SOURCE: web.archive.org

December 09, 2000

Four Bulls' Wrestlers Finish 3-0 Overall

BUFFALO, NY ? The University at Buffalo wrestling team continued its early season success with a win at the Binghamton University Duals. The Bulls swept their three opponents for the championship. Also, the Bulls had four wrestlers finish with three wins on the day.

UB began the day with a first-round bye. In their first match, the Bulls defeated the tournament's eighth seed, Sacred Heart, 37-3. UB picked up wins in all but one weight class. Returning to the lineup, senior John Eschenfelder (N. Syracuse, NY/Cicero-N. Syracuse) recorded a win by fall (1:14) at Heavyweight. Eschenfelder finished the day 3-0, upping his season record to 8-0. Also picking up wins for the Bulls were seniors Shawn Kegel (Wantaugh, NY/MacArthur) (133), Charlie Voorhees (Warsaw, NY/Warsaw) (125), Bill Jacoutot (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) (149) and Dave Guarino (Derby, NY/Lakeshore) (165), junior Ryan Bentley (Ripley, NY/Ripley) (141), sophomores Joe Downey (Norwich, NY/Norwich) (197) and Garrett Bontempo (DuBois, PA/DuBois) (184) and freshman Labe Black (Ventnor, NJ/Absegami) (157).

In its semifinal matchup, UB defeated fourth-seeded Columbia, 29-9. Picking up wins for the Bulls were senior Josh States (Lockport, NY/Lockport) (184), Eschenfelder, Voorhees, Kegel, Bentley, Black and Bontempo.

"The guys wrestled really well. We went out and got the job done today," said UB Head Coach Jim Beichner. "Both Kegel and Bentley really stepped it up today. Having Eschenfelder back in the lineup was big."

The Bulls defeated second-seeded Drexel, 28-6, for the championship. Picking up their third win on the day were Kegel, Bentley, Bontempo and Eschenfelder. Also tallying wins were Jacoutot, Guarino, States and Downey.

Kegel was named the Mid-American Conference Wrestler of the Week as announced by the conference office for the week of Dec. 4. Kegel previously finished first at the Bearcat Open and the Bloomsburg Invitational and third in the 133 pound bracket at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. His third-place finish was the highest ever by a UB wrestler at the Las Vegas Invitational. Also, Kegel cracked the national rankings in the 133 pound weight class and is currently ranked 15th. His season record is 19-2, which puts him on pace to break UB's overall season win record.

This win brings the Bulls season record to 5-0 overall. UB is 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference after recording dual-meet wins against Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois University. The Bulls now have a break before their next competition. UB will compete at the Wilkes Open Tournament on Dec. 28-29, where there is no team scoring. The Bulls next dual meet is on Friday, Jan. 5 at Clarion University and the next home dual meet is on Saturday, Jan. 27 against Kent State.