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Budd Earns Buffalo's Fourth Straight MAC Honor

Mark Budd

BUFFALO, NY - Junior Mark Budd (Orrville, OH/Orrville) was named the MAC Wrestler of the Week, the league's conference office announced on Tuesday, marking the fourth straight week in a row a University at Buffalo grappler has earned the honor.

The 133-pounder pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season Friday, as he downed Division I's top-ranked wrestler, beating Edinboro's Shawn Bunch, 6-4, in sudden victory. Budd earned the winning takedown with 15 seconds remaining in overtime.

After falling behind 3-1, Budd earned a takedown in the second period, before both wrestlers traded escapes to enter the overtime tied at four.

Bunch, the 2004 NCAA runner-up, had not lost a match to anyone other than national champion Travis Lee of Cornell, since 2002-03, after redshirting in 2003-04, losing two matches to Lee last year and starting this season 16-0.

In three meetings with Bunch in 2004-05, Budd came up short all three times, falling 6-4 twice and once by a margin of 6-3.

Budd has already climbed two slots in W.I.N. Magazine's national rankings to 12th at 133 pounds. In all, Budd, who is 19-3 this season, has won 29 of his last 34 matches and is one of three Bulls to win the MAC Wrestler of the Week award this year.

Sophomore Mickey Moran (Pittsburgh, PA/Shaler Area) was the first Bull to win the award this season, as the 165-pounder picked up the Wrestler of the Week award after two pins and a major decision during a quad-meet on Nov. 19. Senior Kyle Cerminara (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter) followed with two Wrestler of the Week awards in a row, as he won 197-pound titles at the Mat Town USA Invitational and the Las Vegas Invitational, beating five ranked wrestlers in the process.

The Bulls have won five of the last six Wrestler of the Week awards handed out, as sophomore Nate Rock (Ephrata, PA/Ephrata) won the award in the last week of the 2004-05 season. Kent State's Alex Camargo took the award during the first week this season, before Buffalo rattled off the last four. The award lifts Buffalo to its school-record for MAC Wrestlers of the Week, as the 2003-04 team has the previous high-water mark of three.

Buffalo will return to the mats on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at 11:00 am in a tri-meet with Mercyhurst and Appalachian State.