KUTZTOWN, Pa. – With four regional placewinners, two national qualifiers and an All-American back in the fold, there's no reason Kutztown University wrestling can't duplicate or exceed last season's postseason success. The Golden Bears will take the first step on their journey through the 2023-24 season, Saturday, at the Glenville State Invitational.
 
Redshirt junior Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) is coming off another outstanding campaign, which ended with a fourth-place finish at nationals and his first All-America honor. The Philadelphian tore through the regular season with an unblemished 22-0 record and came within a win of defending his 184-pound Super Region 1 title.
 
Weinberg qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships for the second straight season. He bounced back from a first-round loss to win four straight matches, including a pin of top-ranked Billy Higgins (Nebraska-Kearney), in reaching the consolation final. Weinberg finished with a 28-3 record and led the Bears with 14 pins and four technical falls. Weinberg has won 37 of his 43 career matches with the Bears, good for an 86.0 winning percentage.
 
Joining Weinberg at nationals last year was Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg). The redshirt sophomore from Bernville, Pa., surpassed 20 wins (21-10), placed third at regionals in the 165-pound weight class and won a pair of matches at the NCAA Championships. Gimbor, who manufactured five pins and five major decisions, should be primed to take a step forward this year after getting a taste of elite DII competition. He faced six nationally ranked opponents in 2022-23.
 
Weinberg and Gimbor are ranked by both the NWCA and The Open Mat to start the season. Weinberg holds third in both polls, while Gimbor is 11th in the NWCA Poll and 13th in The Open Mat's Poll.
 
Bailey Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) was listed 20th in The Open Mat's 157-pound rankings, a sign of respect for the type of season he was having prior to suffering an injury at the KU Duals that cost him more than a month of action. Gimbor was 12-1 with a pair of tournament titles and riding an eight-match winning streak when he was injured in a match against American International, Jan. 7. He worked hard to get back on the mat in time for the Super Region 1 Championships and advanced to the semifinals before settling for a sixth-place finish.
 
There may be no Golden Bear hungrier than senior Ethan Baney (Hanover, Pa./South Western). Strong seasons in each of the last two campaigns have ended in heartbreak for the Hanover, Pa., native. A pair of fourth-place regional finishes in 2022 (165 lbs.) and 2023 (174 lbs.) kept Baney one spot shy of qualifying for nationals each season. Baney, who has 32 career wins and 11 pins to his credit, would love nothing more than to go out with a regional title and shot to compete for a national championship this season.
 
Outside of its four regional placewinners, Kutztown and head coach Robert Fisher will be looking for returners and newcomers alike to step in and fill spots in a dual lineup that produced a 7-5 overall record (3-4 PSAC).
 
Heavyweight Dustin Swanson (New Holland, Pa./Garden Spot) was the lone grappler outside of Baney, the Gimbors and Weinberg to win more than 10 matches a season ago (12-11). The redshirt sophomore went 6-4 in duals and 3-4 against PSAC competition.
 
Julien Maldonado (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) (125), Sean Smith (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle) (157) and Trent Thompson (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) (dropping down to 125 this year) all appeared in at least five duals for the Maroon and Gold.
 
A handful of Golden Bears that redshirted as true freshmen last year showed plenty of promise in early season open tournaments. Nic Allison (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County), a 125-pounder from Lewistown, Pa., placed at three tournaments, including runner-up at the ESU Open and third at the Bob Quade Cyclone Open. Wayne McIntyre (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg North), who plans to wrestle at heavyweight, won the 197 lb. title at the ESU Open in his collegiate debut. Aliazer Alica, a Lancaster, Pa., native, reached the 141 lb. final at the "Shorty" Hitchcock Memorial Open.
 
There are seven freshmen joining the Golden Bears this year: Richard DeRick (Westfield, N.J./Westfield), Jared Fulton (Nottingham, Pa./Solanco), Dominick Interrante (Wall Township, N.J./Wall), Jeremy McKinney (Nottingham, Pa./Oxford Area), Ty Pfizenmayer (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley), Luke Poore (New Castle, Del./Caravel Academy) and Cooper Price (Exeter, Pa./Wyoming Area). Poore was a four-time Delaware state champion at Caravel Academy and set the state all-time wins record with 183. Price placed fourth in the PIAA Class AA Championships at 152 lbs. last season and was a two-time state qualifier at Wyoming Area High School. Fulton (Solanco) twice qualified for the PIAA Class AAA Tournament, Pfizenmayer (Saucon Valley) was a two-time PIAA Class AA qualifier and McKinney (Oxford Area) advanced to last year's PIAA Class AAA Tournament. DeRick and Interrante were NJSIAA regional qualifiers.
 
Kutztown added a few new events to its schedule this season, including the season-opening Glenville State Invitational, which should feature heightened competition with multiple ranked teams in attendance. The Bears then head to Millersville for the "Shorty" Hitchcock Classic, Nov. 18, before getting their dual season underway at home against PSAC foe Seton Hill, Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m.
 
Fisher's crew will also travel to the 44th Midwest Classic hosted by the University of Indianapolis right before the holiday break (Dec. 16-17). Home duals against perennial PSAC favorite Pitt-Johnstown on Friday, Feb. 2, and East Stroudsburg (Senior Night) on Thursday, Feb. 15, highlight the post-holiday dual slate.
 
Kutztown will serve as host of the 2024 NCAA DII Super Region 1 Championships at Keystone Arena on Saturday, March 2, with the NCAA DII Championships set for March 15-16 at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kan. The top three regional finishers from each weight class will advance to the national tournament.