Of the six fighters that the Shippensburg University boxing team sent to nationals in Sunrise, Florida this past weekend, all had impressive showings.

Senior Emily Appleman and sophomore Brett Pastore dominated in their respective events, Appleman finishing as national runner up at 139 pounds and Pastore closed out his debut season at third place in the nation. The four that fell along the way showed off some of their best work, even if the end results did not show it.

“Overall I was really happy because we had six fighters make the trip,” Wylie said. “I was really happy with the effort that I saw from the entire lineup, and pretty much everyone had some of the best fights that I have seen from them.”

Appleman took on Mary Hazen of Coast Guard Academy in her title fight; the Lady Raider had fought Hazen at regionals but lost in an uncharacteristically poor showing, according to Wylie.

“Emily had a good bout in the semifinals,” Wylie said. “She looked like she froze up a little in the national match on the big stage, but she still closed out her career on a positive note as two-time national runner up. I can’t say enough about her as an athlete and a person, and she has done so much for the boxing program.”

Appleman closed out her career as Shippensburg’s all-time leader in wins as well, according to Wylie.

“I would have loved to get that belt, but I’m pretty satisfied overall with how my career has gone at Ship,” Appleman said. “We really worked on everything leading up to this weekend, and I thought I could have done a little better in the finals but overall I am happy with [my performance].”

Pastore impressed throughout his fights, improving as the weekend wore on. He took on Ruslan Nuriev of the University of Nevada Las Vegas in the quarterfinals, winning the match in a unanimous decision. The 165-pounder then matched up against Dan Gibson of West Virginia University in the semifinals, and although Gibson ultimately won, the bout could have been a candidate for fight of the night.

“Brett just came out to fight, that’s all I can say,” Wylie said. “He lost to the eventual champ, but he brought the crowd to its feet when he fought in the semifinals. It was a really action-packed match, and the crowd gave them both a hand when it was over. They weren’t doing that for anyone else.”

Pastore impressed Wylie this season because of the speed that he picked up the sport. His first boxing match came this past January, and less than three months later he has won third in the nation.

“It was just good to be at the tournament, and I will probably see many of the same fighters next year,” Pastore said. “As for my first season as a boxer, our coaches really helped me improve as a fighter and it’s really thanks to them that I made it this far.”

Freshman Haziz Self, senior Ada Ibe, sophomore Tylik Guilford and sophomore Nate Sanders also took the ring for the Raiders.

Guilford, two-time national qualifier, started the quarterfinals with a dominating first round but fell victim to severe dehydration before the match was over and had to be hospitalized. The 156-pounder took on Johnny Aquilar of the University of Nevada and did not look like himself after Round 1. After the match he collapsed, according to Wylie, and spent the night in the hospital.

Self, who made his debut earlier this season, looked solid but went away from the game plan in his quarterfinal matchup, according to Wylie. He took on the eventual national runner up, Carlos Perez of Navy, ultimately losing his decision at 119 pounds.

Ibe took on Portia Norkaitis in a battle that Wylie described as the best form he had seen from her. She lost the 2-1 decision, but after the fight Wylie was still convinced that she had won. He cited several rival coaches who had thought the same thing, and praised Ibe for the improvements that she has mad throughout her debut season.

Sanders also put together a great performance for the Raiders. He took on Rahsaan Guyon at 147 pounds and increased the intensity every round that he fought.

“That was a hell of a match from Sanders,” Wylie said. “It really was awesome; as the fight went on he just kept getting stronger and stronger. I am very proud of his performance; he never gave up but just kept coming back stronger and stronger.”

All in all, it was a great way to sum up a strong 2015 season for Raider boxing. Four out of six fighters made their debuts this past January, and proved their mettle on one of the most competitive stages in college boxing this past Friday through Sunday, with less than three months of experience.

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