10) Vodak and Fridell earn MAC Doubles Team of the Week
The Men’s Tennis duo of junior Petr Vodak and freshman Villhelm Fridell helped to defeat both Binghamton on the March 17 and Northern Illinois on the March 18 on their way to receiving MAC Doubles Team of the Week for the Mar. 13-19 period.
Vodak and Fridell are 3-1 together this season.
9) UB alumni shine at USA Track and Field Indoor Championships
On March 4, former NCAA champion and six-time All-American Jon Jones won a silver medal in the shot put at the USATF Indoor Championships with a distance of 20.53 meters. Jones holds the school record for shot put distance at 20.78 meters and is the only National Champion in school history. Meg Manley, also a UB graduate, placed eighth in the 600m.
8) Scheving breaks 800m school record
Senior Tyler Scheving broke the UB record in the 800m with a time of 1:48.37 on March 25. His time also earned him MAC Track Athlete of the Week honors. His time was the best in the March 20-26 collegiate week.
Scheving currently ranks first in the MAC in 800m time and is second in the NCAA East.
7) Reid breaks UB single season assists record
Junior guard Stephanie Reid finished the women’s basketball season with 233 assists, demolishing the previous record of 198 set by assistant coach Ashley Zuber. Reid averaged 7.3 assists per game, ranking 2nd in the MAC and 7th in the NCAA.
Reid also finished 8th in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio with 2.91.
6) Lantry loses heartbreaker at NCAA Championships
On March 17, sophomore wrestler Brian Lantry lost in overtime to 9th ranked Scotty Parker of Lehigh University in consolation round four of the NCAA Championships, which are held in St. Louis. Parker forced overtime after Lantry had gained his first lead of the match with only a minute remaining in the third period.
Lantry was taken-down in overtime, giving Parker the two points to win the match and cause Lantry to fall just short to becoming just the second UB Division I Wrestling All-American.
5) Two Swimmers make it to NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
Senior Abbey Croce and junior Megan Burns each competed in the NCAA Swimming and Diving championships in Indianapolis on March 18.
Croce, the second female diver to compete in the Swimming and Diving Championships, competed in both the one and three meter dive. She finished with a score of 242.40 in the one-meter dive, which earned her 41st place.
Burns competed in three events, the 50 Free, 100 Free and 200 Free. In the 50 Free, she finished in 23rd place out of 53 swimmers with a time of 22.18 seconds. She also finished in 23rd in the 100 Free.
4) Gunning takes home individual title
At the Mid-American Conference Wrestling Championships on March 5, sophomore Jake Gunning won the individual title at 285 lbs. It was the first individual title for the Bulls since 2011.
Gunning’s opponent, Gage Hutchison from Eastern Michigan, took a stalling penalty in the third period, which was the decisive factor in the 3-2 victory. This came just one year after Gunning was a runner up at the MAC Championships.
3) Men’s Ice Hockey wins second straight NCHA Championship
After winning their first NCHA championship in just their fourth year of existence last year, the men’s ice hockey club team won its second consecutive NCHA Championship on March 26. They defeated Union 5-2 in the championship game.
2) Women’s basketball falls short of repeat
UB, considered the Cinderella of last year’s MAC tournament, fell in the semi-finals to Toledo 72-65 in Cleveland on March 10. The 7-seeded Bulls upset 2-seed Ball State in the quarterfinals 69-65, providing a feeling from last year where the team was consistently the underdog.
The 22 wins that the Bulls had this season is the most that the team has had since they joined MAC in the 1998-99 year.
The Bulls will be returning with four of their five starters next season, with the one departure being legendary senior guard JoAnna Smith.
1) Men’s basketball fails to three-peat
After an up and down season, the Bulls fell in the quarter-finals of the MAC tournament 68-65 against Toledo on March 9 in a foul-ridden affair featuring 56 total fouls between the two teams.
After winning the MAC title the past two seasons and advancing to their first two NCAA tournament appearances, the Bulls were unable to overcome three of their five starters fouling out in the contest.
Justin Bystrak is a sports staff writer and can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
