SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Faced with a pair of teams ranked in the top eight of Division II, Kutztown managed to wrestle its way back to a seventh place finish at the prestigious NCWA / Cliff Keen Duals.

Day 2 Bout-by-Bout Results | Day 1 Recap & Results

The placement is impressive considering the selection process for the tournament.  The top eight finishers from the previous year's tournament are automatically invited, meaning KU qualified for one of just eight open spots to compete against a field littered with top ranked teams.  And by finishing in the top eight this year, the Golden Bears automatically qualify for next year's tournament.  
 
In the semifinals of the consolation bracket, the Golden Bears faced No. 2 Newberry.  The Wolves downed KU to send Kutztown into the seventh place match, where eighth ranked Findlay awaited.  KU came away with a 19-12 win in the match to take seventh in the team's first trip to the tournament.
 
After falling behind 6-0 against the Oilers, the Golden Bears scored four straight bout victories to claim the lead.  Evan Yenolevich (New Tripoli, PA/Northwestern Lehigh (Edinboro)) cut Findlay's lead in half with a 7-0 win over Joseph White at 141.  Mitch Voelker (Shoemakersville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) defeated his opponent at 149, Jan Steven Ulinski 5-1 to tie the team scoring. 
 
At 157, Matt Martoccio (Kintnersville, Pa./Council Rock South) was a 7-3 winner over Jordan Cowell to give the Golden Bears the lead for the first time in the match, 9-6.  Ricky Pena (Reading, PA/Reading), wrestling at 165, followed with a 3-0 victory over Alex Betts.
 
Bouts at 174 and 184 both went in favor of the Oilers, but only by the slimmest of margins.  Both bouts were decided by only a single point, but the match went to the final two bouts knotted at 12-12.
 
Another one-point bout followed, but this time KU's Vinny Campanile (Stanhope, NJ/Lenape Valley) grabbed the lead for the Golden Bears with a 1-0 victory.
 
With the match still in doubt, Ziad Haddad (Orefield, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic (North Carolina)) scored the only bonus win for either team in the match to seal victory for Kutztown.  He won 10-2 against Andrew Tumlin to make it 19-12 in favor of the Golden Bears.
 
Kutztown faced four opponents ranked in the top 10 on the weekend in five matches, going 3-2.  Both losses, Upper Iowa and Newberry, were rated in the top five.  KU defeated the No. 6 and No. 8 teams and also defeated a team receiving votes in the national rankings. Kutztown finished ahead of six ranked teams in the tournament, including No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney.  KU also placed ahead of No. 6 Grand Canyon, No. 8 Findlay, No. 9 Minnesota State-Mankato, No. 13 Augustana and No. 19 Fort Hays State.  
 
Haddad was 3-1 for the Golden Bears, with all three victories coming via major decision, including a win over seventh-ranked Andrew Tumlin of Findlay.  Campanile, Evan Yenolevich (New Tripoli, PA/Northwestern Lehigh (Edinboro)), and Ricky Pena (Reading, PA/Reading) each won three matches, as well.  Campanile had two pins and Yenolevich was credited with a technical fall.  Pena, meanwhile, defeated Upper Iowa's Wade Gobin, ranked fifth in Division II. One of Matt Martoccio (Kintnersville, Pa./Council Rock South)'s two wins came against a nationally ranked individual from Upper Iowa, Bryce Lumzy. 
 
Fourth-ranked St. Cloud State won the team title, defeating No. 7 Notre Dame (Ohio) in the championship match, 17-15.  No. 3 Central Oklahoma defeated 17th-ranked Wisconsin-Parkside 26-12 in the third place match.  The fifth place match saw Newberry top Upper Iowa 24-12.
 
The weekend improved Kutztown's record to 5-3 on the year, with all three losses to teams currently ranked in the top 11 of the NWCA poll.