The Shippensburg University wrestling team was represented at the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championships that were held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Friday March 11.

The two wrestlers that represented the young team were sophomore Evan Ramos at the 197-pound weight class and freshman Adam Martz at the 157-pound weight class.

Both wrestlers have been standouts all season long for the Raiders and fought hard to get to the national championships.

In Ramos and Martz’ national debut, the competition was tough as they both battled for a National title.

Martz kicked off the night for the Raiders as he began action against No. 3 ranked Brady Bersano, and was defeated 10-1.

In his second bout, he wrestled hard against Tiffin University’s Samphanh Viengmany, but was unable to achieve victory as he lost 7-1.

The impressive determination from the young freshman garnered praise from the entire nation as he finished the season with a 15-13 record, making a nationals trip in his first year on campus.

Martz’ counterpart, Ramos, was ranked No. 7 in the nation coming into the national tournament.

His high ranking landed him a solid spot in the brackets as his first match featured his win against Cody Brundage of Newberry College, 8-5.

Ramos advanced to the next round of the championship bracket, to grapple against No. 5 ranked Joe Gomez of Northern State University. Ramos was unable to defeat his adversary as he fell 8-5, sending him to the consolation bracket to wrestle the No. 2 ranked Joe Brandt of Ashland University.

Facing Gomez and a ticket home, Ramos fought hard and showed heart in his frustrating loss in his final bout of the day.

Ramos completed the season with a team-high 24-4 record and five pins.

The two young wrestlers look forward to next season as they prepare for off-season training along with fixing mistakes so that they are able make the trip to the national championships again next year.

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