EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The 11th-ranked Kutztown University wrestling team sat atop the standings at the end of the 57th East Stroudsburg Open wrestling tournament, leading the field with 222 points and three top finishes in Sunday's competition against 33 teams at the Koehler Fieldhouse.
The Golden Bears, who won their second tournament in as many seasons, placed in all but one weight class, while three brackets featured multiple top-six finishers from Kutztown's deep roster.
KU picked up first-place finishes from Bailey Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) at 165 lbs., No. 2 Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) at 184 lbs. and No. 11 Wayne McIntyre (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg North) at 197 lbs. Weinberg used technical falls and pins to win the 184-pound division, including a 20-4 technical fall victory over opponent Luke Ciampa, while McIntyre rode four pins into a 10-4 decision over Wyoming Seminary's Anthony Bruscino.
The Gimbor brothers moved up a weight class after earning top-10 rankings at their previous weights. Bailey, ranked third in the 157-pound class, claimed first in the 165-pound bracket following a 17-2 technical fall victory over Drexel's Ty Borkowski. Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg), a seventh-ranked 165-pound wrestler, held the top seed on the day at 174 pounds but was upset by Jasiah Queen in the final round with a 14-3 major decision win.
Freshman Logan Roman (Matawan, N.J./Old Bridge) took fifth place in his first outing with the Maroon and Gold, recording a major decision over unattached wrestler Gavin Boland in the finals of the 125-pound consolation bracket. Redshirt junior Andreo Ferraina (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth) and redshirt sophomore Javien DeLeon (Allentown, Pa./Liberty) claimed fifth and sixth in the 133-pound bracket, respectively, while 141-pound grappler Jared Fulton (Nottingham, Pa./Solanco) fell in the consolation finals to finish sixth overall.
Gannon transfer and 10th-ranked 149-pound wrestler Jimmy Ryan (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) finished the day with an 8-0 decision in the third-place bout against East Stroudsburg's Brian Lombardi. In addition to Bailey Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) claiming first in the 165-pound bracket, sophomore Jeremy McKinney (Nottingham, Pa./Oxford Area) finished fourth after losing to third-place Chase Bish. Roman Moser (Eagleville, Pa./Methacton) ended the day in the same spot after a pin from opposing grappler Keegan Ramsay at 174 pounds, while teammate Alex Ward (Manassas, Va./Battlefield) won the consolation bracket with back-to-back wins over East Stroudsburg wrestlers.
Redshirt sophomore Liam Akers (Annandale, N.J./North Hunterdon) fell in his second consecutive close defeat to unattached opponent Shane Whitney with a 6-5 decision in the third-place match. He fell in the semifinal round of the championship bracket with a 4-1 sudden victory decision in favor of 12th-ranked 285-pound grappler Layton Schmick, who finished second in the class.
Kutztown outpaced the field, with East Stroudsburg (146 points) finishing in a distant second and Centenary (100 points) rounding out the top three. KU was the only school to claim multiple first-place finishes while being one of three teams to eclipse the 100-point threshold.
The Golden Bears next hit the mats in a pair of Sunday afternoon dual meets against Fairmont State (1:00 p.m.) and Frostburg State (2:30 p.m.) on Nov. 17 in Fairmont, W. Va. They host their first home dual of the season against Felician on Thursday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m. at Keystone Arena.
