen. We hope each recruit will positively effect us socially, academically and athletically." 

Beichner also announced that junior Desi Green is no longer a part of the wrestling program. Green was dismissed from the team due to multiple violations of team and university policies. 

Heiserman Rankings:
#1 – 189 pound wrestler in Division III by Michigan Grappler
#9 – Overall Michigan senior in 2011
#18 – 189 pound wrestler in the country by intermatwrestle.com
Honorable mention at 189 pounds by theopenmat.com
Also recruited by Michigan and Minnesota
Top 20 ranking in WIN Magazine and Wrestling USA Magazine 

Robinson Rankings:
#5 – 112 pound wrestler in the country by Wrestling USA Magazine
#8 - 112 pound wrestler in the country by intermatwrestle.com
#17 - 112 pound wrestler in the country by theopenmat.com
#92 – Overall recruit in the nation by intermatwrestle.com 

Lozano Rankings:
#13 – 171 pound wrestler in the country by intermatwrestle.com
#9 – 174 pound prospect in the 2011 class by theopenmat.com
#77 – Overall recruit in the nation by intermatwrestle.com
Top 10 – Wrestling USA Magazine
Top 10 – WIN Magazine

Below Coach Beichner & Coach Beasley give a brief rundown of these three outstanding athletes:

Chris Conti: Unsung Hero Award Winner

On April 25, 2011, UB Division of Athletics held their annual Athlete Academic Celebration.  UB Wrestler Chris Conti was the recipient of the Unsung Hero Award.  Below is a brief description of what defines the Unsung Hero: 

"Dedication, unselfishness, and contribution to the team currently defines the Unsung Hero Award. This nominee excels in all areas not only for their team but for the entire Athletics Department. He/she attends AFA’s, community service events and other programs offered by the Athletics Department. He/she does all of this with tremendous character, composure, and the utmost respect for all student-athletes, coaches, and administrators. One may ask how this person goes unnoticed, which only adds to this persons unselfish behaviors. But after one conversation with him/her, one can easily see that this student-athlete deserves more recognition. Not for how well he/she perform athletically or his/her successes in the classroom, but for their effort and care towards their teammates, other teams and this Athletic Department. They understand that the success of the team comes before the success of an individual. Also that no matter how good one performs, each student-athlete needs to give back because this opportunity is a privilege, not a right."

UB Wrestling Gives Back

On Saturday, April 30, the UB Wrestling team took part in a community service project at the Niagara Falls Gospel Rescue Mission in Niagara Falls, NY.  Both athletes and coaches took part in the effort as they removed weeds from garden beds, planting new greenery, and assisted in other landscaping tasks.

Frank Beasley and Coach Michael talking UB Wrestling Room Updates

Gift Presentation to Carly's Club

Last week, the UB coaching staff and several athletes, as well as Takedown Cancer founders Michael Moran and Joe Muscarella, visited Carly's Club at Roswell Park.  Carly's Club is the local cancer foundation supported by the Takedown Cancer event.  A check was presented to the club, and an additional check was presented to one needy family.  Below is a video of the presentation.

Wrestling Renovation Update: Video 04.30.11