Andrew Dunn Jr. Wins 285-Pound National Championship

Kutztown University redshirt sophomore Andrew Dunn Jr. wrote a new chapter in Golden Bear wrestling history Saturday night, edging Nebraska-Kearney's Jarrod Hinrichs, 2-1, to claim the 2019 NCAA Division II 285-pound National Championship at the Wolstein Center.

Dunn Jr. is the fifth KU grappler to win a national championship all-time and first since 2015.

The former Bethlehem Catholic standout joined Kutztown this season after going 20-11 and qualifying for the NCAA Division I Championships last season as a freshman at Virginia Tech. Dunn Jr.'s immense talent showed right away as he opened the season with seven consecutive victories, many against DI competitors.

Dunn Jr. would only drop two matches on the entire season (26-2), both to DI opponents, and finished the year with 18 straight wins to claim Super Region I and NCAA DII championships.

After advancing to the semifinals Friday, Dunn Jr., ranked fourth by the NWCA, met up with top-ranked Kameron Teacher of Notre Dame (Ohio) in the semifinals Saturday morning. Dunn Jr. quickly jumped to a 6-3 lead with three takedowns and increased his advantage over last year's national-runner up to 7-3 with an escape 19 seconds into the second.

Two penalty points in the final 1:26 of the third allowed Teacher to get within a point, but Dunn Jr. earned his spot in the national final with a 7-6 decision.

The national championship match between Dunn Jr. and fifth-ranked Hinrichs was much more defensive, though Kutztown's entry tried to be the aggressor early on. Hinrichs was called for stalling twice with the latter resulting in a penalty point that put Dunn Jr. in front.

Hinrich's started from the bottom in the second and escaped nine seconds into the period to tie the score at one. Dunn Jr. countered with an escape from bottom nine seconds into the third to restore his one-point lead. Though he was hit with a stall warning in the final 10 seconds, the clock ran out and Dunn Jr. had his national title with a 2-1 decision.