As any one of the six Shippensburg University boxers will tell you, it all comes down to the trip to Sunrise, Florida.

Twelve meets throughout the season and a solid performance two weekends ago at regionals brings the Raider squad face-to-face with the best college boxers in the United States on April 10-12 at the Collegiate Boxing Association’s National Championships in Florida.

“We need to dig deep,” Shippensburg coach Travis Wylie said of the mentality his fighters need to bring to the event. “Everyone’s tough at nationals; there’s no such thing as an easy fight at nationals. It’s who wants it more, and who has the bigger heart.”

Two different Raiders made the trip last year and look to improve in 2015. Senior Emily Appleman finished last year as national runner up at 139 pounds and sophomore Tylik Guilford qualified for the tournament at 156 pounds.

This year Appleman finished the regular season with a 15-6 record, beating Shannon Reilley of West Virginia University, a 2013-14 national champion in a higher weight class, on February 15.

She ran into some trouble at regionals against Coast Guard’s Mary Hazen in a fight that Wylie described as uncharacteristic.

“I definitely could have performed a lot better at regionals,” Appleman said. “I lost the fight and there are so many things that I would do better. I’m definitely more motivated to win now though. I’m going to get that belt.”

Guilford got a taste of the national stage last year and looks to improve his performance in 2015. Having compiled a 9-5 record during the regular season, he fell in his first match at regionals to the eventual 156-pound champion but rebounded in his second fight to a 1-1 record.

“The Rice fight went much better than the day before,” Wylie said of Guilford’s second fight. “He came prepared to fight, in a do-or-die situation, and he came through when it counted. He’s fighting in the hardest weight class in my opinion.”

“I feel like I did okay at regionals, but I could have done better,” Guilford added. “I need to get back to the basics and get back to what I know I can do.”

The remaining four Raiders are making their national tournament ring debuts and hope to leave their mark.

Freshman Haziz Self has picked up a number of impressive knockouts in his 4-2 debut season for Shippensburg, and looks like a true contender at 119.

“Haziz Self fought the former national champ at 119,” Wylie said. “He lost the decision, but I think it proved to him that he’s at that level. I am hoping it will give him that extra spark and motivation to push himself in these next few weeks heading in to nationals.”

Sophomore Brett Pastore has compiled a 3-2 record on the year, during which he also wrestled for the Shippensburg Division II squad. He is his first year with Raider boxing, and has a background in Jiu-Jitsu having won a white-belt international title at a New York show in 2014.

At regionals Pastore impressed in his first fight, beating Lock Haven University’s Tahari Gravesande by unanimous decision at 165 pounds. He ultimately fell in the final round against Army’s highly-ranked Will Estes.

“There were some mistakes I made at regionals, but I’m going to work on them in the next four weeks,” Pastore said. “My fight against Army was a tough match, but I’m going to break that down and I think I can come back and beat him at nationals.”

Senior Ada Ibe gained valuable experience in her first season at Shippensburg. She took the mat at 132 pounds in her first regional appearance for the Raiders, ultimately falling to Coast Guard’s Kiana Keoka, whom she beat on February 28 for her first ever win.

Sophomore Nate Sanders has also put together a solid season for the Raiders at 147 pounds, winning a highlight fight in the home tournament against a tough WVU opponent. The tall boxer ran into trouble at his regional matchup, and looks to redeem his performance at Florida.

The national tournament holds its quarter and semifinals on April 10 and 11 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Sunrise, Florida starting at 1 p.m. Championship night will take place at the BB&T Center, home to the Florida Panthers’ ice hockey team on April 12 at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the BB&T Center box office, Ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000, and cost $20 for floor seats and $10 for seating in the lower bowl.

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