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NEWARK, DE - The University at Buffalo men's wrestling team placed fifth in a 20-team field at the Beast of the East Collegiate Classic held in Newark, DE on Friday. UB senior Ed Pawlak (Lakewood, NY/Southwestern) won the tournament's individual championship at 174 pounds.

Ed Pawlak

Pawlak went 5-0, including one win by fall, on the afternoon during his march to the title. In the championship match, Pawlak defeated Pittsburgh's Francis Iorfido by a 6-5 decision.

On the team level, Pittsburgh won the tournament with 126.5 points. Kent State (107.0) finished second, followed by Rider (97.0), Northwestern (80.0) and then Buffalo (70.0). The Bulls finished ahead of 15 other schools, including Ohio and North Carolina - teams which both received votes in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) Top 25 Poll.

Other Bulls who placed on the afternoon included freshman Mark McKnight (McDonald, PA/South Fayette) at 125 pounds, junior Cliff Smith (Merrick, NY/Calhoun) in the 133-pound weight class, junior Kyle Cerminara (Lewiston, NY/Lewiston-Porter) at 197 pounds and senior Mike Trotta (Oceanside, NY/Oceanside) in the 141-pound weight class.

McKnight finished third in his weight class, going 4-1 on the afternoon. He defeated Duke's Christian Anderson in the third-place match by a 6-5 decision.

Smith lost his third-place match to Jared Opfer of Kent State by a 12-3 decision. Smith finished the day with a 4-2 mark.

Cerminara was a perfect 2-0 before having to bow out due to medical reasons. He did however, still share fifth place with Ohio's Joel Weimer because of his wins prior to the injury.

Trotta placed sixth after going 3-3 on the day. He lost the fifth-place match to Bloomsburg's Scott Heckman by a 3-2 decision.

UB, which still has a perfect 8-0 record in dual meets, next competes in the first annual UB Open on December 29th. The Bulls' next team event occurs on January 3rd, when Buffalo heads to the Buckeye Duals, hosted by Ohio State.