MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – Redshirt freshman Liam Akers (Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon) finished third at 197 pounds and redshirt sophomore Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) did the same at 165 as Kutztown University wrestling competed in the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Open at Millersville University on Saturday.
 
Gimbor, ranked 11th in his weight class in the NWCA Preseason Poll, advanced to the semifinals via a pin, technical fall and decision before falling to West Virginia's Peyton Hall. The 2023 national qualifier bounced back to defeat Hall's WVU teammate Trey Johnson with a pin in 2:14 for third place.
 
Akers also pushed his way through to the semis with a pin of Millersville's Bruce Vaughan (6:30) and a disqualification of St. Benedict Prep's Milan Nikolin in the quarterfinals. Navy Prep's Payton Thomas ended Akers' title hopes with an 11-1 major decision, but Akers topped teammate Jeremy McKinney (Nottingham, Pa./Oxford Area) by tech fall (17-2, 5:37) to place at a collegiate tournament for the first time in his career.
 
McKinney was among three other Golden Bears to place at Saturday's tournament, taking fourth at 197. The freshman from Nottingham, Pa., pinned each of his first two opponents, Kaleb Wright (4:43) and Millersville's Riley O'Boyle (4:32) to reach the semis. Reid Schroeder earned a 3:33 pin of McKinney one match shy of the final before McKinney fell to Akers for third.
 
Returning All-American Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) captured a fourth-place finish at 184 lbs. Weinberg put together back-to-back wins by major decisions, downing West Virginia's Dylan Kohn, 16-5, and St. Benedict Prep's Alexander Uryniak, 14-3, to advance to the semifinals. Dave Barrett of Army Prep held off Weinberg, 11-7, before West Virginia's Ian Bush dealt him an 8-2 setback in the third-place match.

Bailey Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg), who along with Weinberg won their respective weight classes at the early Nov. Glenville State Invitational, claimed fourth at 157, Saturday. Gimbor blanked Thaddeus Stevens' Garrett Landon by tech fall, 15-0 (1:21) in his first round match and went on to pin Nassau CC's Jensen Offerman in round two (1:19). After a 5-4 decision over Tommy Nichols of American International in the quarterfinals, the Bernville, Pa., native fell to top seed Caleb Dowling of Division I West Virginia, 12-6, in the semis. Gimbor placed fourth after taking a medical forfeit against Luke Nichter of Drexel in the third-place match.
 
At 133 lbs., redshirt freshman Javien DeLeon (Allentown, Pa./Liberty) brought home fifth with a team-leading six wins on the day. DeLeon pinned Nassau CC's Ryan Paladino in 3:27 of his opening match, before falling to Franklin & Marshall's Aidan O'Shea in the second round. DeLeon made the long climb through the consolation bracket with a pin, medical forfeit victory, and technical fall. He posted a 10-2 major decision over Nicholas Cottone of Millersville in the fifth-place match.
 
Saturday's tournament did not feature team scoring. Kutztown will now prepare for its PSAC dual opener against Seton Hill inside Keystone Arena on Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m.
 

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SHORTY HITCHCOCK MEMORIAL OPEN
SATURDAY, NOV. 18, 2023 | MILLERSVILLE, PA.
KUTZTOWN RESULTS
 
125 LBS.
Nic Allison (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County)
R1 – Bye
R2 – WIN PIN Grant Treaster (Navy), 0:43
QF – LOSS MD Jace Schafer (West Virginia), 16-4
CQF – WIN PIN Joe Petrone (Nassau CC), 1:00
CSF – LOSS MFF Lincoln Sledzianowski (Unattached)
 
Brenden Smay (Slatington, Pa./Northern Lehigh)
R1 – LOSS MD Mason Mills (West Virginia), 15-5
CR1 – Bye
CR2 – LOSS PIN Tommy Link (Army Prep), 0:52
 
Trent Thompson (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern)
R1 – WIN PIN Joe Petrone (Nassau CC), 1:17
R2 – LOSS PIN Dominic Flatt (Millersville), 5:22
CR2 – LOSS PIN Luke Sirianni (Army Prep), 5:11
 
133 LBS.
Javien DeLeon (Allentown, Pa./Liberty)
R1 – WIN PIN Ryan Paladino (Nassau CC), 3:27
R2 – LOSS TF Aidan O'Shea (Franklin & Marshall – UNA), 15-0 (3:00)
CR2 – WIN DEC Joseph Aldrich (American International), 9-3
CR3 – WIN PIN Derek Renninger (Thaddeus Stevens), 0:32
CQF – WIN MFF Garhett Dickenson (West Virginia)
CSF – WIN TF Drew Currier (Franklin & Marshall), 20-5 (4:58)
5TH – WIN MD Nicholas Cottone (Millersville – UNA), 10-2
5TH PLACE
 
141 LBS.
Aliazer Alicea (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township)
R1 – WIN DEC Gabriel Ruggieri (Pitt-Johnstown – UNA), 12-7
R2 – LOSS MFF Josh Flores (Messiah)
 
149 LBS.
None
 
157 LBS.
Bailey Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg)
R1 – WIN TF Garrett Landon (Thaddeus Stevens), 15-0 (1:21)
R2 – WIN PIN Jensen Offerman (Nassau CC – UNA), 1:19
QF – WIN DEC Tommy Nichols (American International – UNA), 5-4
SF – LOSS DEC Caleb Dowling (West Virginia), 12-6
3RD – LOSS MFF Luke Nichter (Drexel – UNA)
4TH PLACE
 
Cooper Price (Exeter, Pa./Wyoming Area)
R1 – WIN TF Christopher Ross (East Stroudsburg), 17-0 (3:59)
R2 – LOSS DEC Chris Arciuolo (Franklin & Marshall), 5-0
CR2 – WIN PIN Cornelius Jones (Nassau CC), 2:10
CR3 – LOSS MD Christian Hodges (Navy), 15-5
 
Sean Smith (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle)
R1 – LOSS TF Sasha Gavronsky (West Virginia), 16-0 (3:47)
CR1 – LOSS PIN Avery Clarke (Franklin & Marshall), 2:58
 
165 LBS.
Richard DeRick (Westfield, N.J./Westfield)
R1 – Bye
R2 – LOSS DEC Joseph Mattei (Nassau CC), 8-4
CR2 – WIN DEC Justin Halbert (East Stroudsburg), 5-1
CR3 – LOSS DEC Makoa Niebel (Franklin & Marshall), 7-1
 
#11 Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg)
R1 – WIN PIN Gabe Thomason (Nassau CC), 2:51
R2 – WIN TF Tyler Stanton (Millersville), 17-1 (3:23)
QF – WIN DEC Nick Alvarez (Franklin & Marshall – UNA), 12-5
SF – LOSS TF Peyton Hall (West Virginia), 20-3 (5:15)
3RD – WIN PIN Trey Johnson (West Virginia – UNA), 2:14
3RD PLACE
 
174 LBS.
Ethan Baney (Hanover, Pa./South Western)
R1 – LOSS DEC RJ Moore (Franklin & Marshall – UNA), 6-3 (SV1)
CR1 – Bye
CR2 – WIN MFF Jon Sanchez (Navy)
CR3 – LOSS DEC Alex Ward (Kutztown), 7-5
 
Alex Ward (Manassas, Va./Battlefield)
R1 – Bye
R2 – LOSS MD James Brown (Virginia Tech), 11-3
CR2 – Bye
CR3 – WIN DEC Ethan Baney (Kutztown), 7-5
CQF – LOSS DEC Aidan Zarrella (Sacred Heart – UNA), 4-1
 
184 LBS.
#3 Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan)
R1 – Bye
R2 – WIN MD Dylan Kohn (West Virginia), 16-5
QF – WIN MD Alexander Uryniak (St. Benedict's Prep), 14-3
SF – LOSS DEC Dave Barrett (Army Prep), 11-7
3RD – LOSS DEC Ian Bush (West Virginia), 8-2
4TH PLACE
 
197 LBS.
Liam Akers (Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon)
R1 – WIN PIN Bruce Vaughan (Millersville), 6:30
QF – WIN DQ Milan Nikolin (St. Benedict's Prep), 15-4 (5:58)
SF – LOSS MD Payton Thomas (Navy Prep), 11-1
3RD – WIN TF Jeremy McKinney (Kutztown), 17-2 (5:37)
3RD PLACE
 
Jeremy McKinney (Nottingham, Pa./Oxford Area)
R1 – WIN PIN Kaleb Wright (Unattached), 4:43
QF – WIN PIN Riley O'Boyle (Millersville), 4:32
SF – LOSS PIN Reid Schroeder (Army Prep), 3:33
3RD – LOSS TF Liam Akers (Kutztown), 17-2 (5:37)
4TH PLACE
 
285 LBS.
Wayne McIntyre (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg North)
R1 – WIN DEC Thomas Grlic (Unattached), 9-2
R2 – LOSS MD Tristan Kemp (West Virginia), 12-1
CQF – LOSS MFF Leo Muzika (West Virginia – UNA)
 
Dustin Swanson (New Holland, Pa./Garden Spot)
R1 – LOSS DEC Sam Sorenson (Army Prep), 2-0
CR1 – LOSS DEC Shane Whitney (Drexel – UNA), 4-2