On Saturday, Nov. 19, the Shippensburg University wrestling team traveled to York Pennsylvania to compete in a four-team tournament.

SU began the day in impeccable fashion, defeating The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), 28–19. They then finished off the day’s competition by beating Camden Community College, 45–3.

The Raiders sole loss on the day came to the host, York College. York beat SU, 15–16 in a dramatic contest.

In SU’s first match against TCNJ, the Raiders were able to win 6-of-10 bouts. SU took home the win with three pins. 125-pound sophomore, Dustin Steffenino, 149-pound junior, Mike Springer and 285-pound freshman, Derek Berberick, all registered a pin in the match.

Two major decisions came from the Raider’s side, as 184-pound junior Hunter Fenk and 197-pound junior Evan Ramos came up big. The decisions afforded SU 5 team points each, boosting the team score to 28–19.

In the tight match against York, SU lost 15–16, splitting the bouts with York, 5–5. SU failed to get extra points in its decisions, which contributed to the tough, one-point loss.

149-pound junior, Cody Blankenship, was the first Raider to pick up a victory against York. Two more consecutive decisions followed, as Springer won at 157-pounds and Adam Martz won at 165-pounds.

The final two wins came from the 184-pound Fenk and the 198-pound Ramos, but the final heavyweight bout was the determining factor in the match.

With SU up 15–13 before the final bout, Berberick took to the mat with fire in his belly, but was unsuccessful, as he fell in a close bout to York’s Stafanos Karpotinis, 5–3.

SU finished the day with a great team victory over Camden Community College, 45–3. The Raiders won all but one of their bouts in the contest. SU picked up five pins and accumulated a total of 30 team points, which was enough to seal the team’s victory. Pins came from Steffinino, 133-pound freshman, Cole Rush, 141-pound senior Karl Lightner, Springer and 174-pound senior, Colton Rebert.

Steffenino picked up his second pin of the day against Camden and finished out the day strong, with a 2–1 record. Additionally, the 157-pound Springer went undefeated on the day, bringing consistency to the lineup. Springer was not the only undefeated Raider on the day, as Martz, Fenk and Ramos joined him in the dominant performance.

Three decisions were awarded to SU against Camden, with Martz, Fenk and Ramos all defeating their opponents by decision. This rounded out the competition on a high-note.

The SU wrestling team looks ahead to its next competition against Mercyhurst University and Gannon University on Dec. 3 at Heiges Field House. The meet is the squad’s first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tri-meet of the season.

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