The Kutztown wrestling team has headed south to UNC

Kutztown University Wrestling
2004 NCAA East Regionals
Friday-Saturday, February 27-28, 2004

Bret Wade (so. Pheonixville/Pheonixville) placed fourth at the NCAA East Regional and will advance to the NCAA Championships on Friday-Saturday, March 12-13 at the University of Minnesota-Mankato. Wade was the high placer for the Golden Bears and is the only wrestler advancing to the NCAA's. Kutztown had a pair of wrestlers finish fifth. Jason Trupp was fifth at 133 and Roy Gecelosky (fr. Annville/Palmyra) was fifth at 174. Vinny Rufo (jr. Wind Gap/Pen Argyl) at 125, Craig Kunsman (jr. Bethlehem/Freedom) at 149 and Andy Freas (fr. Wescosville/Emmaus) at 285 all finished sixth. The Golden Bears finished seventh as a team with 45 points.

Official Tournament Web Page: click here

Team Standings
1. Pitt-Johnstown (UPJ) 135.5, 2. Mercyhurst (MC) 112, 3. UNC-Pembroke (UNCP) 110.5, 4. Shippensburg (SU) 80.5, 5. West Liberty State (WLSC) 70.5, 6. Gannon College (GC) 48.5, 7. Kutztown (KU) 45, 8. Anderson College (AC) 40, 9. American International (AI) 0.

Kutztown Individual Results
125
First round - #3 Doug Curnes (WLSC) dec. Vinny Rufo (KU), 4-1
Consolations - Rufo dec. Jason Parker (GU), 5-2
#4 Jamie Thomas (SU) dec. Rufo, 8-7
Fifth Place match - Chris Yentzer (UPJ) pinned Rufo, 2:29
Rufo places sixth.

133
First round - #2 Ryan Finn (MC) pinned Jason Trupp (KU), 4:26
Consolations - Trupp pinned Karl Richardson (GU), 4:02
#4 Sonny Phillip (SU) dec. Trupp, 10-7
Fifth Place match - Trupp wins by forfeit over Jeremiah Wilson (AC)
Trupp places fifth.

141
First round - #1 Jason Nestor (UPJ) pinned Sam Julian (KU), 3:46
Consolations - Corey King (MC) maj. dec. Julian, 9-0

149
First round - #1 Craig Kunsman (KU) dec. Josh Merry (AC), 9-2
Semifinals - #4 Zack Leathers (SU) wins by forfeit over #1 Kunsman
Consolations - Aaron Gunning (UNCP) wins by forfeit over #1 Kunsman
Fifth Place match - Will Tedder (MC) wins by forfeit over #1 Kunsman
Kunsman places sixth.

157
First round - Aaron Rowe (MC) dec. #3 Jamie Gill (KU), 3-1
Consolations - A.J. Sayles (GU) dec. #3 Gill, 9-3

165
First round - #4 Tommy Clark (WLSC) dec. Kevin Kalbach (KU), 9-2
Consolations - Eric Slugantz (GU) dec. Kalbach, 4-2

174
First round - Paul Bergman (MC) dec. #4 Roy Gecelosky (KU), 6-0
Consolations - #4 Gecelosky dec. Alfonzo Richardson (UNCP), 5-1
#2 Careef Robertson (AC) dec. #4 Gecelosky, 5-2
Fifth Place match - #4 Gecelosky maj. dec. Jamie Bolen (WLSC), 14-4
Gecelosky places fifth.

184
First round - #1 Derek Brunson (UNCP) pinned Nick Detwieler (KU), 6:44
Consolations - Matt Dollar (AC) pinned Detweiler, 5:01

197
First round - #4 Bret Wade (KU) dec. Dan Shields (GU), 7-6
Semifinals - #1 Howard Bell (UPJ) dec. #4 Wade, 5-2
Consolations - #4 Wade pinned Jared Dubbs (SU), 2:34
Third place match - #3 Corey Winston (UNCP) dec. #4 Wade, 8-5
Wade advances to NCAA Championships with fourth place finish.

285
First round - #3 Angelo Caponi (MC) maj. dec. Andy Freas (KU), 8-0
Consolations - Freas pinned Chris Wolski (GU), 1:31
#4 Josh Woodruff (UNCP) dec. Freas, 5-0
Fifth Place match - Dave Kocevar (SU) dec. Freas, 3-2
Freas places sixth.

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
The Kutztown wrestling team has headed south to UNC-Pembroke for the NCAA East Regional Tournament. Action is scheduled to begin Friday evening and continue on Saturday, February 28th. None of the KU entries have placed at the Regional tournament, with several making their first career appearances at the event. But, the Golden Bears do have several wrestlers looking to place prominently this season. The tournament web site and capsules on several KU grapplers are below.

Kutztown Capsules
Vinny Rufo - 125-lbs. - junior, Wind Gap/Pen Argyl
On the season, Rufo has accumulated a record of 14-9 overall and 9-4 in dual matches. He is 14-8 at 125, with one loss coming at 133. He has two wins by fall and a pair of major decisions. Rufo placed third at the Kutztown Invitational. He enters the tournament with 27 career wins.

Craig Kunsman - 149-lbs. - junior, Bethlehem/Feedom
Kunsman seeded first at the East Regional and is the only nationally ranked wrestler on the KU. Wrestling exclusively at 149 this season, he has tallied a record of 16-5 overall and 10-1 in duals. In all, 12 of his 16 wins have come by fall (fastest: 00:30). Kunsman won the Kutztown Invitational earlier this season for his second career championship at the event. He enters the tournament with a career record of 34-15 with 21 pins.

Jamie Gill - 157-lbs. - junior, Coatesville/Coatesville
Gill enters the tournament seeded third at 157-lbs. His record is 15-8 overall and 11-3 in duals. Gill has four falls, two major decisions and one technical fall to his credit. He placed second at the KU Invitational after placing third as a sophomore. Gill enters the tournament with a record of 36-23 with nine pins.

Roy Gecelosky - 174-lbs. - freshman, Annville/Palmyra
Gecelosky is the fourth seeded wrestler in the 174-lb. bracket. He enters the tournament with a record of 12-11 overall and 8-5 in duals. Gecelosky has split time between 165, 174 and 184. He has four wins by fall and placed sixth at the Kutztown Invitational.

Bret Wade - 197-lbs. - sophomore, Pheonixville/Phoenixville
Wade enters the tournament seeded fourth at 197. He has been slowed by injury of late, but still enters the tournament with an overall record of 15-10 and is 9-4 in duals. Seven of his 15 wins came by fall. Wade placed sixth at the Empire State Open and third at the Kutztown Invitational. As a freshman, he placed first at the Montclair Invitational. He enters the tournament with a career record of 28-18 with 11 pins.

Andy Freas - 285-lbs. - redshirt freshman, Wescosville/Emmaus
Freas has run up a record of 18-10 during his first season of competition. His 18 wins lead all Kutztown wrestlers. Freas has scored 12 wins by fall and has a mark of 10-5 in duals. He placed sixth at the Empire State Open, second at the Kutztown Invitational and fourth at the PSAC Championships.