The Shippensburg Men’s wrestling team competed in three home matches over the span of a week. After taking a hard loss to Pitt-Johnstown on Tuesday, SU rallied in the following days to defeat East Stroudsburg and Fairmont State.
Shippensburg faced the reigning PSAC champions, Pitt-Johnstown. The only two wins of the night came from redshirt sophomore Mike Trainor (149) and graduate Nick Delp (165).
Trainor fought his way to an 8-6 decision against UPJ’s Chad Ozias, and Delp secured an 8-2 decision over UPJ’s Gavyn Beck.
The final score was 42-6 for the Mountain Cats.
On Thursday, Shippensburg bounced back against East Stroudsburg.
At 133, sophomore AJ Stayton ignited SU’s fire after reversing his opponent for a fall.
Sophomore Eli Bounds followed in-suit with a 11-6 decision at 141 pounds.
At 165, freshman Anthony DeAngelo was tied 2-2 late in the third period but found his way to a critical takedown to pull away a 5-2 decision.
Juniors Trey Shoemaker and Owen Koch recorded back-to-back tech falls to help SU overcome the Warriors 16-0 and 19-4.
Shoemaker returned to the mat on Thursday after being out with sickness. He expressed how great it felt to be back and earn this result. His mindset was to “win every period” and “gain confidence going into the post season.”
To end the night, Sophomore Diesel Koser earned a dominant major decision, 11-0. The Raiders were ultimately victorious over their PSAC rivals, 26-16.
To complete the regular season at home, Shippensburg faced Fairmont State. Before the match, the Raiders held a ceremony for their lone senior Connor Livingston to honor his efforts over the past few years.
Sophomore Noah Gilgore (125) recorded his first collegiate fall 50 seconds into the match. Stayton continued his success this week with a major decision at 133. Trainor earned a tech fall at 149 pounds by earning a plentiful number of back points against his opponent.
At 165, Delp secured the second pin of the night after two dominating minutes in the first period.
Shoemaker pulled out a 5-2 decision after a tough 174 match. Koser found another gear after a medical timeout in the third period. He earned four back points to secure a major decision, 13-4. The final score was 28-14 for SU.
The Raiders will end their regular season Friday evening with a dual match at Kutztown.
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