Bulls build momentum

It was a solid start to the season as the Bulls defended their home turf this weekend in the Fourth Annual UB Open. 14 well-respected wrestling schools entered Alumni Arena on Sunday to compete, and the Bulls triumphed in many of the weight classes.

The Bulls had seven finalists in the tournament and five champions. Head Coach Jim Beichner was eager for the start of the 2006-07 season and seemed pleased with the results.

"It was our first opportunity to wrestle this year and we were pretty satisfied with the outcome," Beichner said. "We always want to win, but it's not always possible. It was a good start to the season and a good confidence builder for our guys."

Buffalo senior captain Mark Budd led by example. He swept the 133-pound division, and this win marked his third consecutive UB Open title. Budd's first two matches did not seem to be a challenge as he quickly pinned Edinboro's Pat Wayne within the first three minutes of the match, and was awarded a technical fall against Lock Haven's Erik Smith 5:09 into match. In the semi-finals, Budd defeated Edinboro's Kyle Fluke, 6-3, and then dominated Finger Lakes' Mike Grey in the finals, 10-3.

"Budd did what we expected him to do, he looked very good and very comfortable out there," Beichner said. "He beat up everyone pretty good, he is ranked seventh in the country and this is what we expected."

Ohio State transfer, junior Ryan Needle, took the 141-pound weight class for the Bulls. He defeated Cornell's Brian Alves, 7-3, in his first match of the day, and eventually won his division as he beat Bloomsburg's George Hickman in the finals 8-4.

"Ryan Needle won his first college tournament and this was a great start for him," Beichner said. "He is down a weight class and he wrestled very well. He looked real solid and we think he is going to be an asset to the team."

Sophomore Scott Rendos returned from a redshirt season with a bang as he defeated everyone in the 157-pound class. Also notching victories for the Bulls were juniors Mike Ragusa at the 165-pound division and Nate Rock at 174 pounds. Junior Mickey Moran placed second after he lost to Rock in an exciting inter-team finals match.

Beichner was pleased with the Bulls' performance but he has a bigger goal in mind.

"We had a very good performance, but we realize you don't win a national title in November," Beichner said. "We are not ready right now (for the playoffs). We still have a lot of training and a lot of wrestling. But to start off the season the way we did is a good sign and it will give us momentum towards the season."

Beichner has assessed last season and made some changes.

"We were credited with a solid season last year, but we always want to do better, we are looking forward to achieving even more," Beichner said. "We wanted to start the season a little slower this year and we (coaches) took an easy on them a bit. We had a good March last year and went to the MAC (Mid-American Conference) but we want them to be even fresher in March this year and ready to go, feeling good in March is the key."

With the wrestling season being up to five months and more than 16 competitions scheduled, the length of the season can take its toll on the Bulls.

"It is a grueling long season and for the most part it's not matches that are grueling. It is all the training and the competition, all the tournaments and making the weight," Beichner said. "Someone might wrestle 35-40 matches in the season but that is only a fraction of the matches he will wrestle in the wrestling room."

Beichner realizes this past weekend was an accomplishment and a step in the right direction. But, he also notes that it was just one step.

"I am proud of our efforts and we represented the University at Buffalo very well. But as a coaching staff we want more and as a team they want more," Beichner said. "We are not satisfied and that's good. We are looking for improvement and looking at the future. March is what we are training for. We will evaluate the tournament, learn our lessons and move on."

The Bulls head to Brockport this weekend to compete in the Oklahoma Gold Classic. The meet is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday.