Photo Gallery

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Redshirt sophomore Brandan Clark (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) secured a pin at 197 pounds with the seventh-ranked Kutztown University wrestling team trailing by eight points to Gannon University. Combined with a win at heavyweight by top-ranked Ziad Haddad (Orefield, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic (North Carolina)), it catapulted the Golden Bears to a 18-17 come-from-behind victory on Saturday afternoon in their home opener at Keystone Arena.
 
The Golden Bears (7-3, 2-0 PSAC) were down eight points with two bouts to go, and needed two wins and some bonus points to avoid an upset by the Golden Knights (4-2, 2-1), who received votes in the latest coaches' poll.
 
Clark stepped on the mat with Kutztown down 17-9, as the team had trailed for most of the match. It didn't take long for Clark to gain complete control as he worked for a takedown midway through the first period. A minute later, Clark turned over Andrew Wood and pinned him in 2:42 to bring the Gannon lead to 17-15. It was his team-leading fifth pin of the season. All Kutztown needed to win the match was a win by decision by its top-ranked heavyweight in the country.
 
Haddad led for nearly the entire match, as his only hiccup was allowing Nick Budd to score a reversal in the final seconds of the first period. Haddad won handily with an 8-3 decision after 1:23 of riding time to seal the victory for Kutztown. Notably, Haddad has not allowed an opposing takedown the entire season, and improves his flawless record to 12-0.
 
Gannon won the first two matches, including a technical fall at 125 pounds, but Kutztown responded with three straight decisions to take a 9-8 lead, its only lead of the match besides the final score. Gannon had won the next three matches by narrow decisions and held a 17-9 lead going into Clark's match at 197.
 
The Golden Bears now hit the busy part of their dual meet schedule, with three matches next week. They head to Elizabethtown College on Tuesday, Jan. 21 to face Centenary and Elizabethtown on Tuesday evening, and then return to Keystone Arena to face 12th-ranked Mercyhurst University on Friday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
 

Final Results
WT.	Name	Score
125	Matt Turek (GU) tech. fall N. Lamoreaux (KU), 20-4 (6:12)	5-0 GU
133	Adam Weinell (GU) dec. B. Davis (KU), 12-10	8-0 GU
141	M. Voelker (KU) dec. Johnny Marotto (GU), 1-0	8-3 GU
149	J. Esposito (KU) dec. Eric Lewandowski (GU), 6-4	8-6 GU
157	M. Martoccio (KU) dec. Buddy Blotzer (GU), 6-5	9-8 KU
165	Casey Pace (GU) dec. J. Heller (KU), 7-3	11-9 GU
174	Adam Greenman (GU) dec. A. Kinney (KU), 2-0	14-9 GU
184	#5 Zack Zelcs (GU) dec. G. Ortiz (KU), 2-0	17-9 GU
197	B. Clark (KU) pinned Andrew Wood (GU), 2:42	17-15 GU
285	#1 Z. Haddad (KU) dec. Nick Budd (GU), 8-3	18-17 KU

 
 
Play-by-Play Summary:
 
125 - Nick Lamoreaux (Bethesda, MD/Milton Hershey) (KU) vs. Matt Turek (GU)
 
Turek opens scoring with takedown midway through first period…Turek leads 2-0 after first period with 1:32 riding time…Lamoreaux chooses neutral to start second period…Turke takedown on edge of mat with 1:30 left in period…Action goes out of bounds, Turek lets Lamoreaux up and leads 4-1 with 1:00 left in second…Turek secures takedown to lead 6-1 with 45 seconds left in second…Turek lets Lamoreaux up to lead 6-2…Turek scores takedown and three-point nearfall with 10 seconds left in second period…Turek chooses neutral to start third period leading 11-2…Turek with two more takedowns with an escape in between to lead 15-3 with 1:23 left in third period…Lets Lamoreaux up as Turek leads 15-4…Another quick Turek takedown to build lead to 17-4…final takedown seals tech. fall, 20-4 (6:12) with riding time.
 
133 - Brandon Davis (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) (KU) vs. Adam Weinell (GU)
 
Davis opens scoring with takedown, leads 2-0 at 2:05 mark of first…Weinell escape…Davis takes Weinell to the mat with a two-point nearfall with 30 seconds left in first period, leads 6-2 following escape…Davis leads 6-2 at end of first…Davis defers, Weinell chooses top to start second…Davis escapes 24 seconds into second to lead 7-2…Weinell battles for takedown and a two-point nearfall to cut Davis' lead to 7-6…Weinell ends period on top and 44 seconds of riding time, Davis leads 7-6 overall…Davis chooses neutral to start third period…Davis takedown in first 20 seconds of third, leads 9-6…Weinell escapes and quick takedown ties it at 9-9…Davis escapes and leads 10-9 with 1:00 to go…Weinell takedown with 55 seconds left and leads 11-10…Weinell stalling warming with 36 seconds to go…Weinell controls Davis in middle of mat to win 12-10 with 1:29 riding time.
 
141 - Mitch Voelker (Shoemakersville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) (KU) vs. Johnny Marotto (GU)
 
Wrestlers battle in grapple for first 2:30 of first period…Marotto gets stalling warning…scoreless first period…Voelker chooses bottom to start second period…both wrestlers get caution in restart…Voelker nearly escapes with reversal, but Marotto remains on top through first :57…Voelker escapes to take 1-0 lead…Voelker leads 1-0 after first, Marotto holds 57 seconds of riding time…Neutral to start third period…Marotto  with near takedown, but goes out of bounds with 1:02 left in third…out of bounds with 10 seconds left…Voelker stalling warning…Voelker wins 1-0.
 
149 - Joe Esposito (Washington Township, N.J./Saint Augustine Prep) (KU) vs. Eric Lewandowski (GU)
 
Esposito opens scoring with takedown, leads 2-1 after immediate Lewandowski escape…Esposito with a second takedown, leads 4-1…Esposito lets Lewandowski up, leads 4-2…Esposito leads 4-2 after first…Esposito defers, Lewandowski chooses bottom to start second…Lewandowski escapes nine seconds into second, Esposito leads 4-3…Esposito with takedown with 1:04 left in second near edge of mat…brought back into center…Esposito leads 6-4 after escape…Esposito leads 6-4 after second…Neutral to start third…No scoring in third as Esposito wins 6-4. Gannon leads match 8-6.
 
157 - Matt Martoccio (Kintnersville, Pa./Council Rock South) (KU) vs. Buddy Blotzer (GU)
 
Martoccio with takedown at edge of mat 41 seconds into match…Blotzer with quick escape, Martoccio leads 2-1…Both wrestlers dive, but no points in remainder of first…Blotzer chooses bottom to start second…Blotzer escapes 14 seconds into period to tie match at 2-2…Blotzer stalling warning…Martoccio takedown with 30 seconds left in second period, takes 4-2 lead…Blotzer escapes to cut score to 4-3…Martoccio leads 4-3 after second…Neutral to start third period…Martoccio with takedown with 10 seconds left in match, leads 6-3, Blotzer with reversal at end of period as Martoccio wins 6-5. Kutztown leads Gannon 9-8.
 
165 - Justin Heller (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) (KU) vs. Casey Pace (GU)
 
Pace with illegal headlock, Heller leads 2-1…Heller defers, Pace chooses bottom…Heller earns 1:10 of riding time before Pace reverses and takes 2-1 lead….Heller escapes at ties match at 2-2…Match tied heading into third period…Heller on bottom to start third period, escapes to lead 3-2…Pace with forceful takedown, and a two-point nearfall to take 6-3 lead...stoppage in action as Heller regains mental control…Pace chooses bottom after injury time, escapes to lead Heller 7-3…Pace wins 7-3 decision…Gannon leads match 11-9
 
174 - Andrew Kinney (Spring City, Pa./Owen J. Roberts) (KU) vs. Adam Greenman (GU)
 
Scoreless first period…Greenman defers, Kinney chooses bottom to start second…Greenman earns 2:00 riding time for entire second period, score still tied at 0-0…Greenman remains on top to start third…Kinney nearly escapes twice, but Greenman takes him back down to mat…both wrestlers cautioned before restart with 19 seconds left in match…Kinney with third caution, Greenman awarded point and leads 1-0…Greenman wins 2-0 with full 4:00 of riding time for entire second and third periods…Gannon leads match 14-9.
 
184 - Giovanni Ortiz (Reading, PA/Reading) (KU) vs. #5 Zack Zelcs (GU)
 
Zelcs with near takedown, but ruled out of bounds with 35 seconds left in first…scoreless first period…Ortiz chooses bottom to start second…Ortiz caution…Zelcs builds up 2:00 of riding time with entire second period…Zelcs chooses bottom to start third, escapes 24 seconds into third to take 1-0 lead…Ortiz caution with 10 seconds left on restart…Zelcs wins match 2-0 with 1:36 of riding time…Gannon leads 17-9.
 
197 - Brandan Clark (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) (KU) vs. Andrew Wood (GU)
 
Clark with takedown 1:30 into first to take 2-0 lead…Clark scores pin 2:42 into first period…Gannon leads match 17-15.
 
285 - #1 Ziad Haddad (Orefield, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic (North Carolina)) (KU) vs. Nick Budd (GU)
 
Haddad takedown 1:01 into first period to lead 2-0…Budd escapes…Haddad with second takedown to lead 4-1…Budd with reversal in final seconds of first period…Haddad leads 4-3 after first period…Haddad chooses bottom to start second…Haddad escapes and leads 5-3 with 51 seconds of riding time…Haddad leads 5-3 after second period…Neutral to start third period…Haddad with takedown with 30 seconds left in match to lead 7-3…Haddad wins 8-3 after 1:23 of riding time. Kutztown wins match 18-17.