Male Athlete of the Year
Kyle Cerminara
Taking down the competition, this dominant wrestler compiled a 36-1 regular season record in his senior year while breaking university records for career wins, takedowns, and dual meet victories. Cerminara also posted a 34-match winning streak and headed to the NCAA Tournament seeded second.
Other nominees: Mbwana Johnson, Lee Catchpole, Yassin Idbihi
Female Athlete of the Year
Andreea Novaceanu
This hard-hitting tennis player won 11 straight singles matches during this year's campaign and was named to the All-Mid-American Conference first team for the second consecutive year. Novaceanu was also a part of Buffalo's No. 1 doubles pair and earned a pair of MAC Player of the Week honors.
Other nominees: Miglena Nenova, Erin Zilka,
Heather Turner
Team of the Year
Men's soccer
The fancy footwork that the men's soccer team displayed during the 2005 season earned them the highest national ranking of any UB team, with No. 19. The team headed to the championships of the MAC Tournament and brought the No. 3 team in the country to a shootout.
Other nominees: wrestling, women's tennis
Coach of the Year
John Astudillo
Astudillo drew his troops together after a rough 2004 campaign and marched into the MAC finals this year. His transatlantic recruiting tactics paid off in his leading offensive threat Lee Catchpole, from England. Although the Bulls will lose solid leadership next year, Astudillo brings back a solid core for the 2006 season.
Other nominees: Kathy Twist, Linda Hill-MacDonald
Quote of the Year
"You know, if you want to drive to Arizona, you're probably going to have to drive through Missouri." - Jim Hofher, football coach emeritus
The quote speaks for itself and The Spectrum will miss infamous Hofherisms next year.
Other nominees: "My focus is the same as it always is, and that is to dominate everyone." - Kyle Cerminara; "We have kids that aren't shaving and are still being fed by bottles." - Jay Smith, Central Michigan men's basketball head coach.
Home Event of the Year
Men's basketball's 19-point victory over Ohio
After relinquishing a 19-point lead to the Bobcats in the 2005 MAC Tournament final game, the Bulls served revenge at home in Alumni Arena in January by the same point margin. Over 5,800 fans showed up in their blue and white and witnessed the victory.
Other nominees: No. 19 men's soccer hosting No. 2 Akron; No. 2 Kyle Cerminara wrestles No. 1 Wynn Michalak (Buffalo vs. CMU)
Best Acquisition
Warde Manuel
Going two years without a permanent Athletics Director stunted the growth of UB athletics. However, Manuel may serve as the Miracle-Gro for Buffalo. In the eight months that he has been in his position, Manuel has shown his outlook for the program by firing Jim Hofher, hiring Turner Gill, and creating a buzz about the future of the Bulls.
Other nominees: Linda Hill-MacDonald, Turner Gill
Biggest Disappointment
NCAA denies men's soccer at-large bid
There was no doubt that the Bulls deserved an invitation to the national tournament but the team was not included in the field of 48 by the NCAA Selection Committee. Amongst the 25 at-large bids that were given out was a dubious decision with Ohio State. Not only was the Buckeyes' record worse than Buffalo's, their losses included one to a poor MAC opponent in Bowling Green as well as being handily defeated by Akron.
Other nominees: the football team; no All-Americans from three NCAA wrestling qualifiers; under-.500 conference record after an 11-1 start for men's basketball
Most Improved Team
Women's basketball
They aren't there yet but Linda Hill-MacDonald's ladies showed tremendous strides in the right direction under the helm of the first-year head coach at Buffalo. The team finished the regular season with 10 wins-the sum of the past two years combined-and also hosted a first-round playoff game.
Other nominees: women's tennis, rowing
Biggest Surprise
Women's tennis' second-place conference finish
A year after falling in the first round of the MAC Tournament, the women's tennis team took it to the house and finished just short of a conference title. Kathy Twist, who was named MAC Coach of the Year, assisted her squad to a 16-5 overall record after finishing barely over .500 last year.
Other nominees: the football team's victory four days after Jim Hofher was fired, the men's soccer team taking Akron into a shootout in the MAC finals
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
