ROANOKE, Va. (March 11, 2023) – Senior Hunter Gutierrez finished fourth at 149 to lead the Stevens Institute of Technology wrestling team Saturday on the final day of the 2023 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championship.

Senior Kyle Slendorn (141) and junior Stefan Major (174) each finished fifth in their respective weight classes and first-year Ryan Smith finished eighth at 157 to round out the Ducks' place-winners. 

As a team, the Ducks amassed 49.5 points to finish seventh, marking the program's second straight top-10 finish, and the third-highest finish in program history. The Ducks' four All-Americans are the most in program history (the team had seven National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Americans following the cancellation of the 2020 National Championship).

Augsburg University had seven All-Americans and one national champion en route to amassing 101 points to win the team national championship.

The All-America recognition is the first for both Gutierrez and Smith, while Slendorn and Major earned their fourth and second national accolade, respectively. 

Gutierrez drew a tough assignment in his first bout of the day, taking on top-seeded Michael Petrella of Baldwin Wallace. Leading 1-0 after a second-period escape, Petrella scored a takedown with just six seconds left in the match to eek out a 3-0 decision victory. The three points Petrella scored were ultimately the fewest points the eventual national champion scored in any match in the tournament.

After falling to the consolation bracket, Gutierrez quickly rebounded, scoring a 9-6 victory over third-seeded Thomas Monn of McDaniel. Gutierrez rallied after falling behind 6-2 in the first period, outscoring Monn 5-0 in the final stanza to earn the victory. Gutierrez's day came to a close with a 6-1 setback to second-seeded Hayden Brown of Johnson & Wales in the third-place match. Competing in his first national tournament, Gutierrez had a pair of pins in cementing his first All-America honor.

Slendorn, joined alumnus Brett Kaliner, in being a four-time All-American. The Ramtown, New Jersey native began his day with a 4-0 shutout eight-seeded James Rodriguez to reach the consolation semifinal. Unfortunately, Slendorn dropped a 5-4 decision to the bracket's second seed, Jacob Reed of Ohio Northern, with the riding time point serving as the difference in the match. In the fifth-place match, Slendorn closed out his season in a big way, pinning the bracket's top seed, Wartburg's Zayren Terukina in the third period.

True to his name, Major begam his final day of competition in a big way, scoring a 10-0 major decision over Muhlenberg's unseeded Anson Dewar. Major advanced to the consolation semifinal and dropped a hard-fought 8-6 decision to sixth-seeded Charlie Grygas (SUNY Oswego), 8-6. Major rallied from an early 5-2 to pull within two points after Grygas was whistled for his second stall, but Major was unable to score a takedown in the final minute in dropping the match. Major concluded his season in a positive way, however, scoring an 8-5 decision over Coe's L.J. Richardson in the fifth-place match. After connecting on three takedowns in the opening period, Major reversed out of the bottom position at the start of the final period for an important two points. Now a multi-time All-American, Major improved his final standing by two places from his 2022 placement (seventh).

Smith dropped a pair of matches Saturday to conclude his successful 2023 season. Facing his third straight seeded opponent, Smith dropped a 7-0 decision to fall into the seventh-place match. In his final match of the day, Williams' Peter Kane pinned Smith in the first period to send Smith into eighth place. A regional champion and a conference runner-up, Smith is just the fourth wrestler in program history to an All-America recognition as a first-year student-athlete. 

As a team, Stevens tied for second with six pins. The Ducks also finished fourth with 136 match points. Individually, Slendorn tied for second with three pins to bring his season total to 20.

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