# UB Bulls news (wrestling of course)



## JDenz (Dec 24, 2003)

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. 

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.


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## arnisador (Dec 24, 2003)

Always good news for my hometown team!


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## JDenz (Dec 26, 2003)

They are very solid this year.  Cerminara wrestled in my section when he was in HS so I got to see alot of him but I don't get to see to much of the UB team because I am still involved with the HS guys.


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