Filling the line-up with mostly new wrestlers and keeping errors to a minimum were the ingredients that propelled the University at Buffalo's wrestling team to a 24-13 victory over Binghamton University on Tuesday night in Alumni Arena at their opening dual meet.
UB freshman Mark McKnight started the meet for the Bulls as he pinned his opponent, Victor Destefano in a time of 4:03, during the 125-pound match. Before the fall, McKnight was ahead with a 17-3 score, then picked up the 6-0 lead for the Bulls after the pin.
"Our freshman, Mark McKnight is a huge stand out, and I'm thrilled to start him for the first match every time," said Buffalo's head wrestling coach Jim Beichner. "He is very talented, and such a high level wrestler."
Buffalo junior Cliff Smith kept the momentum going for the Bulls as he won his match with a 16-2 major decision in the 133-pound weight class. During his match against Binghamton's Mike Shannon, Smith collected two takedowns, two escapes and three three-point near falls, which extended the score for the Bulls to 10-0.
After Smith's match, Binghamton rallied back to take the 141-pound, 149-pound, and the 157-pound matches, making the score a close 10-9.
"The strategy was to go out and beat Binghamton, or out wrestle them," said Beichner. "We did a pretty good job with that, but in a couple weight classes they out fought us, and that's not acceptable to me as a coach. I never want to see that happen."
Junior Nick Rausenberger set the Bulls back on track after he won his 165-pound match over the Bearcat's Ryan Jantzen, with a score of 11-7. Rausenberger's victory put Buffalo further ahead to a 13-9 lead.
Ed Pawlak from the Buffalo squad contributed to the team, as he took a 12-3 major decision over the Bearcat's Mark Tse in the 174-pound match. Through the match, Pawlak made one three-point near fall, two escapes, and three takedowns.
Binghamton's Jerome Joe took the 184-pound match over UB's Garret Hick in a 16-6 major decision, but Buffalo junior Kyle Cerminara won the 197-pound match in a 12-4 major decision, and cemented the win for Buffalo. Cerminara compiled one escape, one riding time point, and five take downs during his match.
In the heavy weight match, Buffalo's Greg Thomas won with a 6-1 victory and completed the 24-13 victory for the Bulls.
"I think our team was a little tight, since it was our first match at home, but most of them got through that and wrestled well," said Beichner. "Our guys are generally pretty good fighters, and they know how to win."
The Buffalo wrestling team will continue their season this weekend as the travel to Bloomsburg PA, for a tri-meet against Findlay College and Bloomsburg. The meet will begin at 10 a.m. on Nov. 22.
