Hall of Fame
A two-time All-American, national champion, and PSAC champion, Shane Ruhnke was the true definition of dominance as a 165-pound wrestler for the Marauders.
From 2014-19, Ruhnke posted a 97-36 record, going 54-12 with 19 pins over his final two seasons. Ruhnke won at least 21 matches each season, and his 39 pins set an all-time Millersville record. Ruhnke ended his career on the national championship podium ranked eighth in career victories.
He won 43 matches in his first two seasons, but Ruhnke’s rise truly began in 2017-18 when he became Millersville’s first All-American in 27 years. At a PSAC Championship packed with Division I competition, Ruhnke placed third. He earned his first national ranking and took third place at the NCAA Super Region 1 Championships. He defeated two top-10 wrestlers at the NCAA Championships for a sixth-place finish and All-America honor.
As a senior, Ruhnke to Millersville’s first NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship with a season for the ages. Ruhnke won Millersville’s first national title since 1980, going 27-3, and pinning his way to the finals before overwhelming his championship match opponent, who was disqualified in the second period for fleeing the mat five times. Coaches at the NCAA Championships awarded Ruhnke the Most Dominate Wrestler of the Year and Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Championships honors.
Before his epic run to a national title, Ruhnke became one of just two Marauders to win a national title, a PSAC Championship, and a “Shorty” Hitchcock Memorial Classic crown in the same year. He became the first Marauder to win a PSAC Championship since 1995, and he was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Championship. Ruhnke accumulated 14 pins that season, winning 13 of his final 17 matches by fall. From December through March, Ruhnke’s only two losses were by a total of five points to Division I All-Americans.
After graduating with a degree in applied engineering, Ruhnke enlisted in the United States Army. He is an infantryman with the 75th Ranger Regiment, currently stationed at Fort Moore in Georgia.
