EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – As the dust settled on the NCAA Division II Super Region I Championships inside East Stroudsburg University's Koehler Fieldhouse on Saturday night, six grapplers from the 22nd-ranked Kutztown University wrestling team finished in the top three of their weight classes, qualifying for the NCAA Division II Championships.

Champion bracket qualifiers Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) and Freddie Retter (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) were joined by Nic Allison (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County), Joey Ortega (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson), Cole Casilio (Wilcox, Pa./Johnsonburg) and Wayne McIntyre (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg North) as the six representatives from the Golden Bears (6-4, 4-2 PSAC). As a team, Kutztown finished second with 129 total points.

The 125-pound Allison, who came in as a No. 2 seed behind the top-ranked wrestler in the country, never had to face him as he won four straight bouts to the consolation bracket championship title. His only loss, an 11-4 decision in the opening round, was easily made up for, as the redshirt junior got revenge in a six-minute, 19-2 technical fall to advance to the third-place match, where he won by fall and secured his first career NCAA Championship ticket.

Ortega, seeded sixth at 141 pounds, was eager to map his road to the finals, evident in the way he battled through each of his bouts on Saturday. The sophomore ran into a pair of ranked grapplers in the championship round, but defeated one of them to take an extra step in the consolation bracket. His two final bouts were both won in 4-1, sudden-victory decisions, both of which provided him with momentum he will look to carry into his first NCAA Championships.

The 174-pound Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) was the lone Golden Bear to win his weight class, as the 10th-ranked grappler at 174 pounds, who was initially given the second seed, found his way through his three bouts, earning a five and a half minute technical fall before sliding by in a second-round tiebreaker victory in the semifinal round. From there, the Bernville, Pa., native upset fifth-ranked Ty Morrison, 7-4, to claim the crown. It marks his third trip to nationals and his second top-three finish at regionals.

The 184-pound Casilio held the No. 2 seed as the eighth-ranked grappler in the country, and took care of business in four of five rounds to punch a ticket to nationals. The Gannon transfer and Wilcox, Pa., native notched a pair of bonus point victories in the opening two rounds, and used a pair of decisions to win the consolation bracket for a third-place finish.

McIntyre was dominant at 197 pounds, qualifying for his third straight national championship with three pins on the day. The third-seeded redshirt junior, ranked 11th in the country, had a pair of sub-minute pins, and while a close, 4-1 loss served as a roadblock on his way to his first Super Region title, he gained plenty of momentum to push him deep into the postseason.

Retter, a nationally ranked heavyweight grappler, once again came in under the radar as the third-seeded and 13th-ranked bracket buster, and, as usual, he delivered. After a shutout, quarterfinal major decision victory, the Quakertown, Pa., native upset Pitt-Johnstown's fourth-ranked Isaiah Vance by fall, securing a spot in the finals and in the national championship for the second straight year as he looks to defend his All-American title earned a season ago.

A trio of Kutztown grapplers were victims of close calls or loaded weight classes, as 133-pound Javien DeLeon (Allentown, Pa./Liberty), 149-pound Aliazer Alicea (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) and 14th-ranked 165-pound Bailey Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) finished in fourth, falling in the consolation finals.

The Maroon and Gold's second-place finish matched the 1996 and 2019 editions of the Super Regionals for the team's best-ever finish. The six national competitors match the same program-best mark from a season ago, while the team looks ahead to meet or exceed similar national records set last season.

Kutztown was preceded in the rankings by Super Region I Champion and fifth-ranked Gannon (175 pts.), with No. 4 Pitt-Johnstown (127.5 pts.), Millersville (74 pts.) and Seton Hill (65.5 pts.) rounding out the top five.

The Golden Bears' next stop will be the NCAA DII Wrestling Championships, which will be held at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Friday, March 13, and Saturday, March 14.

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NCAA DIVISION II SUPER REGION 1 CHAMPIONSHIPS
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 | EAST STROUDSBURG, PA. | KOEHLER FIELDHOUSE

#22 KUTZTOWN RESULTS
TEAM: 2nd/12 (129 pts.)
 
125 LBS. 
Nic Allison (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County) – No. 2 Seed
R1 – Loss by dec. to A. Wray-Hill (FROST), 11-4
CR1 – Won by tech. fall over M. Lowry (FEL), 15-0 [T – 1:46]
CQF – Won by fall over B. Carter (ESU), [T – 0:44]
CSF – Won by tech. fall to A. Wray-Hill (FROST), 19-2 [T – 6:00]
CF – Won by fall over G. Boland (MILL), [T – 2:51]
3RD PLACE – NATIONAL QUALIFIER

133 LBS.
Javien DeLeon (Allentown, Pa./Liberty) – No. 3 Seed
R1 – Bye
QF – Won by major dec. over K. Von Schmidt (SHIP), 10-0
SF – Loss by tech. fall to #2 J. Echevarria (GU), 20-3 [T – 5:13]
CSF – Won by dec. over T. Ragland (FAIR), 8-4
CF – Loss by dec. to B. Baker (UPJ), 5-4
4TH PLACE
 
141 LBS.
Joey Ortega (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson) – No. 6 Seed
R1 – Bye
QF – Won by dec. over #7 C. Ozias (UPJ), 10-4
SF – Loss by dec. to #4 C. Stoneking (FAIR), 6-4
CSF – Won by dec. over N. Cottone (MILL), 4-1 (SV-1)
CF- Won by dec. over C. Bell (FROST), 4-1 (SV-1)
3RD PLACE – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
 
149 LBS.
Aliazer Alicea (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) – No. 4 Seed
R1 – Won by fall over S. Hatfield (FAIR), [T – 2:35]
QF – Won by dec. over G. Heilbrun (FROST), 3-0
SF – Loss by fall to #3 M. Sarbo (UPJ), [T – 6:18]
CSF – Won by dec. over M. Trainor (SHIP), 11-5
CF – Loss by dec. to #9 T. Linsenbigler (SHU), 14-11
4TH PLACE
 
157 LBS.
Hunter Horton (James Creek, Pa./Tussey Mountain) – No. 16 Seed
R1 – Loss by dec. to #11 M. Zacur (SHU), 4-2
CR1 – Won by tech. fall over A. Lavish (SHIP), 20-4 [T – 6:04]
CQF – Loss by dec. to C. Warshel (UPJ), 4-1 (SV-1)
 
165 LBS.
#14 Bailey Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) – No. 4 Seed
R1 –Bye
QF – Won by tech. fall over C. Bish (MILL), 15-0 [T – 7:00]
SF – Loss by dec. to #5 G. MacKay (GU), 4-1
CSF – Won by major dec. over J. Quezada (FU), 13-1
CF – Loss by dec. to #13 T. Hoover (UPJ), 7-5
4TH PLACE
 
174 LBS.
#10 Dalton Gimbor (Bernville, Pa./Hamburg) – No. 2 Seed
R1 – Bye
QF – Won by tech. fall over K. Everly (SHIP), 20-5 [T – 5:22]
SF – Won by dec. over K. Kettering (SHU), 6-5 (TB-2)
F – Won by dec. over #5 T. Morrison (UPJ), 7-4
1ST PLACE – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
 
184 LBS
#8 Cole Casilio (Wilcox, Pa./Johnsonburg) – No. 2 Seed
R1 – Won by tech. fall over C. Lang (SHIP), 17-0 [T – 5:48]
QF – Won by major dec. over A. Aurand (MILL), 14-4
SF – Loss by dec. to #10 L. Ciampa (ESU), 8-5 (SV-1)
CSF – Won by dec. over N. Gnibus (UPJ), 7-4 (SV-1)
CF – Won by dec. over C. Durst (FAIR), 8-2
3RD PLACE – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
 
197 LBS
#11 Wayne McIntyre (East Stroudsburg, Pa./East Stroudsburg North) – No. 3 Seed
R1 – Bye
QF – Won by fall over D. Koser (SHIP), [T – 0:40]
SF – Loss by dec. to #10 J. Lyons (GU), 4-1
CSF – Won by fall over J. Burcher (WU), [T – 0:22]
CF – Won by fall over J. Townsend (MILL), [T – 4:11]
3RD PLACE – NATIONAL QUALIFIER
 
285 LBS
#13 Freddie Retter (Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown) – No. 3 Seed
R1 – Bye
QF – Won by major dec. over G. Bage (FROST), 10-0
SF- Won by fall over #4 I. Vance (UPJ), [T – 4:09]
F – Loss by fall to #2 D. Crosby (GU), [T – 1:50]
2ND PLACE – NATIONAL QUALIFIER