INDIANAPOLIS -- The 25th-ranked Kutztown wrestling team traveled to the University of Indianapolis to compete in Division II's premier regular season tournament, the 44th annual Midwest Classic, Saturday. No. 3 Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) advanced to the semifinals at 184 pounds as he pursues a title and Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) is in the consolation bracket at 165 pounds after reaching the quarterfinals.

Weinberg, a returning All-American, tore through the upper half of his bracket with a technical fall in the opening round followed by three consecutive pins. The Philadelphian defeated Findlay's Andrew Knick, 20-2 (5:21) to get things started. He needed just 1:10 to pin Coker's Duffy Mista in the second round, 3:44 to pin Tiffin's Lucas Salmon in the third and 1:42 to pin 12th-ranked Aidan Peterson of host UIndy in the quarterfinals.

Weinberg will face Central Missouri's Damon Ashworth in the semifinals, Sunday. The redshirt junior is one of just two ranked grapplers left in the weight class along with No. 5 Reece Worachek of Wisconsin-Parkside, who is in the semifinal on the bottom half of the bracket.

Gimbor started the season 11th in the NWCA's 165-pound individual rankings, but fell out in the most recent edition released on Dec. 4. If Saturday's performance is any indication, the Bernville, Pa., native should find himself back in very soon. Gimbor blanked Colorado Mesa's Tanner Baumgartner for a 15-0 (2:36) technical fall in the first round and backed that up with a 2:41 pin of No. 8 Brady Schuh (Wisconsin-Parkside) in the second round.

Second-ranked David Hunsberger of Lander, a 2023 All-American (fourth) and the NWCA Rookie of the Year, topped Gimbor by pin at 2:22 of their quarterfinal bout, but the Golden Bear entry will have a shot to advance to the consolation quarterfinals, Sunday, when he faces Maryville's Cole Ritter.

The duo of Weinberg and Gimbor were the only Kutztown representatives to advance to Sunday in a star-studded field. This weekend's tournament includes 21 of the top 25 teams in the latest NWCA Division II Poll along with 11 schools receiving votes just outside the top 25.

At 133 pounds, Javien DeLeon (Allentown, Pa./Liberty) collected a trio of wins. The redshirt freshman downed Mercyhurst's Nate Knowlton by major decision (11-2), Quincy's Perry Lake by technical fall (15-0, 6:42) and Limestone's Jaqion Williams by decision (4-2) before bowing out in a fourth round consolation match.

KU teammate Aliazer Alicea (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) also won three times before being ousted in the same round. Alicea registered a victory by major decision over Ashland's Gavin Weaver (11-0), pinned Seton Hill's Nikolas Ferra (1:46) and held off Western Colorado's Noah Kasprowicz by decision (6-3).

Heavyweight Dustin Swanson (New Holland, Pa./Garden Spot) won twice on the day, surpassing 10 points in consolation triumphs over Newman's De'leon Freeman (11-3) and Coker's Hamilton Cooper (12-6).

Trent Thompson (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) pinned Ouachita Baptist's Hayden Flaherty in 2:10 in his opening round bout at 125 lbs. and Ethan Baney (Hanover, Pa./South Western) edged Samuel Loera III of Adams State, 7-6, in a second round consolation at 174 lbs. to account for Kutztown's remaining wins.

The Golden Bears are currently tied for 19th of 51 teams at the tournament with 39 points. Top-ranked Lander paces the field with 83 points, 5.5 ahead of second place Central Oklahoma and six clear of third place Chadron State.

Sunday's action begins at 10 a.m.
 

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44TH ANNUAL MIDWEST CLASSIC
SATURDAY, DEC. 16, 2023 | INDIANAPOLIS, IND. | NICOSON HALL
KUTZTOWN RESULTS
 
125 LBS.
Trent Thompson (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern)
R1 – WIN PIN Hayden Flaherty (Ouachita Baptist), 2:10
R2 – LOSS PIN #8 Aaron Lucio (Grand Valley State), 1:14
CR2 – LOSS PIN Trey Finnearty (Limestone), 3:35
 
133 LBS.
Javien DeLeon (Allentown, Pa./Liberty)
R1 – WIN MD Nate Knowlton (Mercyhurst), 11-2
R2 – LOSS MD #9 James Davis (Upper Iowa), 13-4
CR2 – WIN TF Perry Lake (Quincy), 15-0 (6:42)
CR3 – WIN DEC Jaqion Williams (Limestone), 4-2
CR4 – LOSS DEC Ryan Wehner (Lake Erie), 12-5
 
141 LBS.
Aliazer Alicea (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township)
R1 – WIN MD Gavin Weaver (Ashland), 11-0
R2 – LOSS PIN Jak Keller (Grand Valley State), 4:36
CR2 – WIN PIN Nikolas Ferra (Seton Hill), 1:46
CR3 – WIN DEC Noah Kasprowicz (Western Colorado), 6-3
CR4 – LOSS DEC Taylor Robinson (Mount Olive), 10-3
 
149 LBS.
Andreo Ferraina (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth)
R1 – LOSS PIN #6 Jalen Spuhler (Wisconsin-Parkside), 2:50
CR1 – Bye
CR2 – LOSS TF Dillon Nichols (Drury), 20-3 (5:26)
 
157 LBS.
Sean Smith (Carlisle, Pa./Carlisle)
R1 – LOSS PIN Jake Nicolosi (Mount Olive), 3:34
CR1 – Bye
CR2 – LOSS DEC Sean Howk (Southwest Minnesota State), 5-4
 
165 LBS.
Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg)
R1 – Bye
R2 – WIN TF Tanner Baumgartner (Colorado Mesa), 15-0 (2:36)
R3 – WIN PIN #8 Brady Schuh (Wisconsin-Parkside), 2:41
QF – LOSS PIN #2 David Hunsberger (Lander), 2:22
CR6 – vs. Cole Ritter (Maryville), Sunday
 
174 LBS.
Ethan Baney (Hanover, Pa./South Western)
R1 – Bye
R2 – LOSS DEC Cole Hivnor (Gannon), 2-0
CR2 – WIN DEC Samuel Loera III (Adams State), 7-6
CR3 – LOSS PIN Lawson Losee (Upper Iowa), 4:20
 
184 LBS.
#3 Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan)
R1 – WIN TF Andrew Knick (Findlay), 20-2 (5:21)
R2 – WIN PIN Duffy Mista (Coker), 1:10
R3 – WIN PIN Lucas Salmon (Tiffin), 3:44
QF – WIN PIN #12 Aidan Petersen (UIndy), 1:42
SF – vs. Damon Ashworth (Central Missouri), Sunday
 
197 LBS.
Alex Ward (Manassas, Va./Battlefield)
R1 – Bye
R2 – LOSS PIN #9 Anthony Yacovetti (Lander), 0:57
CR2 – LOSS DEC Christian Poplous (Allen), 13-6
 
285 LBS.
Dustin Swanson (New Holland, Pa./Garden Spot)
R1 – Bye
R2 – LOSS TF Lloyd Reynolds (Wisconsin-Parkside), 20-5 (6:17)
CR2 – WIN MD De'leon Freeman (Newman), 11-3
CR3 – WIN DEC Hamilton Cooper (Coker), 12-6
CR4 – LOSS DEC Nathan Schauer (Northern State), 8-5