The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown traveled to the home gym of Heiges Field House to take on the Shippensburg University Red Raiders in PSAC action.

The evening was Shippensburg’s senior night, in which it congratulated its seniors on their wrestling and academic careers at the university.

Before the wrestling began, senior Mark Lentz was commemorated by home fans, friends and family, along with sophomore Colin Ochs, who, due to injuries, cannot further his wrestling career.

The No. 3 ranked Pitt-Johnstown team controlled the evening with eight victories out of 10 bouts, giving the team a victory over Shippensburg, 37-9.

Amongst the flash and glamor of senior night, sophomore Evan Ramos collected his 40th career win in a tight 5-3 decision over his opponent, who is ranked No. 6 in the region.

Not only did Ramos win in incredible fashion, but he also holds a team high 19-1 season record with 12 consecutive victories under his belt, heading into the postseason.

The other lone victory on the evening for the Red Raiders came at the 164-pound weight class with a quick pin by redshirt freshman Shane Springer, taking down his adversary, No. 3 ranked wrestler in the region John Blankenship.

In the impressive win, Springer was able to pin Blankenship in only 51 seconds, making it the second consecutive bout where Springer has picked up a pin for his team.

The Shippensburg University wrestling team wrestled away at Kutztown University’s Keystone Arena on Feb. 12.

The Red Raiders were able to pick up four victories en route to the unfortunate team loss, 22-12.

In the final duel meet of the regular season, Shippensburg wrestled hard, forcing the lead to teeter back and forth between the two teams. At the 133-pound weight class, sophomore Dante Steffenino picked up Shippensburg’s first victory, after a loss at 125-pounds and took control of the meet.

Steffenino’s 6-4 decision over Kutztown’s Zach Ulerick set the tone for the whole night with close-scoring bouts and tough matchups.

The next victory for the Raiders came at the 149-pound weight class as sophomore Cody Blankenship escaped a tight bout that resulted in a 3-1 decision for Blankenship, which brought his team within only four points of Kutztown’s lead.

Senior Mark Lentz dazzled fans and peers alike with his impressive 6-2 win over Kutztown’s James Meyer at 165 pounds.

Following a string of losses for the Raiders, Ramos was able to put his team back on the map with a 6-1 decision over Kutztown’s Brandan Clark at the 197-pound weight class.

The last bout of the evening included a devastating 3-0 loss for Shippensburg’s heavyweight, Derek Earnest as he fell in the final bout of the night to Kutztown opponent, Ryan Appleby.

The team now stands at 10-8 (4-3 PSAC) after its second consecutive loss, which happened to be losses to PSAC foes, providing the prestige of the PSAC and its high level of competitiveness.

The Red Raiders now prepare for postseason as they strategize for the NCAA Super Region I Championships that will be held on Feb. 26 – 27. 

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