2012 In Review

Baseball: On the surface there was not a lot to get excited about. Buffalo is not exactly a baseball town and coach Ron Torgalski's team may owe their existance to the fact the MAC requires Baseball more than because thhe students want baseball.

So when you say that a team ran off a 20-36 record, and that they went just 10-16 in conference it would be easy to dismiss the team as having failed. But there were some big milestones for UB.

First let's look at individual accomplishements.

Tom Murphy Drafted in the Third Round of MLB Draft - Buffalo Athletics
Capping off a career that saw him leave his name all over the Buffalo baseball record books, junior catcher Tom Murphy was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the third round of the 2012 Major League Baseball first-year player draft, 105 overall. He is the highest of the three players taken in the draft since the program's reinstatement, and in the program's history, he was the earliest drafted player since Peter Grimm went 56 overall in 1983.

Murphy had an outstanding year and career at Buffalo. He is currently working his way up the Colorado minor league system.

Kanzler Honored for Gold Glove Award - Buffalo Athletics
Junior outfielder Jason Kanzler was honored as one of just nine Division I players in the nation to earn a spot on the ABCA's Rawlings Gold Glove Award team for defensive excellence.

Murphy was not alone in turning a few heads. Jason Kanzler will enter his senior season with some sout attention.

As a team, despite their record, UB proved a dangerous opponent. Dangerous enough to break into the MAC tournament for the first time and dangerous enough to knock off two higher seeds before falling to a Kent team that would make the quarter finals of the College World Series.

#10 Baseball Makes Splash in First MAC Tournament - Buffalo Athletics
The team needed all 52 games of the regular season, but the Buffalo Bulls baseball team made the Mid-American Conference's postseason tournament for the first time ever in 2012, beating Bowling Green 8-5 on May 19 to earn the eighth and final spot in the double elimination tournament. Not satisfied with just getting there, the Bulls also upset #4 seed Ohio 6-5 and also sent home #5 seed Western Michigan 10-8 all within a 24-hour span.

Mens Basketball

It was the year of sWatt! As Mitchell Watt led the Bulls to an impressive #2 finish in the East and brought them to withing a last second shot of going into the championship game gin Cleveland.

Watt was named the MAC player of the year and earned a tryout with the Grizzlies before settling into a European league. Javon McCrea was also first team all MAC making it the first time UB has had two players go all conference.

Watt's season was probabally the best by a Bull since the teams move to the MAC

#1 Mitchell Watt's Dream Season - Buffalo Athletics
He ranked in the top four in the conference in five different categories, including scoring (3rd), rebounding (4th), field goal percentage (3rd), blocked shots (2nd) and defensive rebounds (3rd).

After his college career came to an end in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, Watt earned a spot on the AP All-America Honorable Mention team and a pair of invitations to prestigious national tournaments. First was the Reese's College All-Star Game, as he and 19 other prominent senior from major college teams. In that game, he 11 points, four rebounds and three blocks.

He then followed it up with a spot in the Portsmouth Invitational, making him just the second UB player selected to play at Portsmouth in the 60-year history of the event. He would not disappoint, averaging 12.7 points, nine rebounds and 4.3 blocked shots over the three games and setting a new tournament record for total blocks, with 13.

Womens Basketball

Despite some impressive individual talent the women team continued to struggle, a struggle which finally costs coach Linda Hill-MacDonald her job.

Linda Hill-MacDonald Will Not Return As Buffalo's Women’s Basketball Coach - Buffalo Athletics
Hill-MacDonald posted a career record of 75-137 in seven years, including a 35-77 record in conference play. This past season, Buffalo finished with a 9-22 record overall and were 4-12 in MAC play, falling in the first round of the MAC Tournament for the second time in the last three years.

This despite having players in her tenure like Kourtney Brown on he teams. Brown had a brief stint in a pro league across the Atlantic but is back at UB on the staff of UB's new coach

Felisha Legette-Jack Named Head Women’s Basketball Coach - Buffalo Athletics
Felisha Legette-Jack, a New York native with 10 years of Division I head coaching experience, has been named the 12th head coach in the history of the University at Buffalo women's basketball program, athletic director Danny White announced on Thursday morning. Legette-Jack most recently spent six seasons as the head coach at Indiana University.

So far the Bulls are struggling under the new coach. But the 2-10 record belies some competitive games that the team is just not learned to win.

Cross Country

Buffalo was honored to host this years MAC championship but the team just did not have what it takes to compete with some of the stronger MAC schools.

Buffalo Set to Host MAC Cross Country Championships - Buffalo Athletics
The University at Buffalo will host the 2012 Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, October 27 at Beaver Island State Park in Grand Island. The women's 6K race will begin at 11:00 am with the men's 8K race slated for 12:00 pm.

The highlight of the season was the Men taking away first place in the Buffalo Stampede. The Men scored 28 points and knocked off Akron 39, Colgate 89, Robert Morris 118, Bowling Green 119, and Niagara 155.

In the NCAA North East regionals UB finished in the Middle of the pack but it wsa the best they have seen out of the Women's team in half a dozen years

Women Place 15th, Men 16th at Northeast Cross Country Regionals - Buffalo Athletics
The University at Buffalo's men's and women's cross country teams finished the 2012 season on Friday with middle of the pack finishes at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships at Hammonasset State Park. The UB women turned in their highest finish since 2006 with a 15th-place showing among 37 programs while the UB men placed 16th among 34 schools.

Football:

Clearly not the season that fans were hoping for but it was a season that hinted at success in the near future. Injuries, particularly at tail back, forced the Bulls deep into their roster. By the time the season was over true freshman Devin Campbell was filling in for UB star Branden Oliver and heir apparent James Potts.

At Quarterback redshirt freshman Joe Licata stepped in for the injured Alex Zordich and engineered a three game winning streak, just the second since UB joined division IA back in the late 90's. The run moved UB from once of the MAC worst team to a middle of the pack team in a banner year for the Conference.

Junior Khalil Mack, and Alex Neutz who were both All-Conference will be back but the Bulls will have to replace their other all conference player, Steven Means.

Mack, Means and Neutz Earn All-MAC Honors - Buffalo Athletics
Three University at Buffalo football players were named to the All-Mid-American Conference Football Team on Wednesday. Khalil Mack was named to the first team while Steven Means and Alex Neutz each earned second-team honors.

Mack also has some national attention on him moving into his senior year

Mack Named Sports Illustrated All-America Honorable Mention - Buffalo Athletics
For the second straight season, University at Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack has been named an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated. He is one of 20 linebackers honored by the publication.

Hockey:

Yea, you heard me Hockey..

When the CCHA was blowing up there was an exciting time when UB became part of the conversation about saving the conference. There were talks between Bowling Green, the last CCHA man standing, and several AHA teams about joining together, along with Buffalo, to save the CCHA.

Breaking: Rumors of UB regarding Expansion (of Hockey) - Bull Run
Sports Director at Red Rock Radio/Duluth, Bruce Cickie has been busy in the twitterverse.

In the meantime the ACHA version of the team moved to a new conference the NECHL where they join Niagara, Cornell, Syracuse, Saint Bonaventure, and a host of other New York State programs.

Rowing:

Easily one of the most successful UB programs the Rowing team sits on an Island in the Colonial Athletic Association because the MAC does not sponsor the sport. Near the end of the year it was announced the UB would be joined by Eastern Michigan.

Eastern Michigan Joins CAA For Rowing - CAASports.com—Official Web Site of the Colonial Athletic Association
The CAA has conducted a championship in women's rowing for the past four years. Eastern Michigan will join associate members Boston University and Buffalo along with Delaware, Drexel, George Mason and Northeastern to give the CAA seven conference members.

The Bulls had a great year including winning the Harvey Cup and placing third in the Colonial Athletics Association.

NU Wins CAA Rowing Title - CAASports.com—Official Web Site of the Colonial Athletic Association
Northeastern finished with 39 points, followed by league newcomer Boston University with 34 points and 2010 champion Buffalo with 30 points. Drexel placed fourth with 22 points, followed by Old Dominion (21), Delaware (15) and George Mason (7).

When the season was over the father of UB Rowing retired and the hunt for their replacement became New Athletic Director Danny whites second hire.

Sandy Calfo Hired as University at Buffalo Rowing Head Coach - Buffalo Athletics
University at Buffalo Director of Athletics Danny White has announced the hiring of Sandy Calfo as head coach of the women's rowing program. Calfo replaces Rudy Wieler who retired in May after 11 years at the helm of the program. Calfo comes to Buffalo from Purdue where she served as the women's varsity coach of the Boilermakers championship program.

Mens Soccer

Soccer is one of UB's sports that suffers because the field house is not yet complete. The team took a step back from their 2011 season, falling from 4-2-1 in conference to a 4-4 record. More painful was being kept out of the MAC tournament.

Bulls Lose Out on Playoff Berth With Loss to Northern Illinois - Buffalo Athletics
After winning three straight matches to even remain in the hunt for a berth in the Mid-American Conference tournament, the Buffalo men's soccer team could not keep its good fortune running Friday night, losing 1-0 to Northern Illinois (6-9-3, 4-2-1 MAC) in the regular season finale. The Huskies scored in the 28th minute and the Bulls (5-11-1, 3-4 MAC) came up just shy on a number of opportunities in the second half.

The Bulls were led by a core of players who all received recogntion among the Big Four schools

Four Bulls Honored on All-Big Four Team - Buffalo Athletics
Center defender Jake Jacobs was named the freshman of the year and three other Bulls were named to the All-Big Four team, as announced today by Western New York Soccer News. Seniors Matthew Chereson and Maksym Kowal and junior Richard Craven were named to the 11-man team.

Womens Soccer

Like the Men's team UB's women scratched and clawed their way into a position to make the MAC tournament. Then they fell at the end of the regular season and missed out.

Bulls Lose Out on Playoff Berth With Overtime Loss - Buffalo Athletics
In typical Mid-American Conference fashion, the final game of the regular season held great significance Thursday afternoon, with the Buffalo Bulls (5-12-2, 3-7-1 MAC) hosting the Akron Zips (6-11-1, 2-8-1 MAC) with a chance to clinch the final seed in the upcoming postseason tournament. After gaining a late lead, the Bulls allowed the Zips to tie and force overtime before giving up a golden goal just over 70 seconds into overtime to lose 2-1.

Missing out on the tournament / playoffs in overtime of the season final seems like a Buffalo thing to do. The cities pro and amateur teams often seem to be just on the outside looking in.

But UB is trying to build for the future and have an All MAC freshman to prove it.

Kristin Markiewicz Named to All-MAC Freshman Team - Buffalo Athletics
After a season where she stepped into a major starting role on the defense and also scored a pair of goals, defensive back Kristin Markiewicz was named to the Mid-American Conference's All-Freshman team, as announced by the conference Thursday evening along with its other regular season awards.

Softball

Coach Jennifer Teague seemed to be moving the team in the right direction. In 2010-2011 the Bulls made the MAC tournament and the team notched one of their most impressive win ever when they knocked down #15 Baylor

#9 Bulls Take Down Nation’s Best - Buffalo Athletics
the Bulls wrapped up Spring Break play in Waco, TX with a 1-0 victory over Baylor. Senior Holly Johnson pitched a complete-game shutout as she allowed just two hits in the game, while striking out two. The Bulls scored the only run of the game in the sixth inning as Alyssa Ward drove in Holly Luciano on a long double to left field. The win was Buffalo’s first over a nationally-ranked team since 2003 and just their third in school history.

But UB finished last in the MAC and missed out on the MAC tournament. Like the soccer team it seems like the Bulls are building on young talent.

Curtiss And Gallardo Earn Postseason Honors - Buffalo Athletics
University at Buffalo freshman Alexis Curtiss and sophomore Sammi Gallardo were recognized by the Mid-American Conference on Tuesday evening as the conference announced their postseason awards. Curtiss became just the third player in school history named to All-MAC First Team, while Gallardo was named to the Second Team. Curtiss was also named to the All-Freshman Team.

Swimming and Diving

The men brought home the MAC championship in 2011 and seemed primed to repeat but the MAC, a strong swimming conference, proved deep enough to trip UB up. EMU a power in the Pool took their crown back from UB after holding off a late surge.

Furious Charge Falls Short as Bulls Finish Second at MAC Men's Swimming Championships - Buffalo Athletics
A furious comeback on the final night of action by the University at Buffalo fell just short as the Bulls finished second to Eastern Michigan as the Mid-American Conference Men's Swimming and Diving Championships concluded Saturday night at Miami University's Corwin M. Nixon Aquatics Center. The Bulls scored a total of 674.5 points to Eastern Michigan's 693.5.

It was a great individual season for many Bulls, a season that resulted in national awards and Olympic Tryouts.

UB Swim Teams Finish Third and Fifth in Mid-Major Polls - Buffalo Athletics
The University at Buffalo men's and women's swimming and diving teams finished near the top in CollegeSwimming.com's final Mid-Major Division I Top 25 Rankings, released today. The UB women ranked third while the men took the fifth spot in the rankings, the highest spots attained by either team in the polls.

Swim Teams Post Ten to Mid-Major All-America Lists - Buffalo Athletics
A total of ten members of the University at Buffalo men's and women's swimming and diving teams were named to the CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major All-American Teams this week.

#5 Brittney Kuras Has Sophomore Season To Remember - Buffalo Athletics
Kuras became the first UB women's swimmer to win three individual events at the MAC Championship meet since 2005 as she was named the MAC's Outstanding Swimmer of the Year. Her performance at the conference meet earned her an invitation to the NCAA National Championships, the first swimmer in school history to be invited. Kuras swam in the three events that she holds the school record in at the Championships. In both the 200 Freestyle and 200 IM, Kuras' school records came at the NCAA Championships.

Swimmers Make A Splash At U.S. Olympic Trials - Buffalo Athletics
Seven swimmers from the University at Buffalo took part in the U.S. Olympic Trials this past week, with each of them putting forth impressive performances against the Nation's best swimmers. The Bulls had several Top 50 performances, including two swimmers who finished nearly 100 spots better than their qualifying times.

Meili Carpenter Finishes Eighth At US Diving Trials - Buffalo Athletics
University at Buffalo school-record holder Meili Carpenter finished in eighth place in the 3m Springboard competition at the United States Olympic Diving Trials on Saturday. Carpenter finished her outstanding week with a total score of 852.00.

Mens Tennis

Buffalo's Men's Tennis team won their second regular season conference championship in three seasons. Unfortunately the Men fell to WMU in the MAc tournament.

Bulls Fall to Western Michigan in MAC Men’s Tennis Title Tilt - Buffalo Athletics
The University at Buffalo's men's tennis season came to a premature end on Saturday afternoon as the top-seeded Bulls were defeated by third-seed Western Michigan, 4-0, in the Mid-American Conference title match held at the Shadow Valley Tennis Club. The Bulls finish the season with an 11-10 overall record.

Three man were named all conference

Bulls Place Trio on Men's Tennis All-MAC Teams - Buffalo Athletics
Three University at Buffalo men's tennis players were named to the All-Mid-American Conference teams on Tuesday morning, the league announced from its Cleveland headquarters. Freshman Damien David and junior Vusa Hove were named to the six-man All-MAC First Team while Wojciech Starakiewicz was named to the second-team. David also earned the league's Newcomer of the Year award.

Womens Tennis

On the womens side Buffalo finished towards the bottom of the conference but despite the struggle a late season win over NIU moved the Bulls into the MAC championship tournament.

Bulls End Regular Season With 5-2 Win At Northern Illinois - Buffalo Athletics
The University at Buffalo tennis team earned the #6 seed in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 5-2 victory on Sunday afternoon at Northern Illinois. The win gives the Bulls a 3-5 conference record, which ties them with NIU for sixth, but Buffalo has the tiebreaker due to today's victory.

UB placed on in the All Conference team

Tanvi Shah Named First-Team All-MAC - Buffalo Athletics
Buffalo sophomore Tanvi Shah has been named to the All-Mid-American Conference First Team, the conference office announced this afternoon from the league championships in DeKalb, IL. Shah, who is in her first season of competition for the Bulls, joins a list of first-team All-MAC selections for head coach Kathy Twist that go back to 2004. Buffalo currently has the longest active streak of first-team selections in the conference.

Track

The track teams continue to put out some great individual performances but lack the depth across all events to be competitive in the MAC. Chalk it up to the area culture or lack of indoor training facilities but whatever the reason UB continues to be an also ran team in the Conference.

Still some of the individual accomplishments were very noteable.

Rob Golabek continued to dominate the MAC shot putting event.

Golabek Wins Third Consecutive MAC Shot Put Title - Buffalo Athletics
University at Buffalo senior Rob Golabek won his third consecutive Mid-American Conference men's outdoor shot put title on Friday at the league championships at Lyle Bennett Track in Mt. Pleasant, MI.

He and Sprinter Asia Henry earned a shot at the NCAA championships.

Asia Henry Earns Spot in National Championships - Buffalo Athletics
University at Buffalo women's middle-distance specialist Asia Henry earned a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships as the second day of the East Region Preliminary Round came to a close at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville.

Golabek Earns Another Trip to National Finals - Buffalo Athletics
University at Buffalo shot putter Rob Golabek earned his second consecutive trip to the NCAA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday as he was one of 12 qualifiers to advance in the men's shot put as the East Region Preliminary came to a close at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium.

The Two also finished second team All American

Golabek Joins Henry As Second-Team All-American - Buffalo Athletics
Three days after junior Asia Henry became a second-team All-American in the 800m, senior Rob Golabek earned his All-American honors Saturday morning in the shot put. Golabek finished 12th of 24 participants as he was named a second-team All-American.

Volleyball

It was a step back for UB this year who missed out on the conference championships despite winning hteir last game.

Bulls End Season With Four-Set Victory Over Kent State - Buffalo Athletics
It was a bittersweet victory for the University at Buffalo volleyball team tonight as they defeated the visiting Kent State Golden Flashes, 3-1, to end the season. Tonight's match was the final match for UB's two assistant coaches Jenni Horvath and Andreza Santos.

The team was led by Liz Scott who finished All Conference

Liz Scott Named Second-Team All-MAC - Buffalo Athletics
Sophomore Liz Scott was named to the All-MAC Second Team, the conference office announced on Thursday afternoon. Scott, who was named to the All-Freshman team last year, becomes the first UB player named to the second team since Abby Niekamp in 2010.

Wrestling

It was tough to see UB go 1-4 in conference especially with the talent being added but it will be a couple of years before the glut of underclassmen start shaking things up against conference opposition.

Two Bulls made it to the NCAA championships and both fell on day one after getting very difficult draws.

Wrestling Season Ends on Day One of NCAA Championships - Buffalo Athletics
Soria faced Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma in his first match of the 125-pound bracket. As the number seven seed, Patterson finished the season with a 28-7 record. Soria couldn't find an open window to go on the offensive, and lost 6-1. In his consolation match, the Kings Park, NY freshman would take on Wyoming's Michael Martinez. Falling behind early in the match, Max would be forced to be the aggressor and Martinez took advantage, holding Soria at bay for a 7-2 win. The losses end Soria's season with a 21-19 overall record.

Lewandowski's draw would prove to be even tougher in the 165-pound bracket. The junior faced Maryland's Josh Asper in the preliminary round of the tournament. His opponent came in losing just one match all season to earn the seventh overall seed and proved why, getting a three-point tilt on Lewandowski to provide all the scoring he would need in a 5-0 shutout. In his first consolation match, Mark faced Zach Toal of Missouri. After the two wrestlers traded escapes, Lewandowski scored a dramatic takedown in the final ten seconds of the match to earn the 3-1 win and stay alive.