Sidelines

Ragusa and Hurst make the grade

Sophomore wrestler Mike Ragusa and senior swimmer Jeff Hurst were named to their respective All-Academic Mid-American Conference teams, announced by the conference.

Ragusa, a communication major with a 3.288 GPA, was one of seven Buffalo wrestlers to record 20 wins on the season. After losing his freshman season to a knee injury, Ragusa came into the season as the 165-pound starter and won second place at the Slippery Rock Open. However, Ragusa's shining moment came on Feb. 4 against Central Michigan when he earned a dramatic win over nationally ranked Brandon Sinnott.

Ragusa is the first Bull wrestler to be named to the All-Academic team since Mike Sebaaly in 2003.

Hurst holds a GPA of 3.68 while majoring in accounting and earned a spot on the conference academic team for the second straight year. Hurst competed in the each freestyle relay, 200-yard butterfly, and 200- and 400-yard individual medleys this season.

The senior from Rochester, N.Y., finished his career on a high note, clocking personal bests at the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships and Mid-American Conference Championships. Hurst's 1:43.11 in the opening 200 yards of the 800-yard freestyle at the ECACs and his 1:57.07 time in the 200-yard butterfly at MACs were both lifetime bests.

Setting the bar high

When Sophie Barstad is on the mound for the softball team, there is no need for a designated hitter. Over a 10-game stretch during spring break the junior pitcher batted .393 with 12 RBIs and two home runs, earning her MAC East Player of the Week honors.

For the season, Barstad leads the team with a .299 batting average, and 21 RBIs. She is tied for the team lead for homeruns, with four. In 15 appearances on the mound, she has a 2.43 ERA with 45 strikeouts.

This is Barstad's first Player of the Week award, though she was named MAC East Pitcher of the Week once last season for her shutout of Central Michigan.

Barstad was also named UB Female Athlete of the Week.

End of the line

For the second time in his career, senior wrester Kyle Cerminara finished in the top 12 at the NCAA Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla. Cerminara finished with a 2-2 record at the championships, advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time in his career. Cerminara earned UB Male Athlete of the Week for his accomplishments.

Cerminara leaves UB as the university's record holder for most victories, as well as the second-most MAC victories.