WRESTLING

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Athlete of the Week

Junior Shawn Kegel (Wantagh, NY/MacArthur) took third place at the Wilkes Open, going 8-1 in the process, and posted a pair of wins in dual meet victories over Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan as the Bulls improved to 5-0 in duals.

Kegel pinned Navy's Mike Desmond at the Wilkes Open in the first round before losing to Cleveland State's Nick Boucher. However, he responded by winning seven straight matches in the consolation bracket and then defeated Maryland's Brandon York, 2-1, to capture third place for the Bulls.

Kegel then defeated Eastern Michigan's Josh Wiles, 4-1, and Northern Illinois' Twan Pham, 11-2, to help the Bulls to a pair of wins.

Bulls Fare Well at Wilkes Open

Buffalo got several strong performances at the highly-competitive Wilkes Open, with eight wrestlers posting four or more victories in the tournament.

The Bulls had five wrestlers finish in the top four, led by 285-pounder John Eschenfelder (N. Syracuse, NY/Cicero-N. Syracuse) who captured the heavyweight title with five straight victories, including a 3-2 win over Clarion's John Testa in the finals.

Also placing high for UB was Shawn Kegel, who defeated Maryland's Brand York, 2-1, to capture third place; Gary Cooper (Adams, NY/South Jefferson) who beat Cornell's Jim Stanec, 6-4, in overtime to finish third at 165 pounds. 197-pounder Joe Downey (Norwich, NY/Norwich) and heavyweight Mike Garofalo (Sharpsville, PA/Kennedy Christian) each placed fourth with Downey being shutout by Clarion's Eric Mausser, 2-0, while Garofalo lost 1-0 to Nebraska's J.R. Plienis.

Bulls Improve To 5-0 With MAC Victories

Buffalo improved to 5-0 in dual meets with a pair of impressive Mid-American Conference victories in Ypsilanti, MI on Jan. 3.

The Bulls defeated Northern Illinois by an 18-15 score to begin the day, getting a pair of huge wins by Shawn Kegel and Ryan Bentley (Ripley, NY/Ripley) to gain the come-from-behind win.

The Bulls started strong as Jake Partlow (Kennonsburg, OH/Shenandoah) scored a 12-4 major decision at 157 pounds and Gary Cooper posted a 7-5 overtime win. However, UB trailed, 12-10, when Kegel scored an 11-2 major decision win over Twan Pham and Bentley clinched the win with a 14-4 rout of J.C. Baunt.

Buffalo then rolled the host Eagles of Eastern Michigan by a 29-6 score. Partlow posted UB's only fall of the day at 4:14 over Harold Eastman, while Gary Cooper and Bentley again posted major decisions.

Bulls Schedule Stiffens In Coming Weeks

The Bulls will be home for a pair of matches against traditional Pennsylvania powers in the next two weeks. Buffalo will host Pittsburgh-Johnstown, the defending Division II national champions, on Saturday at 1:00 pm. A week from Friday (1/14), Buffalo will host Division I perennial power Clarion University, head coach Jim Beichner's alma mater.

UB Faces Tough National Competition

The Bulls wrestling program continues its tradition of wrestling the finest competition in the nation. In upcoming matches, they will face some of the best wrestling talent in the country as Buffalo will meet Cornell (2/17), Edinboro (1/16), and MAC opponent Central Michigan (2/12), who are all top-25 ranked Division I wrestling programs according to InterMat's wrestling rankings.

·The Week Past·
Buffalo 18, Northern Illinois 15
Buffalo 29, @ Eastern Michigan 6

·What's Ahead·
Jan. 8 - Pitt-Johnstown, Alumni Arena, 1:00 pm
Jan. 14 - Clarion University, Alumni Arena, 7:00 pm