MANHEIM, Pa. -- Five members of the Kutztown University wrestling team were named 2023 National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) DII Scholar All-Americans. Andreo Ferraina (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth), Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg), Hunter Horton (James Creek, Pa./Tussey Mountain), Alex Ward (Manassas, Va./Battlefield), and Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) were the Golden Bears tabbed for the recognition.

In order to be eligible for the award, student-athletes must have a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale. The benchmark for those who qualified for the 2023 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship is a 3.25 GPA, while All-Americans had to maintain a 3.0. Wrestlers also had to have competed in four dates of competition. 

As a team, the Golden Bears finished the regular season with a 7-5 record, capped off by a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Super Region I Championships. Both Weinberg and Gimbor represented KU at the NCAA Division II Championship, with Weinberg earning All-American status and placing fourth at 184-pounds. That duo both earned All-PSAC nods as well.

Horton, a redshirt freshman, competed at the 165 and 174-pound weight classes and finished with a 7-8 overall record, including two pins. Ferraina, also a redshirt freshman, competed at 125 and 133-pounds, finishing with a 6-4 record. Ward, a freshman, wrestled at 174 and 184-pounds, finishing his first collegiate season with a 6-6 record.