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Buffalo Sits Third After First Day At NYS Championships

Mike Ragusa

"A" Tournament Brackets (up to semifinals)

"B" Tournament Brackets (final)

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo wrestling squad is once again proving its worth as one of the best in the state, as the team stands in third place following the first day of the New York State Intercollegiate Wrestling Championships. The Bulls currently trail nationally 24th-ranked Columbia and Army in the standings, as seven UB wrestlers are in place to capture a state championships title.

Two Bulls were seeded first in their respective weight classes and have not disappointed. Junior Mike Ragusa (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) and senior Mark Budd (Orrville, OH/Orrville) have each landed a spot in the semifinals with clutch performances. Ragusa, following a first-round bye, easily dismantled Hunter College's Robert Klotz, pinning him to the mat at 4:19 at 165 pounds. Ragusa is set to face the fourth seed, Cornell's Mike Mackie. Budd, at 133, took a slightly longer road, first setting the tone with a 17-0 technical fall against Hassan Mahmood of Hunter, then earning another technical fall against Devin Hennessey of Alfred State, 20-4. He is scheduled to meet with Justin Seifried of Ithaca on Saturday.

Mark Budd

Unseeded, redshirt freshman Justin Hunt (Salem, NY/Salem) has turned into one of the underdogs of the tournament. Hunt pinned second-seeded Nate Bachmann of R.I.T. to land the upset in the opening round. In a close call, Hunt once again defied the odds by earning a sudden victory win over Tyrell Riley of Niagara CCC to land among the giants at 157. He will face Army's Christian Snook in the semifinals.

Redshirt freshmen Dan Bishop (Whitehall, NY/Whitehall) and Jason Hilliard (Genoa, NY/Southern Cayuga) have also earned semifinal appearences in their first NYS Championships. Bishop, seeded third, used his first-round bye to his advantage and picked up a 5-3 decision over Jerome Greco of Columbia. R.I.T's Mike McInally waits in the wings in the 125-pound semis. At 149, fourth-seeded Hilliard scored double digits in both of his bouts, earning a 10-1 major decision over Oswego's Mike Bahrenburg, and another major decision over Austin Milster of Army, 14-1. Hilliard prepares to battle top-seeded Eugene Kolilansky of NYU in the semis.

Justin Hunt

At 174 pounds, junior Nate Rock (Ephrata, PA/Ephrata) won two decisions to advance himself into the final four. A 9-0 blanking of Morrisville's Bryan Gomez was immediately followed by a 5-2 decision over Eric Van Patten of Brockport. Second-seeded Trevor LeBlanc of Cortland will face off with Rock next. Redshirt freshman Ricky Scott (Walden, NY/Valley Central) represents the Bulls at 197 pounds, following a pinfall over Columbia's Shintaro Higashi at 5:19. Scott will meet Nick Sommerfield, the top seed out of Columbia, in the semis.

The final day of the New York State Intercollegiate Wrestling Championships will commence on Saturday, with the semifinals beginning at 10 a.m., and the collegiate championship round beginning at 4:30. In between the two rounds, four of New York’s top high school wrestling programs will compete.