Five wrestlers place at MAC Tournament

For the second time in as many years, Mark "The Hammer" McKnight has qualified to wrestle in the NCAA Championships in St. Louis.

McKnight was one of five Buffalo wrestlers to place in last weekend's MAC Tournament, and he was the only UB wrestler to qualify for nationals.

"Things didn't go as well as we would have liked but I thought we wrestled well," said UB head coach Jim Beichner.

The Bulls' sixth place efforts last weekend were highlighted by McKnight's second place finish at 125 pounds, earning him a wild card vote to the National Tournament.

McKnight, who has been ranked as high as seventh in the nation over the course of the 2004-2005 season, lost in the finals of the 125-pound bout to number one seed Luke Smith of Central Michigan.

"Mark lost on what was definitely a questionable call by the referee," said coach Beichner.

Both McKnight and Smith also took home special honors, as McKnight was one of five wrestlers honorably mentioned while Smith was named co-freshman of the year.

Last season, as a true freshman, McKnight fell just short of the All-American round in St. Louis. This time around, Beichner thinks McKnight has ability to take it to the next level.

"Mark definitely has the potential to be an All-American and that's what we're hoping for this weekend," said Beichner.

In addition to McKnight's efforts, four other wrestlers placed in the top four of their respective weight classes, including freshmen Dana Gingerich. Gingerich, who took fourth at 141 pounds, was the only UB wrestler who placed while not being ranked going into the MAC Tournament.

"We had five guys place. That's more than we've ever had," said Beichner.

The other Bulls who placed were sophomore Mark Budd, who took third at 133 pounds; sophomore Jake Blowers, who took third at 165 pounds; and junior Harold "The Cobra" Sherrell, who took third at 197 pounds.

Although the Bulls left the MAC with fewer national qualifiers than they had hoped for, Beichner views the experience as a building block for next season.

"Even though things didn't go as well as we would have liked, I think that we did some good things and we can build on that," said Beichner.

As the only Buffalo wrestler competing, McKnight will travel to St. Louis next weekend to compete in the NCAA tournament.