On Friday, Dec. 11, the Shippensburg University wrestling team traveled to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania to take on the seventh ranked Division III powerhouse, Messiah College. The short 33-mile trek down the road led to another tough loss for the Red Raiders.
In the 28-10 loss, Shippensburg falls to a 1-4 team record on the season, with an eighth place finish at the PSAC Championships just six days prior to the battle at Messiah.
The night began with a 125-pound bout in which Shippensburg’s freshman, David Reagan, went head to head with the highest ranked wrestler at 125-pounds in all of Division III, junior Lucas Malmberg. Reagan evaded getting stuck on his back by battling hard and keeping the match to a tech fall, saving the team one point.
The only three victories the Raiders obtained came consecutively starting with, junior Dante Steffenino’s 13-0 major decision over Messiah’s Josh Whitelaw at 133-pounds. This victory pushed the Raiders to a 4-5 team score headed into the third bout.
Steffenino’s victory, which started a chain of three consecutive wins for Shippensburg, was important to the team’s fight. The second Raiders’ victory of the evening came as junior Karl Lightner fought hard and defeated Messiah’s Lee Cassel in a close 4-3 decision.
This was followed by the last Shippensburg victory of the meet with sophomore Cody Blankenship’s 6-3 decision over Messiah’s Greg Kabakjian at the 149-pound weight class.
After the three impressive wins for the Red Raiders, the team commanded a strong lead over Messiah at 5-10. The evening continued as Shippensburg fell in its next six bouts, ending the night at 28-10. The highly imposing Messiah squad has multiple top ranked wrestlers in the NCAA Division III field, making the battle difficult for the Raiders.
At 184-pounds, sophomore Hunter Fenk battled hard against reigning national qualifier, Ben Swarr of Messiah. In the close bout, Fenk proved his resilience as he fell 7-2, keeping it to a close decision.
The Raiders squad looks to improve on the 1-4 start to the season, as they take on Seton Hill and Belmont Abbey in a double header on Jan. 5 at Heiges Field House.
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