ERIE, Pa. – Kutztown University's Matt Martoccio (Kintnersville, Pa./Council Rock South (Lock Haven)) achieved his goal of a return trip to nationals with a Super Region I championship on Saturday afternoon. He was one of seven Golden Bear medalists and three national qualifiers that led KU to a fifth place finish at the host of this year's regionals, Mercyhurst University.
 
Martoccio went 4-0 at 157 over the weekend and punched his second consecutive ticket to the NCAA National Championships, taking place on March 11-12 in Sioux Falls, S.D. He will be joined by fellow senior Brandan Clark (Audubon, Pa./Methacton), a fourth-place finisher at 197, and Ryan Appleby (Belvidere, N.J./Belvidere), the runner-up at heavyweight.
 
Clark will make his second career national tournament and first since his freshman year in 2012, while Appleby will compete at nationals for the first time as a redshirt-sophomore.
 
Pitt-Johnstown won the Super Region I Championship with 155.5 points. Notre Dame College was second with 143, Mercyhurst was third at 109, and Wheeling Jesuit just edged out Kutztown for fourth place with a 5.5-point advantage, 85.0-79.5.
 
Martoccio opened his day with a 5-3 win in the semifinals, sending him to the championship match and clinching a spot in nationals. Martoccio, ranked fifth in Division II at 157, squared off against a former national champion, a two-time All-American, the top-ranked 157-pounder in the region and the second-ranked in the country in the final against Notre Dame's Jonatan Rivera. Martoccio controlled the action and won a 6-2 decision to win his first regional title. He avenged a previous loss to Rivera from his sophomore year, a 3-1 decision at regionals.
 
It marked the seventh straight year a KU wrestler has won a regional championship.
 
Martoccio is now a four-time regional medalist, the third wrestler in program history to do so. He will carry a 26-3 record to Sioux Falls and a career mark of 87-35, the third-most wins in school history.
 
Appleby wrestled the match of his life to punch his ticket to nationals. Facing off against second-ranked D.J. Sims of Pitt-Johnstown, Appleby controlled the first period with his quickness to build a 6-3 lead after one. Sims continued to pressure late and earned a pair of stalling points in the final moments, but Appleby's perseverance paid off with a 7-6 decision. After shaking his opponent's hand, Appleby, a heavyweight, was lifted  in the air by an ecstatic coach Robert Fisher as the redshirt-sophomore had just punched his ticket to nationals while advancing to the regional final (VIDEO).
 
Appleby fell in the final, 10-1, to Mercyhurst's Andy Welton.
 
Clark finished in fourth place to earn his second career national qualification. In a tight 1-0 match in the semifinals of 197 to start the day, Clark got taken down at the edge of the mat by Shippensburg's Evan Ramos and immediately turned for a pin in 4:05. He rebounded nicely with a 4-1 win the following match, and due to further bracket results, ended up clinching a spot at the national tournament with the win.
 
Clark faced Pitt-Johnstown's Jacob Hart in the third place match. He was in the hunt for the win, but got taken down to his back in the middle of the mat, and could not recoup in a loss by pinfall.
 
Kutztown had a chance at a fourth and fifth national qualifier, putting two wrestlers into true fourth-place matches.
 
Collin Schildt (Thurmont, Md./Catoctin) finished fourth at 184 after winning both of his matches on Friday. To open the day, he couldn't take down the second-ranked 184-pounder in the country in Pitt-Johnstown's Travis McKillop in the semifinals, but kept his big-picture goal in mind. He answered with an 11-7 win over Mercyhurst's Angelo Bortoluzzi to put him in the third place match.
 
Schildt was on the wrong end of a 14-3 result in the third place match, putting his national tournament fate in the hands of a true fourth-place match. He faced Wheeling Jesuit's Sawyer Leppla and was in a tight contest with more than 1:00 of riding time. The match came down to the start of the second period, when Schildt held 1:24 of riding time, started on bottom and needed to get out to hold his point and the match lead. During that time, Leppla worked Schildt to the ground and turned him four back-points, essentially putting the match out of reach for the Golden Bear. Schildt fell 8-4 but still came home with fourth-place honors in his first year as a starter.
 
Joe Balboni (Springfield, N.J./Jonathan Dayton (Old Dominion)) won the fifth place match and had a shot at nationals with a true fourth-place match. He came out strong to start his day in the consolation bracket of 174. He nearly earned 3:00 of riding time in an 18-8 win over Wheeling Jesuit's Dean Meyer. He fell to Notre Dame's Roberto Rivera by a tech. fall the following match, but rallied with a 5-3 decision over Shippensburg's Shane Springer in the fifth place match.
 
Balboni got a shot at nationals with a true fourth-place match. He took the first shot of the period, but got rolled on his back and pinned by Gannon's Christopher Matthews in 40 seconds. A redshirt-freshman, Balboni gained valuable postseason experience in his first regional tournament while nearly qualifying for the national tournament.
 
In the final tournament of his career, Joe Esposito (Sewell, N.J./Saint Augustine Prep) took an early lead in the semifinals over the second-ranked 149-pounder in the country in Mercyhurst's Jeremy Landowski, but he couldn't hold him off for long. Landowsi later landed a takedown and worked for four back-points to take control in an eventual 11-3 win.
 
Esposito fell 8-4 to Travis Shaffer in a rematch from Friday, when Esposito won by pinfall, and went on to finish in sixth place at 149 to close his career.
 
Austin Petril (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby (Ursinus)) came home sixth at 125. He opened the day with an emotional overtime win against Millersville's Austin Camacci. In their third meeting this season, Petril had to overcome a 3-0 first-period deficit and more than 2:00 of riding time. He was the aggressor for the final two periods, working multiple takedowns and allowing escapes to score additional points and take the lead. His final takedown that forced overtime came with 15 seconds left in the third period, giving him a 6-5 lead and a tied 6-6 match after riding time.
 
With 20 seconds left in overtime, Petril took Camacci down for the fourth time of the match to earn an 8-6 sudden victory and keeping him alive in the consolation bracket. Petril dropped a major decision to Notre Dame's 125-pounder, and then held a close match against eighth-ranked Dustin Warner of Wheeling Jesuit in the fifth place match. Petril fell 5-1 and brought home sixth place at 125. He won 18 matches as a sophomore in his first year at KU.
 
The NCAA National Championships in Sioux Falls begin on Friday, March 11.
 
 
 
Kutztown Results
 
125 – Austin Petril (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby (Ursinus)) (Sixth Place)
Cons: Petril (KU) dec. Austin Camacci (Millersville), 8-6 (SV-1) (VIDEO)
Cons: Jacob Goodwin (Notre Dame) maj. dec. Petril (KU), 12-3 (VIDEO)
Cons: #8 Dustin Warner (Wheeling Jesuit) dec. Petril (KU), 5-1 (VIDEO) (Sixth Place)
 
 
149 – Joe Esposito (Sewell, N.J./Saint Augustine Prep) (Sixth Place)
Champ: #2 Jeremy Landowski (Mercyhurst) maj. dec. Esposito (KU), 11-3 (VIDEO)
Cons: Travis Shaffer (Pitt-Johnstown) vs. Esposito (KU), 8-4 (VIDEO)
Cons: #7 Ty Lydic (Seton Hill) pinned Esposito (KU), 1:34 (VIDEO) (Sixth Place)
 
 
157 – #5 Matt Martoccio (Kintnersville, Pa./Council Rock South (Lock Haven)) (Champion)
Champ: Martoccio (KU) dec. Devin Austin (Pitt-Johnstown), 5-3 (VIDEO)
Champ: Martoccio (KU) dec. #2 Jonatan Rivera (Notre Dame), 6-2 (VIDEO) (First Place)
 
 
174 – Joe Balboni (Springfield, N.J./Jonathan Dayton (Old Dominion)) (Fifth Place)
Cons: Balboni (KU) maj dec. Dean Meyer (Wheeling Jesuit), 18-8 (VIDEO)
Cons: Roberto Rivera (Notre Dame) tech. fall Balboni (KU), 21-6 (7:00) (VIDEO)
Cons: Balboni (KU) dec. Shane Springer (Shippensburg), 5-3 (VIDEO) (Fifth Place)
Cons: Christopher Matthews (Gannon) pinned Balboni (KU), 0:40 (VIDEO)
 
 
184 – Collin Schildt (Thurmont, Md./Catoctin) (Fourth Place)
Champ: #2 Travis McKillop (Pitt-Johnstown) tech. fall Schildt (KU), 18-0 (3:00) (VIDEO)
Cons: Schildt (KU) dec. Angelo Bortoluzzi (Mercyhurst), 11-7 (VIDEO)
Cons: Cody Spinks (Alderson Broaddus) maj. dec. Schildt (KU), 14-3 (VIDEO) (Fourth Place)
Cons: Sawyer Leppla (Wheeling Jesuit) dec. Schildt (KU), 8-4
 
 
197 – Brandan Clark (Audubon, Pa./Methacton) (Fourth Place)
Champ: Evan Ramos (Shippensburg) pinned Clark (KU), 4:05 (VIDEO)
Cons: Clark (KU) dec. Terrance Fanning (Wheeling Jesuit), 4-1 (VIDEO)
Cons: Jacob Hart (Pitt-Johnstown) pinned Clark (KU), 3:13 (VIDEO) (Fourth Place)
 
 
285 – Ryan Appleby (Belvidere, N.J./Belvidere) (Second Place)
Champ: Appleby (KU) dec. #2 D.J. Sims (Pitt-Johnstown), 7-6 (VIDEO)
Champ: Andy Welton (Mercyhurst) maj. dec. Appleby (KU), 10-1 (VIDEO) (Second Place)