EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – The 20th-ranked Kutztown University wrestling team topped off their regular season with a 36-12 victory over the East Stroudsburg Warriors on Wednesday night inside the Koehler Fieldhouse, propelling them into the postseason as winners of five straight duals.
The Golden Bears (11-1, 5-1 PSAC) emphasized their victory with three pins in the last four bouts, the quickest of which came in 59 seconds courtesy of second-ranked Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) at 184 pounds. The Warriors (7-5, 1-5 PSAC) collected 12 points via a forfeit victory at 125 pounds and a pin at 197.
It was smooth sailing for KU, as no contest was decided by more than four points, which came in a 133-pound decision in favor of Kutztown's Javien DeLeon (Allentown, Pa./Liberty). Major decisions were featured in three of the following four bouts, with Joey Ortega (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson) (18-5 at 141 lbs.), Aliazer Alicea (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) (13-3 at 157 lbs.) and No. 12 Bailey Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) (15-6 at 165 lbs.) taking care of business and earning four team points apiece.
No. 10 Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) (2:54) and Weinberg claimed pins before the Warriors snapped back with a 197-pound fall of their own, but Freddie Retter (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) made sure to close the season on the right foot with a first-period pin for the cherry on top.
The Maroon and Gold close the regular season with 11 wins for the 10th time under head coach Robert Fisher, producing the second-best winning percentage (.917) of his career in his 24th season at the helm of the program.
The Golden Bears will head into the postseason with high hopes, as they currently have four ranked grapplers in the Gimbor brothers, 149-pound Jimmy Ryan (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) and Weinberg, one of the top overall wrestlers in the nation. They begin their postseason at the NCAA Super Region I Championships in Fairmont, W. Va., on March 1.
#20 KUTZTOWN 36, EAST STROUDSBURG 12
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20, 2025 | EAST STROUDSBURG, PA. | KOEHLER FIELDHOUSE
125: Josh Jasionowicz (ESU) won by forfeit, 6-0 ESU
133: Javien DeLeon (Allentown, Pa./Liberty) (KU) dec. Evan Thompson (ESU) (10-6), 6-3 ESU
141: Joey Ortega (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson) (KU) maj. dec. Ben Makaritis (ESU) (18-5), 7-6 KU
149: #15 Jimmy Ryan (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell) (KU) dec. Austin Noe (ESU) (7-1), 10-6 KU
157: Aliazer Alicea (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) (KU) maj. dec. Gavin Reynolds (ESU) (13-3), 14-6 KU
165: #12 Bailey Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) (KU) maj. dec. Anthony Lawrence (ESU) (15-6), 18-6 KU
174: #10 Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) (KU) pinned Robert Burke (ESU) (2:54), 24-6 KU
184: #2 Matthew Weinberg (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) (KU) pinned Augustus Warke (ESU) (0:59), 30-6 KU
197: Matt Richardson (ESU) pinned Ty Pfizenmayer (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley) (KU) (4:49), 30-12 KU
285: Freddie Retter (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) (KU) pinned Layton Schmick (ESU) (2:09), 36-12 KU
Exhibitions
157: Hunter Horton (James Creek, Pa./Tussey Mountain) (KU) dec. Marc Kleyman (ESU) (10-3)
174: Ryan Schimpf (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) (KU) dec. Brendan Ridge (ESU) (11-7)
184: Max Winkler (ESU) inj. def. Alex Ward (Manassas, Va./Battlefield) (KU)
