In the Press: Public Opinion Recap

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — The Shippensburg University wrestling team won six of the first seven bouts on Wednesday night in a dual meet with PSAC rival Millersville and rode its early success to a 23-18 victory over the Marauders from Heiges Field House.

Shippensburg (2-2) got a pin from senior Tyler Erdman at 141 pounds that gave the Raiders a 14-0 lead through the first three weight classes. Erdman had a 2-0 lead through the first period and began the second period with the riding advantage after deferring his choice to the opponent. He needed just 39 seconds in the frame to record his first victory by fall as a Raider.

The pin capped off a strong start for the Raiders that included major decisions by senior Chris Kochinsky and redshirt-freshman Cameron Throckmorton. Kochinsky earned an 8-0 victory at 125 points, using a takedown and a pair of two-point near falls in the first period to build an early 6-0 advantage. He used a second-period escape and a large riding time advantage to come away with the bonus point.

Throckmorton erupted in the second period of his match. After building a 4-1 lead through the opening frame, Throckmorton used a reversal, two takedowns and a two-point near fall to extend his lead to 12-2 entering the final period. He recorded four more takedowns in the last frame, marking his third major decision in four bouts this season.

After a Marauder pin at 149 pounds, SU earned decisions at the next three weight classes to lead 23-6. Sophomore Neal Grudi kept fighting for the duration of his inaugural 157-pound bout to earn a 6-1 decision over Zach Wawrzyniak-Bush, yielding his only point against on an escape.

Redshirt-freshman Bobby Scheivert, competing at his third different weight class of the young season, won his first bout of the year with a solid 8-2 decision at 165 pounds. After being taken down in the first minute, Scheivert achieved a reversal in the final 30 seconds to enter the second period tied 2-2. A second-period takedown and a third-period near fall solidified the victory for Scheivert.
 
Sophomore Luke Etter won a hard-fought battle at 174 pounds over Zach Pincus in the only direct re-match from last year's dual meet in which the Raiders defeated the Marauders 28-12 at the Mid-Penn Duals. Etter avenged a 3-1 overtime loss to Pincus by building a 6-2 lead entering the final frame – overcoming a second-period takedown with an escape and subsequent takedown of his own.  

Freshman Francis Slover fell behind early and picked up a reversal in the third period but could not come away with a victory at 197 pounds. Sophomore Dan Fultz fought to the end at heavyweight, earning an escape in the final second to avoid a bonus point for his opponent Brad Ladd.

Wednesday night's dual meet was the first of five against PSAC Division II opponents this season. At the conclusion of the regular season, a 2012-13 PSAC D-II team champion will be determined based on the head-to-head results of the six schools in the league that sponsor Division II wrestling. UPJ and Seton Hill join the league next season.

Shippensburg returns to action Sat., Dec. 8 at the 2012 PSAC Championships hosted by Kutztown University. SU's next dual meet is January 9 at Seton Hill.

Shippensburg 23, Millersville 18

125: Chris Kochinsky (SU) maj. dec. Sam Oberlander (MU), 8-0 (4-0)
133: Cameron Throckmorton (SU) maj. dec. Kyle Loeb (MU), 19-6 (8-0)
141: Tyler Erdman (SU) pins David Charles (MU), 3:39 (14-0)
149: Josh Ruppert (MU) pins Mark Lentz (SU), 0:23 (14-6)
157: Neal Grudi (SU) dec. Zach Wawrzyniak-Bush (MU), 6-1 (17-6)
165: Bobby Scheivert (SU) dec. David Gillen (MU), 8-2 (20-6)
174: Luke Etter (SU) dec. Zach Pincus (MU), 8-4 (23-6)
184: Dan Cox (MU) pins Joe Piro (SU), 3:54 (23-12)
197: Joel Suter (MU) dec. Francis Slover (SU), 7-3 (23-15)
285: Brad Ladd (MU) dec. Dan Fultz (SU), 8-1 (23-18)

Records
Shippensburg: 2-2
Millersville: 0-1