Following an eventful offseason that was exhilarating at times and chaotic at others, the wrestling team finally got back to competition on Saturday.
It only took one day for Buffalo to lose its first four matches of the season at the "Wrestle for a Cure" duals in Harrisburg, Penn. The Bulls went up against Old Dominion, Navy, Lock Haven, and Utah Valley in consecutive dual meets. The Bulls put up a solid fight in every match, but lost 24-15, 21-15, 17-16, and 19-12 respectively to their competition.
It was the 285-pound weight class that would give the Bulls the most trouble, as the squad went winless in all four matches in the category. Three different Buffalo wrestlers competed in that slot. Those athletes had to step up due to a medical issue with junior Brett Correll, who was recently disqualified from ever competing again due to problems with his neck. Correll was coming off of an incredible season in which he placed fourth in the Mid-American Conference and went to the NCAA tournament. His absence now leaves the Bulls shorthanded in the 285-pound class.
Redshirt freshman Zach Ward, who usually wrestles at 174 pounds, senior Tyler Peter, who usually wrestles at 197, and junior Jedd Mason all took a turn at the heaviest weight class.
They failed.
"We have an issue there that we're dealing with, and we're struggling in that weight class," said head coach Jim Beichner. "You won't see Brett wrestle ever again, and those guys stepping in his place have to find a way to win."
Those wrestlers surrendered a combined 16 points to their opponents behind a disappointing performance from Mason, who was pinned by Navy's Daniel Miller and beaten in a major decision by Henry Turner from Lock Haven.
Contrary to the performance from the Bulls' heaviest weight class, the team's lightest wrestler provided the day's brightest spot. 125-pound redshirt freshman Max Soria went undefeated on the day. Soria won all four of his matches, highlighted by a pinning of Old Dominion's Eric Dunnet in the first match of the day.
"It was great to watch [Max] compete," Beichner said. "Three of the four he won handily, and the other he won in overtime, and I'm really proud of his efforts. He looked really good this weekend."
Soria wasn't the only newcomer to have a solid weekend. Freshman Jake Waste wrestled in the 184-pound weight class, losing only once on the day.
Waste's performance was highlighted by his win over nationally ranked two-time NCAA qualifier Luke Rebertus of Navy. Rebertus was coming off his second 30-win season for the Midshipmen, and he is one of only 13 wrestlers in Navy history to accomplish that feat twice. Waste pulled off the upset in overtime.
"Jake was 3-1 and he beat a top-10 guy in the country and a returning All-American," Beichner said. "It was only his second weekend on the mat, so that's pretty impressive."
The only two other wrestlers to post a winning record on the day were senior Kevin Smith – out of the 141-pound weight class – and redshirt junior Mark Lewandowski, who wrestled at 157-pounds. Both came away with only one loss in the four matches.
Buffalo will now return home to take on Big-10 foe and seventh-ranked Michigan. The Bulls will host the Wolverines on Friday at 5 p.m. in Alumni Arena.
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