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KANSAS CITY, MO - University at Buffalo wrestlers Gary Cooper (Adams, NY/South Jefferson) and Labe Black (Ventnor, NJ/Absegami) received their pairings today for the first round of the

Gary Cooper

NCAA Division I National Championships at Kemper Arena.

Cooper, a senior with a 33-6 record entering the event, will face Harvard's Pat O'Donnell in the first round at the bottom of the 174-pound bracket. O'Donnell finished fourth at the Eastern Independent Wrestling Association (EIWA) tournament to earn a wild card to the NCAA event. Cooper, meanwhile, won the 174-pound title at the Mid-American Conference tournament to earn his first trip to nationals.

Black, a sophomore, who finished third at the MAC Championships to earn his first trip to nationals, received a first-round bye. He will wrestle the winner of the match between Wyoming's

Labe Black

Andy Shuler and West Virginia's Matt Lebe.

Shuler is 17-11 and earned a wild card berth by finishing third at the West Regional. Lebe, a freshman, is 17-9 on the season and earned a berth with a second-place finish at the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) championships. Lebe went 2-5 against ranked opponents this season, including a pair of losses (8-4 and 9-4) to No. 1-ranked Luke Becker of Minnesota.

Cooper and Black make 15 different wrestlers that head coach Jim Beichner has advanced to the national championships since his arrival in 1995. They are seeking to become Buffalo's first Division I All-Americans.