Bulls boiled down by Purdue

The wrestling team finished its season with a situation that has been familiar all year: an injury-filled lineup with wrestlers competing out of their weight classes leading to another loss on the team's record.

The Bulls (1-11, 1-4 Mid-American Conference) lost their last dual of the season 31-10 against 14th-ranked Purdue (17-6, 5-3 Big Ten) in the Regional Duals in Lancaster, Pa. Buffalo wrapped up a disappointing season in which injuries rocked its lineup from top to bottom. The team won just one dual meet.

Sophomore Max Soria started with a victory in the 125-pound weight class, earning a 4-1 decision over the Boilermakers' Dominique Price. Soria earned a takedown in the second period and rode out Price in the third to seal the victory.

After Soria's victory, the Bulls lost three straight matches, one by pin and another by technical fall. However, the squad found some life in two of its best wrestlers of late.

After losing by fall last weekend against Northern Illinois, sophomore Blake Roulo rebounded and won a thrilling victory in the 157-pound match. After being tied with Tom Churchard at nine after two periods, Roulo earned two escapes and eventually a takedown to seal the 13-12 victory. Roulo finished his sophomore season strong, winning 11 of his last 14 matches.

Senior Mark Lewandowski was solid for the Bulls once again, winning the final dual of his career. The 165-pounder capped off a great individual senior season with nine straight victories. He won a 10-0 major-decision victory over Purdue's Pat Robinson. Lewandowski finished his UB career with 108 victories, good for fifth all time in the program's history.

A 14-10 deficit was the closest the Bulls came to a victory on Saturday, as Purdue pulled away by winning the last four matches.

The Bulls faced difficulties staying healthy all season in a year in which they were expected to progress. They can now put a difficult dual season behind them and focus on getting healthy for the MAC Championships in two weeks, which UB will host in Alumni Arena on March 10.

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