Anyone who has spent any time around a wrestling room will agree that almost all great wrestlers share the same core characteristics.
The sport's champions rarely celebrate, never trash-talk, and are always humble. You won't see many Allen Iverson types on the wrestling mat, and if you do, you can bet that they probably aren't that good.
Wrestlers like Dana Gingerich, UB's 141-pound starter, know that when you're on the mat with only yourself to rely on, humility is a lesson that can be taught at any time.
Born in south central Pennsylvania, Gingerich began his wrestling career as a rambunctious first grader, who liked to take his energy out on his older brother.
"When I was little, I was a real little kid, like really little and me and my brother would always wrestle," Gingerich said. "He was three years older than me, he was always a lot bigger than me, and I used to beat the crap out of him."
During these fraternal bouts Gingerich's dad saw potential in his youngest son and decided to get him into wrestling.
"My dad didn't want me playing basketball like my brother because I was real short, so he signed me up for wrestling," said Gingerich.
As Gingerich entered high school, he chose a private school, Delone Catholic, in order to wrestle under a coach he admired.
"I had this one coach who was really great, John Hefner - he went (to Delone) and I went with him, kind of for school and kind of for wrestling," said Gingerich.
During an impressive high school career, where he finished with a record of 130-3, Gingerich was a runner-up in the state finals as a junior, and then state champion his senior year.
But Gingerich is modest about his high school accomplishments.
"A pretty good career I guess," he said.
After high school career Gingerich began his college career at UB in the fall of 2003 where he sat out his first season as a redshirt freshman.
"I think being in a college practice room for a year really helps you out a lot talent-wise. It helps to get your skill and your speed up," said Gingerich.
This season Gingerich's speed and skills are up as he has started his college career with a 5-2 record. He finished fourth in his weight class at a tough tournament in Brockport and then won his first dual-meet match of the year against George Hickman of Bloomsburg.
Gingerich's college wrestling goals are simple. He wants to be the best.
"I have progressive goals. First I want to win the MACs and then go to Nationals and hopefully place," said Gingerich. "Hopefully just progressively getting better."
Off the mat Gingerich is a legal studies major and hopes to someday be a police officer.
"I want to be on a SWAT team," said Gingerich. "I don't like sitting around, I couldn't work behind a desk."
When Gingerich isn't working hard in practice or in the classroom he likes to relax by playing Nintendo or riding his dirt bike. During his senior year of high school an accident that Gingerich suffered on his dirt bike could have a cost him a state championship.
"I wrecked my dirt bike like three weeks before States, at the Sectional Tournament I could barely walk," laughed Gingerich.
Gingerich's hopes for the future of the UB wrestling team are high.
" I think in the next year or two we're going to be really really tough. Some of the freshmen this year, they just need to get some experience," said Gingerich. "We've got All-American Kyle Cerminara coming back next year. So we're going to be pretty tough."
Gingerich said that despite the Bulls' promising future, they are focused entirely on reaching new heights this season. He said he isn't intimidated by college wrestling and intends to do what he has been doing since he was seven years old: expecting nothing but the best out of himself.
"I knew that coming in, it doesn't really matter if you were a state champ," Gingerich said. "Nobody cares. It's not going to win you a match being a State Champ in high school. You got to wrestle every match."
Gingerich and the rest of the wrestling team will be back in action on Nov. 27 when they travel to Lock Haven University for the Mat Town USA Invitational Tournament.
