Hoose (Lakewood/Southwestern) has earned an at-large bid to the upcoming NCAA Wrestling Championships, marking the first time the University at Buffalo’s 184-pounder has qualified for the national tournament.

According to UB’s sports information department, Hoose is “having the best season of his career.” He is 20-7 on the year, including 14-6 in duals. He advanced to the consolation semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Championships before sustaining an injury that ended his run.

“We’re excited for Hoose,” Bulls head coach John Stutzman said. “He earned it with his great year. I challenged him with the tough schedule we put together and he responded.”

Hoose’s selection marks the eighth straight year a UB wrestler will compete at the NCAA Championships, which begin March 16 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

MICHAEL PEPPY

Meanwhile, Peppy (Bemus Point/Maple Grove) earned All-East accolades to highlight a successful weekend for Canisius in the ECAC/IC4A Indoor Track & Field Championships March 4-5 at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center in Boston.

Peppy and teammate Tom Appenheimer gave Canisius a pair of top-10 finishes in the men’s 5,000-meter run as Peppy took eighth place with a time of 14:13.24 to earn All-East honors, while Appenheimer finished less than two seconds back of Peppy in 10th place, crossing the finish line in 14:15.11. Both times beat the previous school record, with Peppy shattering the mark by nearly 10 seconds. The old mark was 14:23.