After finishing fourth in the Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championship last year, head coach Jim Beichner went on a recruiting trip that brought back 16 Division-I caliber wrestlers, 11 from New York alone. The class of 2012 will be the largest class of newcomers in the 13 years that Belchner has been coaching at Buffalo.
"We are very excited that we have been able to increase the strength of our schedule and look forward to a very competitive season," Beichner said in an interview with BuffaloBulls.com. "The addition of new high level competitions will be the highlight of our season."
New recruits include 125-pound Chris Conti from Fredonia, Taylor Golba from Buffalo, and Alex Marianetti from Rochester. Conti was the state champion in 2006, and he hopes to bring his winning tradition to Buffalo. At 133-pounds the Bulls signed Luke Bohn from Watertown, NY, Brian Hittle from Michigan and Nick Sorrentino from Shoreham, NY.
The Bulls added two wrestlers at 141-pound. Mark Lewandowski and Will Fetcher who both was finalist in the New York State Wrestling Meet. John-Martin Cannon from Brockport, NY, and Ron Majerus from Mexico, NY are both joining the team at 157-pounds. The Bulls also signed Matt Bogardus, who came in second place at the NY State Finals. Ryan Black for the 165-pound team, and Josh Peters of the 197-pound squad were both runner-ups in their respective divisions at the same meet.
Rounding off the list of new recruits are three heavyweights, one being Brett Corell, who finished third in the Michigan Division III Championship; the other two wrestlers Tyler Peter, and Jedd Mason were both 2008 New York State qualifiers. These three men look to fill the position that Buffalo graduate Jeff Parker left.
With the addition of these recruits and the veteran leadership of the Bulls' returning players such as seniors Mickey Moran and Joe Wilson, the Bulls can look forward to having a promising and exciting season.
"This class will help bring depth to our program," Beichner said. "We should be close to three deep at all ten weight classes. This is a class high in character and work ethic and are solid student-athletes."
The 2008 season is set to kick off on Nov. 2 with the Bulls hosting the UB Open at Alumni Arena. The first home dual meet is scheduled for Nov. 26. The tournament marks one of the five scheduled tournaments that Buffalo are attending. Others tournaments includes the Reno Tournament in Reno, NV and the New York State Colligate Championship in Oswego, NY.
While all of the tournaments are vital for the team's success, Beichner has his eyes set on the National Dual Meet in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
"We will be headed to the National Dual Meet Championship for the first time," Beichner said. "I personally feel that it will be an honor and privilege to compete on the same stage with the best programs in the country. The more opportunities you have to compete head to head against the best, the more likely you will begin to feel like your one of them."
Even though the Bulls are going to be a fairly young team, they are very optimistic that all of their off-season recruiting and training will make them more of a respected team in the MAC, bring national attention, but most importantly, a MAC Championship.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
