Cerminara will look to tie Gary Cooper (1998-2003) with his 113th career win in the first round of the Las Vegas Invitational on Friday at 9:00 am.
Turning it Around at Mat Town
After placing 11th out of 13 teams, while only three wrestlers placed at Lock Haven's Mat Town USA Invitational in 2004, the University at Buffalo had a significant turnaround in an eight-team field in 2005. This time the Bulls placed in a tie for second with Oregon, racking up 138.5 points and four individual championships. Eleven Bulls placed at the event.
Beating the Best
Buffalo wrestlers downed seven nationally-ranked wrestlers at the Mat Town USA Invitational, led by Cerminara, who beat two. Buffalo's 10 wrestlers to earn team points lost five matches to nationally-ranked opponents.
Kudos for Kyle
Cerminara earned the Mat Town USA Invitational's Harris Lipez Most Outstanding Wrestler award after he claimed the 197-pound title at the event.
The 2004 All-American downed InterMat/NWCA/NWMA eighth-ranked Brady Richardson of Indiana, 6-1, in the finals of the tournament and also beat Wrestling Report.com's 30th-ranked T.J. Morrison of Rider, 9-8, in the semifinals.
What Happens in Vegas...
Buffalo will get a true litmus test this weekend as it travels to the prestigous Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The event will feature 50 teams across the whole spectrum of collegiate wrestling, with Division I, II, III and junior college teams at the meet. Included in that mix are three of the top 10 teams in the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat poll (Michigan, third; Illinois, fourth; Cornell, ninth).
Stringing Together Wins
Cerminara is 10 wins shy of John Stutzman's school-record mark of 24 consecutive wins. The 197-pounder is currently on a career best 14-match winning streak, as he passed his former best mark of 13 straight wins set in 2004 from Jan. 10 to March 6, as Cerminara picked up a New York State and MAC Championship in the process.
Budding Onto the National Scene
Junior Mark Budd (Orrville, OH/Orrville) earned his first national ranking in the WrestlingReport.com's Nov. 16 poll, ranking 30th. Budd, who leads Buffalo with 15 wins this season, has won two tournament championships this season, winning the Slippery Rock Open and the Mat Town USA titles at 133 pounds.
Budd also beat WrestlingReport.com's 13th-ranked Justin Perch of Oregon, 4-2, in the semifinals of the Mat Town tournament en route to the championship.
Pinning Down a Title
Senior Harold Sherrell (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) posted a pin in the finals of the Mat Town USA Tournament against W.I.N. Magazine's 19th-ranked Dave Herman of Indiana. The pin, posted on a leg split in the second period, helped Sherrell to his second tournament title of the year, as he also won the Slippery Rock Open on Nov. 5. Sherrell is 14-2 overall this season, his first as a starter at heavyweight.
Can We Stay Here?
Sherrell will take some very positive memories from Thomas Fieldhouse in Lock Haven. Besides winning the heavyweight title this year, Sherrell also posted a second place finish in 2004, as he beat eventual All-American Phil Davis of Penn State and Minnesota's nationally-ranked Matt Koz to make the championship match at 197 pounds.
Gingerich Takes Down His First Title
Sophomore Dana Gingerich (Spring Grove, PA/DeLone Catholic) won his first collegiate tournament on Saturday, as he posted a takedown in the sudden-victory overtime period against Oregon's Skyler Woods, ranked 27th in the nation by WrestlingReport.com. Gingerich has posted an 8-3 mark so far this season and has won his last seven bouts.
The former Pennsylvania state champion also earned his 25th career win in the process.
Taking the Fall
In the past two years, Gingerich has recorded 11 wins by fall to lead the Bulls. Last season, he won seven of 17 matches by fall to lead the team and finish ninth in the nation at 141 pounds. He is tied for the team lead with four pins this season.
Hicks and Stones
Senior Garrett Hicks (Chautauqua, NY/Chautauqua Lake) lost his first match in seven bouts in the finals of Saturday's tournament as Oregon's Shane Webster, ranked 11th in the NWCA/Intermat/NWMA poll, earned a 29-11 technical fall.
However, Hicks did still manage to run his season record to 8-3 and he also beat WrestlingReport.com's 28th-ranked Justin Curran of Indiana, 6-2, in the semifinals. Hicks is two wins shy of his 50th career victory.
Double the Pleasure
In just one month of the 2005-06 season, sophomore Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) has already doubled his win total from 2004-05. The 165-pounder has won 14 matches after going 7-23 as a freshman.
He has also made two tournament finals, as he finished second at both the Oklahoma Gold Classic and the Mat Town USA Invitational. At Mat Town, Moran beat Indiana's Max Dean, ranked 15th in TheWrestlingMall.com's preseason rankings, 9-4, in the semifinals.
MAC Daddy Mickey
Sophomore Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) picked up his first conference accolade last Tuesday, as he earned the MAC Wrestler of the Week award. Moran went 3-0 at Buffalo's quad-meet on Nov. 19 to earn the award, as he won two matches by fall and also earned a major decision in the matches to lead Buffalo's three-win effort.
The 165-Pound Dilemma
Buffalo has gotten nothing but production out of its 165-pound wrestlers, as Moran and sophomore Mike Ragusa (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) have posted place finishes at all three tournaments the Bulls have entered in. Moran has led the way with a 14-3 record but Ragusa is right behind him with a 12-5 mark.
Making matters more interesting is the presence of Jake Blowers (Johnstown, NY/Broadalbin-Perth), ranked second in the MAC's preseason rankings, who was hampered by an eye injury at the Oklahoma Gold, but managed to place at the Mat Town USA Invitational. Even with the injury, Blowers is still 6-5 overall with two pins to his credit.
50 is Not So Far Away
Three Buffalo wrestlers enter the Las Vegas Invitational with a chance at winning their 50th career match. Junior Pat Lloyd (Middletown, NY/Valley Central) is closest to the mark as he enters the meet with 49 career wins. Hicks is not far behind with 48 and Budd also has a shot at reaching the four-bits mark as he stands at 45 career wins.
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