Matt Burkholder, one of three seniors honored before the match, stepped into the spotlight and shone brightly as he recorded a takedown in overtime to notch a 3-1 win in the heavyweight match to put the finishing touch on a 21-17 win over No. 23 Buffalo (9-6).
The win, witnessed by an estimated crowd of 450 fans in Morrow Field House, was the second memorable victory for The Rock in the span of five days.
The Rock, the No. 4 team finisher in this year's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships, knocked off PSAC runner-up, 18-17, last Saturday in Morrow Field House.
The back-to-back wins over Bloomsburg and Buffalo gave this winter's Green and White squad seven wins in its final eight dual matches and a 14-9 final record.
That win total is the highest recorded by a Rock wrestling team since the 1972-73 squad finished with a 16-1 record.
Thursday's win was a bittersweet one, though, as SRU will discontinue its wrestling program at the conclusion of the 2005-06 season due to budgetary constraints.
That fact can not detract from the effort put forth Thursday night by The Rock.
SRU held an 18-17 edge when the combatants took the mat for the final weight-class bout.
Seven minutes and seven seconds later, Burkholder -- who now owns an 18-14 record this winter -- was the victor over Buffalo's Harold Sherrell, owner of a 32-7 record and a national ranking of between 14th and 17th in the various polls.
Somewhat lost in the elation of the final-bout victory and team triumph were crucial pins by freshman 141-pounder David Pienaar (1:25) and junior 174-pounder Jerimiah Frederick (2:28).
Frederick's win gave SRU the lead for good, 15-13, before junior Charlie Pienaar recorded a 1-0 decision in the 184 match to extend the difference to five points, 18-13.
Buffalo star Kyle Cerminara won a 14-2 major decision in the 197-pound match to trim The Rock's lead to one, 18-17, and set up the decisive, winner-take-all duel between Burkholder and Sherrell.
Cerminara, owner of a 36-1 record this winter, is ranked between second and fourth in the various national polls.
The Rock took an early 3-0 lead in the team scoring on the strength of a 5-4 decision by Chris Clarke in the 125-pound match.
Buffalo standout Mark Budd (34-4) put the Bulls on top, 4-3, with a 13-4 major decision in the 133 match. Budd is ranked 13th or 14th in the various national polls.
David Pienaar's pin put The Rock back on top, 9-4, before Buffalo won three straight weight-class matches to take a 13-9 advantage.
Dana Gingerich won an 8-4 decision in the 149-pound match, John Cummings recorded a 4-3 overtime decision in the 157 match and Mickey Moran scored a 3-2 win in the 165 bout for the Bulls.
That proved to be the extent of the Bulls' victory hopes, though, as Frederick, Charlie Pienaar and Burkholder came through in the clutch for SRU.
The Rock is idle until March 4, when they will travel to Gardner-Webb College in North Carolina for the NCAA Division I East Regional tournament.
Individual weight-class champions from that tournament earn berths to the Division I national tournament, which will be held March 16-19 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Complete results of Thursday's match were as follows:
125 pounds -- Chris Clarke (SR) dec. Eric Piedimonte, 5-4
133 pounds -- Mark Budd (B) maj. dec. Sal Lascari, 13-4
141 pounds -- David Pienaar (SR) pinned Cliff Smith, 1:28
149 pounds -- Dana Gingerich (B) dec. Shawn Baglio, 8-4
157 pounds -- John Cummings (B) dec. Gerald Christian, 4-3 (ot)
165 pounds -- Mickey Moran (B) dec. Jason Cardillo, 3-2
174 pounds -- Jerimiah Frederick (SR) pinned Mike Ragusa, 2:28
184 pounds -- Charlie Pienaar (SR) dec. Garrett Hicks, 1-0
197 pounds -- Kyle Cerminara (B) maj. dec. Andrew Joseph, 14-2
Heavyweight -- Matt Burkholder (SR) dec. Harold Sherrell, 3-1 (ot)
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