Leadership Leads To Championships

In this new era of UB Athletics, we are seeing a large focus of energy on striving to reach the next level of success as athletes. This year, our fall sports have all stepped up to accomplish new feats, and the Volleyball team overcame adversity to accomplish some remarkable successes. From their impressive pre-season wins of both the USF and UIC tournaments to their trip to the MAC Tournament, these ladies were relentless all season long. One of the biggest challenges that the Volleyball Team faced this season was its youth. Although these young players are indisputably talented, “down the stretch of games we had some situations where experienced players had the upper hand,” adding a challenge at the end of what are already extremely difficult matches. The transition to a college sport is a hard one, especially when the team refers to their athlete status as a full time job. They say the time commitment becomes much more than what their coach requires of them. The little things they do on their own to remain one of the most competitive teams in the Conference add up, and “you can't just turn your brain off when the game or practice is over”. As a freshman at a Division 1 level, this can be overwhelming.

To counter this disadvantage, the older ladies on the team have had to step up their leadership roles. This means more responsibility, but it also affords the seasoned veterans a chance to shape mature, savvy, successful competitors that will represent UB for the next three years. The captains take this job seriously, focusing on being positive and thus spreading positivity both on and off the court. Their leadership seems to have helped the younger players, who they say have done an excellent job of “stepping up and working hard in their roles”. There is no doubt this is true, since the team competed this past weekend in the MAC Tournament. None of the girls on the team had ever been before, so, despite having to leave a day early in order to ensure a timely arrival due to weather, these girls were thrilled to have the experience. These athletes are “starting a tradition of going every year and competing,” which makes the team very proud. Their competitive and exciting play has drawn larger and larger numbers of student athletes to games over the past few years, one team member has noticed. This year’s Volleyball team boasts higher attendance, elevated success on the court, a phenomenal coach, motivated leaders, and talented players. When you take all of these factors into consideration, it is no wonder the team is one of the best in school history. It has been exciting watching this team work to raise themselves to a new level this year, and the leadership is undoubtedly going to lead to championships.

To learn more about the Volleyball team’s season, or to hear about our other athletic team successes, Like the Bulls Pride page on Facebook. Also, Follow @UB_BullsPride on Twitter and Instagram. 

Balancing Books and Breaking Records

All student athletes understand that competing for a Division One team will not be easy, and each sport entails unique challenges. Being a member of one of the most recognized teams on campus carries with it several obstacles of its own. A few of Buffalo’s football players discussed the toughest aspects of wearing their uniform, as well as the parts that make the sport worth every minute. “Being in the spot light, there is a lot of pressure. You have a lot of people looking up to you, so we have to work really hard every day to make sure we are good role models,” says one player. Their practices are right in the middle of the day, making it difficult to schedule classes. “We have to either do classes really early or really late,” they reported, since the middle part of their day is spent reviewing film, going over the playbook, in the weight room, and out on the field. They do balance their school work, but admit that it is extremely difficult. At this point in the school year, there is a lot of studying and work to be done, and they have several mid-week games. Missing classes, especially this late in the semester, can be stressful. They shared, too, that there is an added pressure to maintain both academic and athletic excellence since “pretty much everything we do is visible to everyone and talked about”.  As football players, these guys are not only working towards excellence, but also battling the “student-athlete stigma”. One player shares that people tend to judge him before getting to know him, sometimes perceiving him as arrogant or disinterested when really, he is just exhausted from his taxing sport.  

All of the football players agreed that they are one of the most active teams in the community. These men spend a great deal of time in Buffalo’s schools, speaking with young kids about the discipline it takes to secure a roster spot. They encourage these youth to work hard and stay on the “right” path. They’ve worked hard and earned everything they’ve received, and they hope to pass that attitude along to the future of their sport. Many of these college athletes had the opportunity to hear from collegiate players when they were young, and they say the motivation and inspiration gained from the experience still helps to drive them today. The valuable insight that was passed on to our current football players was “incredibly helpful” in keeping them working hard over the years, they share, and so they think of it as their responsibility to give back in the same way. This combination of community service, athletic drive, and academic discipline makes the members of this team some of the best-rounded on campus and drives their success.  Just this past week, quarterback Joe Licata broke the record for most career touchdown passes, and the team recorded its most points scored against a MAC opponent since its entry into the Conference 15 years ago. The men on this team are extremely talented and, although they close their season on Wednesday, they are optimistic about their future. With the fantastic mindset and focus each interviewed player displayed this week, along with the talent of these players, we can’t help but be optimistic as well.

To keep up with this team in the off season, and to stay up-to-date on our other teams, like our Bulls Pride page on Facebook and follow @UB_BullsPride on Instagram and Twitter.

Strength in Numbers, Success Through Unity

If ever a sport was a mind game, cross country would be the one. Runners are always being told that they must be crazy to enjoy their sport, and UB’s Women’s Cross Country Team doesn’t deny their unique mindset. They say that the toughest aspect of their sport is that the largest barrier they face is not their ability but rather their minds. In a race of hundreds of girls, most are in near equal physical shape and have the ability to race as well as the others lined up next to them. However, miles of racing can mentally affect each one differently. Lactic acid builds up in each competitor’s legs, but the ones who succeed are the ones who don’t let it faze them. Once the fatigue sets in, the key to a great race is keeping the mind stronger than the body. It can seem like it is the individual against the course, but that’s where this women’s team has created an advantage. Their biggest improvement from last year, they shared, is that the training groups they have in practice have stayed close together during races. When one member of the pack starts to fade during a race, it is a huge help to have a few teammates around to latch on to and help pull her through that moment of mental weakness. In addition to this, they say that their pack of bulls can be daunting to opponents, breaking their competition down. The Buffalo girls certainly do not lack mental prowess, last year earning the second highest GPA out of all 18 athletic teams. This year, they hope their balance of work during and outside of practice will help them to clinch the top spot.

“The sport is ever growing and to be on top you always have to do more,” one runner shared. With many of these girls averaging near or over 60 miles of running per week, it is hard to imagine increasing intensity or mileage, and yet this team is always up for a challenge. “It’s not fun when it’s easy. We’re all extremely hard workers, and we embrace challenges.” These girls are certainly being challenged constantly, but their results this season have shown how well they respond to these challenges. Each returner has improved her times significantly, and every race the pack has been moving up in the scoring. The team made an appearance in the regional rankings for the first time in several years, and they look forward to continuing to improve in their Regional competition this coming weekend as well as throughout their track seasons. Each day, these ladies give their all to their training, and each day they have a little more to give. There is no doubt that these dedicated, relentless women have even more accomplishments in their near future.

To see results from this weekend's meet, and to keep up with all the athletics teams, like our Bulls Pride page on Facebook and follow UB_BullsPride on Instagram and Twitter.

These Bulls Are Running The Show

Many people think of Cross Country as a black sheep kind of sport. In many ways, this sport is very different from all of the others. Men's Cross Country embraces that aspect of the sport along with the rest of it. They are the only athletes at this university, aside from Women's Cross Country, who have their name on three different rosters. They have a fall competition season, an Indoor Track and Field season, and an Outdoor Track and Field season. With three MAC Championships throughout the year, "training pretty much stays at the same intensity all year." This means they have no off season, and they travel all through both the fall and spring semesters. They even come back early from winter break to travel and train for their winter competition season. The men admit that this makes it difficult to have time to balance their work intensive majors with athletics, but share that as an athlete, they feel as though this year round, high intensity training helps them to improve their abilities much faster. Although our team is improving so quickly, they say that the biggest misconception about the sport is that it is easy. The sport of cross country requires the athlete to break down his body every day all year long, "and then come back the next day expecting to do the exact same thing." They get as few mental breaks as they do physical breaks, so battling physical and mental fatigue is a daily task. From eight mile long workouts (not including the warm up and cool down miles) to two hour weekly long runs, the men stress that their training is by no means easy.


As different as their demands may be, the Men's Cross Country Program is like the other athletic programs here in its success. This team is indisputably on the rise, and with no seniors on the current roster, this talented young team is ready to keep climbing. Last year, the program had a milestone in Zach Ahart's MAC Cross Country Championship win, becoming the first male in school history to accomplish this feat. This year, the men ran their way to the highest regional program ranking in school history, and they had some stellar performances this past weekend at their MAC Championships, taking fourth place. With the talent each team member possesses, the close knit bond these teammates share, and the experience they've gained this year, the team looks forward to their Regional meet in two weeks, as well as the amazing accomplishments they know lie ahead. Cross Country may seem difficult to understand, but the discipline, work ethic, and current and future successes of this team are plain to see.

To stay up to date on the Men's Cross Country Team and all of our other teams, like our Bulls Pride page on Facebook, an follow UB_BullsPride on Twitter and Instagram.