JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – It was a banner day for the 18th-ranked Kutztown University wrestling team at Saturday's NCAA Division II Super Region 1 Championships, hosted by Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Top-ranked heavyweight Andrew Dunn Jr. (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic) won a thrilling overtime bout against Mercyhurst's Jacob Robb to become the program's first three-time regional champion and the Golden Bears went 4-for-4 in title matches with Collin Wickramaratna (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) (133 lbs.), Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) (184 lbs.) and Brian Kennerly (Drexel Hill, Pa./Upper Darby) (197 lbs.) joining Dunn Jr. to set a new program record for regional champions in a season.
 
Along with its four champions, Kutztown got fourth-place finishes from KJ Fenstermacher (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) (141 lbs.) and Ethan Baney (Hanover, Pa./South Western) (165 lbs.), and a fifth-place showing from Matt Wilde (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) (125 lbs.) to place third in the final team standings.
 
Dunn Jr. defended his 2019 and 2020 regional titles (KU didn't compete in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), while Wickramaratna won his second 133-pound crown in as many trips.
 
There wasn't much drama leading Dunn Jr. back to the championship match, but the finale would prove to be epic between two long-time and respected rivals. The graduate student from Bethlehem received a first round bye and needed just 50 seconds to pin Shippensburg's Dan Scheib in the quarterfinals.
 
Dunn Jr. doubled up Pitt-Johnstown's Oggie Atwood in the semis, 8-4, setting up a meeting with fourth-ranked Robb in a rematch of the 2020 regional title match, which Dunn Jr. won, 3-2. The 2022 version would be just as exciting, needing extra time to be decided. The only scoring in regulation came via an escape from Dunn Jr. off the bottom in the second and a counter escape by Robb off the bottom in the third. Just over half a minute into overtime, Dunn Jr. recorded the takedown he needed to become KU's first three-time regional champ.
 
 Wickramaratna came into the tournament ranked 10th in the country and second in the region, right behind No. 9 Eric Bartos of Mercyhurst, who got the better of the KU senior, 9-4, when the teams met in a dual earlier this month. The Marlton, N.J., native made a statement early with an 18-2 (7:00) technical fall over East Stroudsburg's Kelvin Rodriguez-Molina in the first round and a pin of Shippensburg's Josh Jackson (6:37) in the quarterfinals.
 
In the semifinals, Wickramaratna ran into the region's third-ranked grappler, Devin Flannery of Millersville, and needed last second heroics to keep his title hopes alive. Wickramaratna took a 1-0 lead early in the second by escaping off the bottom, but Flannery chose to start the third neutral and scored a takedown with 33 seconds remaining to go in front, 2-1. With time expiring, Wickramaratna stunned Flannery with a reversal to steal the victory away, 3-2.
 
Wickramaratna came up clutch again in the finals against Bartos. They were tied at two after the second period when Bartos chose to start the third from the neutral position. It was a choice that backfired as Wickramaratna struck for two takedowns and two back points in an 8-5 decision. Wickramaratna is the fifth grappler in program history to win multiple regional titles, along with Dunn Jr. (2019, 2020, 2022), Pat Mathuse (1994, 1995), Evan Yenolevich (2012, 2014) and Ziad Haddad (2014, 2015).
 
Joining the team in January, Weinberg has turned into a hidden gem for the Maroon and Gold. The Philadelphian took over as the team's starter at 184 pounds and went 6-1 in seven duals. Entering the tournament as the No. 4 seed in the weight class, Weinberg continued his rise by dispatching Shippensburg's Drake Brenize by pin (3:38) in the quarters and third-seeded Alex Weber of Pitt-Johnstown, 6-4 in overtime, in the semis.
 
Weinberg registered takedowns in all three periods and amassed more than five minutes of riding time to defeat Millersville's Anthony Giampietro, 7-2, in the championship bout. Weinberg won more than 100 scholastic matches at Archbishop Ryan and twice placed in districts, but never advanced to states. Now, the former Penn State club wrestler's improbable journey has him heading to nationals for the first time.
 
Brian Kennerly's (Drexel Hill, Pa./Upper Darby) path to the NCAA Division II Championships has seen its twists and turns too. It's been multiple seasons since Kennerly, a Drexel Hill native, last competed for Division I Virginia, but he has quickly found a home at Kutztown. Kennerly came into the tournament ranked third in the region and won it the hard way by going through Nos. 1 and 2.
 
Kennerly got off to a commanding start with a 14-2 major decision over Shippensburg's Connor Livingston in the first round, before getting the better of Millersville's Bruce Vaughan, 7-2, in the quarters. Up next was nationally-ranked No. 5 Gino Sita of Alderson Broaddus. The match went to overtime tied at three, but Kennerly turned a takedown into a pin for the victory at the 7:17 mark.
 
Kennerly, a graduate student and first year Golden Bear, picked off his second straight nationally-ranked opponent in No. 3 and top-seeded Joel Leise of Gannon for the regional crown. Leise won their first meeting, 4-1, back on Feb. 4, but this one turned out to be all Kennerly. A takedown and four-point nearfall catapulted Kennerly to an 8-3 lead after the second period and he added another takedown and four back points in the third for a 15-6 major decision.
 
The Golden Bears featured a placewinner in seven of 10 weight classes overall, narrowly missing out on a couple more national qualifiers.
 
At 141, KJ Fenstermacher (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) put a hard-fought, 3-1, quarterfinal loss to eighth-ranked Sean Johnson of American International behind him to post victories by pin, decision and medical forfeit in the consolation bracket. He went toe-to-toe with Mercyhurst's Alexis Soriano in the third-place match, but an escape and riding time point proved to be enough for Soriano in a 2-0 victory.
 
Freshman Ethan Baney (Hanover, Pa./South Western), a regular at 174 all season, moved down to 165 and advanced to the semifinals with a pin of Mercyhurst's Mike Clark (6:39). He went to overtime for a spot in the final and an automatic ticket to NCAAs, but seventh-ranked Dillon Keane of Pitt-Johnstown earned a takedown for a 3-1 win. Baney dominated Luke Ciampa of East Stroudsburg for a 16-1 tech fall (7:00) to reach the third-place match, before Evan Fisler of Gannon held off Baney's late comeback bid in a 5-4 decision.
 
Senior Matt Wilde (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown), ranked 12th in the nation at 125, recorded back-to-back technical falls over Jacob Ruggeri (15-0, 6:37) and Josh Jasionowicz (17-1, 3:52) to bulldoze his way into the semifinals. Third-seeded Jacob Dunlop of Gannon held off Wilde, 3-1, in the semis and fifth-seeded Frank Bonura defeated the Boyertown native by major decision, 14-6, in the consolation semis. Though not the finish he hoped for, Wilde capped his career on a winning note, with a dramatic 6-4 overtime victory over sixth-seeded Jerry Echevarria of American International in the fifth-place match.
 
Pitt-Johnstown won the team title with 147 points ahead of Gannon (129.5) and the Golden Bears (110.5). Mercyhurst (99.5) and Millersville (82.0) completed the top five.
 
Dunn Jr., Kennerly, Weinberg and Wickramaratna will head to St. Louis for the NCAA DII Championships at Chaifetz Arena, March 11-12.
 

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NCAA DII SUPER REGION 1 CHAMPIONSHIPS
SATURDAY, FEB 26., 2022
KUTZTOWN RESULTS
 
125
#12 Matt Wilde (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown)
R1 – WIN TF Jacob Ruggeri (Mercyhurst), 15-0 (6:37)
QF – WIN TF Josh Jasionowicz (East Stroudsburg), 17-1 (3:52)
SF – LOSS DEC Jacob Dunlop (Gannon), 3-1
CSF – LOSS MD Frank Bonura (Seton Hill), 14-6
5th – WIN DEC Jerry Echevarria (American International), 6-4 (SV1)
5TH PLACE
 
133
#10 Collin Wickramaratna (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee)
R1 – WIN TF Kelvin Rodriguez-Molina (East Stroudsburg), 18-2 (7:00)
QF – WIN PIN Josh Jackson (Shippensburg), 6:37
SF – WIN DEC Devin Flannery (Millersville), 3-2
F – WIN DEC #9 Eric Bartos (Mercyhurst), 8-5
1ST PLACE
 
141
KJ Fenstermacher (Northampton, Pa./Northampton)
R1 – Bye
QF – LOSS #8 Sean Johnson (American International), 3-1
CR2 – WIN PIN Digger Dennison (Fairmont State), 2:11
CQF – WIN DEC Austin Hertel (Gannon), 6-1
CSF – WIN MFF DeAndre Reed (Shippensburg)
CF – LOSS DEC Alexis Soriano (Mercyhurst), 2-0
4TH PLACE
 
149
Michael Cusick (McDonald, Pa./South Fayette)
R1 – LOSS DEC Tommy Nichols (American International), 6-2
CR1 – Bye
CR2 – LOSS DEC Mike Zacur (Mercyhurst), 7-3
 
157
Kibwe McNair (Lansdale, Pa./Methacton)
R1 – Bye
QF – LOSS MD #12 Nick Young (Gannon), 16-2
CR2 – WIN PIN Alex Jablonski (Fairmont State), 6:25
CQF – LOSS DEC Jamar Williams (Alderson Broaddus), 5-3
 
165
Ethan Baney (Hanover, Pa./South Western)
R1 – Bye
QF – WIN PIN Mike Clark (Mercyhurst), 6:39
SF – LOSS DEC #7 Dillon Keane (Pitt-Johnstown), 3-1 (SV1)
CSF – WIN TF Luke Ciampa (East Stroudsburg), 16-1 (7:00)
CF – LOSS DEC Evan Fisler (Gannon), 5-4
4TH PLACE
 
174
James Holder (Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon)
R1 – Bye
QF – LOSS DEC #8 Dillon Walker (Mercyhurst), 8-1
CR2 – LOSS PIN Alfred MacNeill (American International), 2:33
 
184
Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan)
R1 – Bye
QF – WIN PIN Drake Brenize (Shippensburg), 3:38
SF – WIN DEC Alex Weber (Pitt-Johnstown), 6-4 (SV1)
F – WIN DEC Anthony Giampietro (Millersville), 7-2
1ST PLACE
 
197
Brian Kennerly (Drexel Hill, Pa./Upper Darby)
R1 – WIN MD Connor Livingston (Shippensburg), 14-2
QF – WIN DEC Bruce Vaughan (Millersville), 7-2
SF – WIN PIN #5 Gino Sita (Alderson Broaddus), 7:17
F – WIN MD #3 Joel Leise (Gannon), 15-6
1ST PLACE
 
285
#1 Andrew Dunn Jr. (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic)
R1 – Bye
QF – WIN PIN Dan Scheib (Shippensburg), 0:50
SF – WIN DEC Oggie Atwood (Pitt-Johnstown), 8-4
F – WIN DEC #4 Jacob Robb (Mercyhurst), 3-1 (SV1)
1ST PLACE