KUTZTOWN, Pa. – At the start of last season, Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) was relatively unknown to head coach Robert Fisher and the nationally-ranked Kutztown University wrestling program. But once the spring semester began in January, Weinberg quickly became a known commodity to KU and the wrestling community. A regional champion, All-PSAC First Teamer and national qualifier, Weinberg was voted as the 2021-22 Kutztown University male freshman of the year, announced Tuesday afternoon.
 
A native of Philadelphia, Weinberg is wrestling's first freshman award winner since 2013 when Ziad Haddad joined Brandan Clark as back-to-back winners.
 
The former Penn State University club wrestler was attracted to the camaraderie of the program while competing against Kutztown during open tournaments in the season's first few months. Weinberg enrolled at KU for the spring semester and immediately made an impact by solidifying the Bears' lineup at 184 pounds, where he went 9-3 overall with a Super Region 1 championship and qualified for the NCAA DII Championships.
 
Weinberg totaled five wins in six dual matches, pinning a pair of opponents and recording a major decision. The redshirt freshman defeated Millersville's Anthony Giampietro, 7-2, for the regional title and appeared 10th in his weight class in the NWCA's final individual national rankings. He helped push KU to sixth in the final NWCA national rankings.
 
In his first collegiate season and first appearance on the national stage, Weinberg proved he belonged with the very best grapplers in the country. While he did not win a match, he was competitive in each one. suffered a loss by pin (3:26) to sixth-ranked and seeded Marty Verhaeghe of Fort Hays State in the first round. He almost came back to win his first match at nationals in a consolation bout with Notre Dame College's Logan Hall, erasing a 6-3 disadvantage going into the third with a reversal and penalty point on account of Hall's stalling. Hall prevailed, however, getting an escape with 37 seconds remaining and adding a riding time point for an 8-6 decision.
 
Kutztown University's annual athletic awards are selected through a vote of the department's administration, head coaches and support staff. Throughout the week, winners will be announced on KUBears.com and the Golden Bears' social media channels.
 
2021-22 Kutztown University Athletics Award Winners
Female Freshman of the Year: Brianna Stocklin, Softball
Male Freshman of the Year: Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan), Wrestling
Female Athlete of the Year: Announced Wednesday, June 29
Male Athlete of the Year: Announced Thursday, June 30
Women's Coach of the Year: Announced Friday, July 1
Men's Coach of the Year: Announced Friday, July 1
 

KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MALE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

YEAR	WINNER	SPORT(S)
1993	Jim Gerner	Baseball
1994	Charles Simpson	Track & Field
1995	Kevin Mobley	Football
1996	John Rozich	Baseball
1997	Steve Fitch	Baseball
1998	Kohlby O'Donnell	Wrestling
1999	Mike de Marteleire	Football
2000	Pete Mendez	Football
2001	Matt Rowan	Swimming
2002	Eric Hillbish	Swimming
2003	T.J. Mann	Basketball
2004	Jason Henley	Football
2005	Steve Tyson	Track & Field
2006	David Ben	Basketball
2007	Stephen Dennis	Basketball
2008	Ryan Washington	Basketball
2009	Shayne Houck	Baseball
2010	Kevin Morton	Football
2011	Rushi Amin	Tennis
2012	Brandan Clark	Wrestling
2013	Ziad Haddad	Wrestling
2014	Josh Johnson	Basketball
2015	Steve Maine	Cross Country/Track & Field
2016	Tajier Jefferson	Football
2017	Collin DiGalbo	Football
2018	Luke Hoffman	Track & Field
2019	George Weems	Track & Field
2020	Wesley Butler	Basketball
2021	Anthony DeFusco	Track & Field
2022	Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan)	Wrestling