The 2011-12 season has been a test of patience for the wrestling team. The Bulls (5-11, 0-1 Mid American Conference) started the year with six straight dual meet losses and a tenth place finish at the Body Bar Invitational in Ithaca.
However, the Bulls looked to be getting hot at just the right time after finishing fourth at the New York State Collegiate Championships last weekend.
Despite sending a group of mostly young and inexperienced wrestlers to Cornell to wrestle against New York State's best, the Bulls were able to place seven wrestlers in the top six of their weight classes. Senior Kevin Smith and freshman Jake Waste, who won their respective weight classes, highlighted the Bulls' efforts.
Coming into the weekend, head coach Jim Beichner was looking for his team to "wrestle hard" and to "do everything that they could to win".
With these expectations some of the younger members of Buffalo's squad blossomed.
Waste led the talented underclassmen, winning his weight class, while fellow freshmen Blake Roulo (2nd), Sean Walton (3rd), Justin Heiserman (5th) and Wally Maziarz (6th) contributed impressive performances as well.
Sophomore Justin Farmer finished 5th, rounding out the top seven Bulls' performances of the weekend.
Beichner was impressed with the squad even though they were without some of their top wrestlers. Regardless, he saw things that needed to be improved, mainly that some of the wrestlers needed to gain more experience.
Smith's performance was one of the most impressive of the tournament. His championship was the third of his career. That makes him just the second Buffalo wrestler ever to win the title three times. Smith was also named the tournaments most outstanding wrestler for his performance.
Smith's victory was no surprise to Beichner, who cited Smith's résuméof over 100 match wins as one of the reasons he has earned the nickname "Mr. Steady."
The Bulls' jump to fourth place was an encouraging improvement coming down the stretch especially for this young team, after finishing eighth last year.
"Everything we do is a learning experience, and the more experience these young guys have the better they are going to be," Beichner said. "The way it looks to me, we just keep getting better every week."
The Bulls have five tough dual meets remaining on their schedule – four of them against MAC opponents – before the MAC championships on March 3 and 4in Athens, Ohio.
The Bulls' next meet against Ohio will be this senior classes last home meet. Beichner had nothing but praise for his three seniors.
"They've worked hard and they've been loyal," Beichner said. "Those guys are good people. They may not have been the most productive wrestling wise, but that's not everything."
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
