Golden Bears hope to back up historic season
The Kutztown University wrestling team comes off an historic season from a year ago. It donned a twotime national champion, celebrated multiple All-Americans and established itself as one of the region’s elite. The Golden Bears retool this year with as many newcomers as returners, but expectations remain the same of peaking at the postseason and bringing home hardware from the National Championships.
As a team, the Golden Bears improved by a win from the year before with a 12-6 record for second place in the final Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) standings. Individually, they thrived at the regional tournament with place winners in eight of 10 weight classes, held four national qualifiers, two All-Americans and a reigning, two-time national champion.
It was a year to remember for KU wrestling, one that had been in the making for some time.
“Last year was a product of years in the making,” head coach Robert Fisher said. “We had a lot of guys develop over the last couple of years, and it took great effort to get to that point of success. We had three, fifth-year seniors peak at the right time to lead us to nationals, and I couldn’t have been prouder of our effort last year, both individually and as a team.”
Fisher enters his 16th season at the helmof the Golden Bear wrestling program. Over the past 15 years, Fisher has amassed a dual meet record of 163-81-2 (.667). His wrestlers have earned 15 All-America honors and have won four national championships.
Fisher has one of the youngest groups he has had this year with 17 returners and 17 newcomers on the roster. He graduated the most decorated wrestler in program history last year in twotime national champ Ziad Haddad (Orefield, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic (North Carolina)), but is confident that this year’s group is ready to take the torch and run with it, all the way to Sioux Falls, S.D., the site of this year’s NCAA National Championships.
“We have some very good wrestlers and it is going to be an excellent year for our program,” Fisher said. “I feel we are in a bit of a retooling mode with a lot of new faces in the lineup, but we are hopeful that these will be very capable wrestlers for us. We reached the pinnacle for our program last year, and we are starting to build toward that again.”
Matt Martoccio (Kintnersville/Council Rock South (Lock Haven)) will lead the Golden Bears this year as a returning All-American. The 157-pound redshirt senior made the most of his first trip to nationals last year with a valiant seventhplace effort. He won a career-high 28 matches (sixthmost in a season in school history), and enters his final season ranked 13th in program history with 61 career wins with a chance to crack the top-three.
“It takes a lot of factors - luck, being healthy, peaking at the right time - but Matt is in a position to absolutely challenge for a national title,” Fisher said.
KU returns 2012 national qualifier Brandan Clark (Audubon, Pa./Methacton). A fifth-year senior like Martoccio, Clark has trained hard and is ready to overcome some bad luck from late last year in hopes of closing his career on a high note.
Martoccio and Clark are two of Kutztown’s four team captains this year, along with Collin Schildt (Thurmont, Md./Catoctin) and Ryan Krecker (Nazareth/Nazareth Area (Campbell)).
Kutztown’s success on the national stage has it in the conversation as one of the top teams in Super Region 1. Mercyhurst enters the year ranked fourth in Division II, and Pitt-Johnstown enters the year ranked sixth with a new-look, but talented team that should contend nationally right away.
Fisher is excited about two new tournaments on the schedule this year. After the New Year, KU travels to the Virginia Duals on Jan. 8-9 and to the Super Region Duals at Coker College in Hartsville, S.C. Both invites will give KU some new competition than it normally faces, all in hopes of peaking at the end of the year.
“We always to try to peak for regionals, and all of these tournaments allow us to do that,” Fisher said. “That will be really important for us this year for guys that have the ability to be All-Americans, and maybe national champions.”
125
Kutztown welcomes twin brothers that will highlight its first two weight classes, hopefully, for years to come. Both held winning records at Ursinus College as true freshmen last year, and with a year of college wrestling under their belts, should bring a lot of energy and competition to the low weights.
Austin Petril (Clifton Heights/Upper Darby (Ursinus)) is slotted as Kutztown’s projected starter at 125 pounds. KU carries just three 125-pounders, so Petril’s added experience should help build the class throughout the year.
Freshman Travis Smith (Wind Gap, Pa./Nazareth) can wrestle anywhere from 125 to 141. Hewill be a strong backup for KU and should challenge for starting time as well.
133
Kutztown will have a pair of talented underclassmen battling each other for starting time throughout the season at 133 pounds, both of whom trained on college campuses last year.
Anthony Petril (Clifton Heights, Pa./Upper Darby (Ursinus)) joins the Golden Bears after competing at Ursinus last year. Zach Ulerick (Middletown, Pa./Middletown Area) redshirted last year as a freshman and was one of KU’s top recruits a year ago. He was a multiple state place winner, put on weight and improved during his redshirt year. Look for great competition and growth from these two.
141
Travis Roper (Kingston/ Wyoming Valley West) put together one of the best freshman debuts in program his- tory last year. At 133 pounds, he won 16 matches with nine pins, 10th in KU single-season history, and was one win away from finishing fourth at regionals and becoming a national qualifier.
Roper moves to 141 pounds this year, is ranked fifth in the region in the preseason poll, and has trained hard to grow into the class. Fisher notes the added strength he has seen from Roper and expects him to contend in the region at 141.
Junior Matt Benvenuto (Stanhope, N.J./Lenape Valley Regional) won a careerhigh 17 matches last year, but will redshirt this year before starting the second half of his collegiate career in 2016-17.
Freshman Bruno Gerardi ( Wood-Ridge, N. J./ Don Bosco Preparatory) will provide backup and support at the class.
149
Redshirt junior Joe Esposito (Sewell, N. J./Saint Augustine Prep) has been plagued with injuries the last year, but returns to the mat in hopes of returning to his All-PSAC form of 2013. He is ranked fourth in the region in the preseason poll and is expected to begin competing in the first month of the season, but will be eased into the lineup.
Taking over at 149 will be redshirt freshman Jalen Palmer (Milford/Delaware Valley). Palmer was a top recruit of KU’s last year and took the fall semester off to serve in the military. He stepped onto campus last spring, will continue his redshirt year through the fall, and surely will be anxious to compete in the second semester in January. He was a multiple state place winner and has a bright future ahead as a Golden Bear.
While Palmer concludes his redshirt in the fall, and until Esposito is back to 100 percent, freshman David Migliaccio (Long Valley, N.J./ West Morris Central) will step in as Kutztown’s starter at 149. Migliaccio is a talented newcomer who could easily contend for spot starts throughout the year.
157
Matt Martoccio (Kintnersville, Pa./Council Rock South (Lock Haven)) has his sights set on ruling 157 pounds not just on the Golden Bears, but in the country. His storybook finish to last season was capped with his first career All-America honor, but Martoccio is focused on taking the next step. He learned last year the mental toughness required to win big matches, and should be one of the favorites in all of Division II this year. He enters the year ranked fourth in the Division II Preseason Poll.
165
Ryan Krecker (Nazareth,/ Nazareth Area (Campbell)) will start the season at 174 for the first semester, but will eventually fall into 165 for the second stretch of the year. Krecker did well in his first year with KU last year. In just one semester, he won 11 matches and placed fifth at regionals, missing a national bid by one place. Krecker is ranked fourth in the region at 165 in the preseason poll.
In the meantime, prior to Krecker dropping to 165 at the turn of the calendar year, the class will present opportunity to Kutztown’s youth to gain collegiate experience. Look for freshmen Christian Gayle (Harrisburg, Pa./ Harrisburg), James Meyer (Downingtown/Downingtown East) and Ethan Stever (Reading/Exeter) to step in at 165 to start the year.
174
Krecker will start the year at 174, but once the spring semester hits, Joe Balboni (Springfield, N.J./Jonathan Dayton (Old Dominion)) will fill in as KU’s 174-pounder. After transferring from Old Dominion University last winter and required to gain a full year of residency at KU before competing, Balboni becomes one of the most highly-touted recruits in the history of the program.
184
Kutztown is riddled with young talent at 184 pounds, so expect to see numerous faces gaining experience throughout the year. Returners Julio Arredondo (Wyomissing/Wyomissing Area) and Collin Schildt (Thurmont, Md./Catoctin) aim to lead the young group of newcomers, including Shane Boyer (West Chester, Pa./ West Chester Rustin) and Thomas Alcaro (Emmaus/ Emmaus), as all four are worthy candidates of earning starting time.
Redshirt freshman Charlie Livingston (Drexel Hill/ Upper Darby) will also be in the starting mix and can provide depth as a solid backup at both 184 and 197 pounds.
197
Brandan Clark (Audubon,/Methacton) has won 47 matches in his career at KU with an abundance of postseason experience. He placed fourth at regionals as
a freshman in 2012, becoming a national qualifier, but has had some hard luck on the mat the last two years. Fisher knows that no one has worked harder over the last four years than Clark, and is hoping that this is the year that Clark can finally reap the benefits of it.
Clark is ranked third in the region in the preseason poll at 197.
Erik DeJonge (Old Bridge, N.J./Old Bridge) enters his third year with the program and should see time throughout the year at 197 as well.
285
Ryan Appleby (Belvidere, N.J./Belvidere) is the one guy who Fisher feels could have
a breakout year at heavyweight. He was fortunate to have the best training partner in the country for the last two years, and has all the tools to succeed on the big stage. Fisher notes that Appleby gave Haddad some of his toughest matches last year, right in KU’s own wrestling room, so look for that priceless experience to hopefully pay immediate dividends.
There will be great competition among two underclassman at heavyweight. Along with Appleby, Christian Jenco (Mahwah, N.J./ Bergen Catholic) redshirted last year as a freshman. He was a state place winner in New Jersey andwill compete for starting time.