TEN QUESTIONS WITH...

This is a young team this year with only five returning starters, but the team also has perhaps the finest recruiting class in school history. What do you expect out of the team this year?
We expect the same thing out of every year, just to keep building. We had a strong recruiting class. With the five returning starters, we’re obviously looking to them to step up as leaders. We’re looking for a couple of the underclassmen to step up as leaders on the team, as well. We just want to keep building up and keep getting All-Americans on the wall.

Coach Beichner has added two of the most prestigious tournaments in the country to the schedule in the Las Vegas Invitational and the Virginia Duals. Are you excited to get the chance to wrestle against some of the best in the nation?
Definitely. You train year-round to experience two of the best tournaments like that, Las Vegas and the Duals. You always want to wrestle the best competition to see where you’re at by the end of the year. That helps when what it really comes down to is how you perform in your conference and getting to the national tournament.

You won 26 matches last year and finished fourth at the Mid-American Conference Championships. What did you work on to improve this year?
Mental toughness. Last year, there were a couple times where I was beat on a little bit and I kind of backed out. We’ve been working on it over the summer and the beginning of the year, just to try to get me mentally tough, trying to get me stronger, mentally and physically.

I also tried to get a little bit bigger. Last year, I was a 149-pounder. When I was in high school, I was a 130-pounder. I tried getting bigger then but it was a little harder.

Your recruiting class featured three other state champions in Mark McKnight, Mike Ragusa and Dana Gingerich. Was it intimidating to walk into a team that is virtually a high school all-star team?
No, I wouldn’t say intimidating. It was good to have that feeling because you knew there were other kids who would push you, so you’re not the only one. They’re expecting the same out of three others that they’re expecting out of you. Those three guys have done nothing but push me because I know how tough they are.

Last year, you watched Kyle Cerminara reach All-American status. How motivating is it for the team, knowing that a UB wrestler can and has reached that plateau?
It’s a great feeling. Kyle worked real hard for that. It just shows that hard work and the right attitude can get you there and that UB is an up-and-coming program. We can have All-Americans on the wrestling squad.

You wrestled at 130 in high school and won a New York State Championship. What was that experience like?
That was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had wrestling. I’ve been wrestling since I was four years old so that was just a great experience, a great feeling. That’s like your ultimate goal when you’re in high school, and as a little kid, you want to be a state champion. Everything came together and everything worked out for me that day.

What are some of the differences between being in the top and down position as well as the free-sparring round?
I’m better in the down position in the top and bottom positions. I like being on the mat more. In the neutral position, it’s probably a lot more action. You see a lot more shots and it opens up a lot more to being taken down.

What does the NCAA weight-certification process involve for you as an athlete?
You have to take a body-fat test to see where you’re at with your body fat and take a hydration test. Basically, five percent body fat is the lowest you can be so with 10 percent body fat, you can lose x amount of weight and still be hydrated enough to participate. It makes everybody get down and watch their weight a couple weeks earlier, just trying to prevent injuries with last minute dropping weight.

What are some of the things that UB offered that other wrestling schools could not?
Three top coaches. All three coaches are All-Americans and they’re spread out evenly. We have a lightweight coach, Brandon Newill, who was a Division II national champ. Then we have a middleweight in Josh Koscheck, who was a Division I national champ, and then we have Coach (Jim) Beichner, who was an All-American and he’s a heavyweight coach. I think it’s a really good core and they all kind of balance each other out. It’s something I didn’t see too much at other schools.

What has been your favorite moment as a UB student-athlete?
Probably beating Clarion because I knew it was a big match because it was Coach’s alma mater. I had a double overtime win and we ended up beating them by two points. If I lost, we would’ve lost. It felt pretty good.

Or when Kyle was an All-American, just knowing that someone on my team who’d trained that hard and somebody that deserved it like he did, got it.

“The 10 Questions With…” feature is compiled by Joe Guistina.