Takedown Report

Buffalo on transition in men’s wrestling program: ‘We’re invested in this sport’

Donnie Vinson knows he’s entering the University at Buffalo wrestling program at a tumultuous time. He takes over as UB’s coach less than a month after the school announced it had not retained John Stutzman, the program’s coach for the last 11 years.
Vinson comes in when 14 wrestlers have entered the transfer portal as a result of Stutzman’s departure – nearly half of the 30 wrestlers listed on the roster for the 2023-24 season. Among the wrestlers in the transfer portal, according to Flowrestling.com, are NCAA qualifiers Nick Stampoulos and Sam Mitchell. Stampoulos will transfer to Lock Haven. After the 2022-23 season, nine wrestlers entered the transfer portal, according to transfer portal records kept by Flowrestling.com.
Vinson also takes over at a time when Division I men’s wrestling programs are on the decline. UB is one of 79 schools that fielded a program during the 2023-24 school year. That has dropped from 146 in 1981 to 89 in 2007.
But after Vinson’s formal introduction Monday at Alumni Arena, UB athletic director Mark Alnutt told The News this much about UB’s commitment to men’s wrestling: “We’re invested in this sport.”
That declaration came less than a month after UB began its search for a new wrestling coach, and a wave of change in the program, including allegations of medical and facilities neglect, documented in the UB student newspaper. Alnutt declined to comment to The News on the allegations. “The No. 1 priority is just to settle everything,” Vinson said. “There’s some turmoil. There was turmoil before I settled in here. “I talked to the team recently, and I seemed to settle their nerves. But my main goal right now is to make sure that everyone is comfortable with the position that I’m in now.”
It’s not an easy spot for the former Binghamton University wrestler, who takes his first head coaching job after three seasons as an assistant at Cornell, which finished second in the NCAA Championships in March. Vinson replaces Stutzman, a 1998 UB graduate who was 95-27 in three seasons as a UB wrestler. … more at … Buffalonews.com/Wrestling-donnie-vinson-john-stutzman

April 26, 2024 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized