It's actually impressive just how many of UB's teams are in action in the fall. Obviously there's football, and the two soccer teams and the volleyball squad has gotten plenty of attention in this space.
In addition to those four cohorts, though, there's five further teams competing in the Blue and White this fall. One, Women's Rowing, has not yet gotten things going, and won't until the calendar flips to October, though if you have reason to be around Tonawanda Creek in the afternoons, you may see them hard at work, as Dave and I did driving to the football game on Friday.
Men's and Women's Tennis and Cross Country, however, have gotten going. They don't compete as often or in as many competitions as other teams, so coming up with a weekly roundup is hard, but every few weeks there's enough to work with. This is the Tennis and Cross Country Roundup.
Men's Tennis
Both tennis teams have competed just once - one in each of the last two weekends. The men got started two weeks ago in a 'nonscored' meet, during which they faced off against host Binghamton, Duquesne, Colgate (doubles only), and Niagara. Happily, HAD anyone been keeping score, UB went 4-0 against their opponents.
Does this mean someone was indeed keeping score? Let's not get crazy. They said it was unscored. They wouldn't lie to us. We have always been at war with Eastasia.
In singles, Damien David, Johnathan Hannestad, and Noah Hajdu-Andersson went undefeated for the Bulls. UB mixed up their doubles pairings over the four opponents, but Pablo Alvarez and Sergio Arevalillo never lost in that format.
UB Men’s Tennis Team Opens 2014-15 Campaign at Binghamton - Buffalo
Additionally, UB announced the signings of two new coaches to the tennis staff. Yevgeniy Shkodnik will stay in Amherst after a standout four-year career for the Bulls ended this past spring, and Joe Schafer returns to his hometown after four years competing and one coaching at Davidson University.
Shkodnik and Schafer Named to Men’s Tennis Staff - Buffalo
Men's Tennis will next play this coming weekend at the Princeton Ivy and Invitational.
Women's Tennis
The women racketeers got into the action this past weekend, also heading to the Southern Tier to compete in Ithaca at the Cornell Fall Invitational. The tournament was largely controlled by the host Big Red, but what can you do? They're not the NYS private school with a color for a mascot that we have a problem with.
In singles, UB saw Tanja Stojanovska, Margarita Kotok, Christine Haraldson, and Dayana Agasieva advancing to semifinal matches in their respective brackets, with Haraldson and Agasieva facing off in the 'C' bracket final, which Agasieva won 6-4, 6-2.
In doubles, two UB pairings advanced to the semifinals of the 'A' bracket, but both Stojanovska/Kotok and Agasieva/Laura Fernandez were defeated by teams from Cornell.
Bulls Conclude Season-Opening Action at Cornell - Buffalo
The women's team is off this coming weekend and will next compete September 26-28 at the West Virginia Invitational.
Cross Country
Cross Country has competed in TWO meets already this fall. The first cam way back on the last Saturday of August. While the football team was hosting competition from Duquesne, UB's harriers traveled to Schenley Park in Pittsburgh to compete against the Dukes and a handful of other schools.
In that meet - once again 'unscored' - the women placed six runners in the top 15 of 73, paced by sophomore Corinne Birchard's career-best 18:47.8 over the six-kilometer course. UB's entire top seven came in less than a thirty second spread, which is ideal for minimizing point totals at larger meets. Five of those seven were sophomores.
The men only brought seven runners total to Pittsburgh. Frankie Pfeil, a junior, led the way, covering eight kilometers in 27:01.2.
The second meet for UB came on September 6th and was the Bulls' annual home meet; the UB Stampede Invitational at Beaver Island State Park. With a start time at noon, they competed at the same time as the football game against Army. Both teams finished second in the meet to runners from Pittsburgh.
Bulls Open 2014 Cross Country Campaign at Duquesne - Buffalo
In the Stampede, the men had their full scoring complement of five runners come in quicker than Pfeil's time in Pittsburgh. Cameron Bruce finished second overall of 42 runners in 25:28.9, and UB's fifth runner, Austin Coneys, finished 50 seconds behind him in eleventh.
The ladies were once again led by Birchard, and once again kept a tight pack to keep their score low, as Birchard's seventh-place finish was followed up by Bulls in eigth, ninth, tenth, and twelfth to bring the team home in second behind Pittsburgh.
Cross Country Teams Race to Runner-Up Finishes at UB Stampede - Buffalo
Both teams will next compete this Saturday in the Bronx at the Iona Meet of Champions. MEET OF CHAMPIONS. Apparently it's go big or go home in the Bronx.
Thanks as always for reading. Go Bulls!