West Liberty, W.Va. - The outstanding freshmen seasons of Ian Shannon and Shane Ruhnke came up just short of bids to the NCAA Division II Championships. Shannon placed fifth, needing one win for a berth to nationals, and Ruhnke lost in his first consolation bout of the day.

Shannon, Millersville's 165-pounder, entered the day in the championship semifinals and sat within one with of the championship round. Kutztown's Bo Candelaria, who entered the tournament as the No. 8 seed but finished as the runner-up, blanked Shannon by a 6-0 score. Shannon bounced back with a 4-1 win over Seton Hill's Ryan Walters to advance to the third-place match.

A win over Notre Dame College's Louden Gordon would have sent Shannon to nationals, but Gordon punched his own ticket with a 12-3 major decision. The loss put Shannon in a "true" fourth-place match against top-seeded Tyler Reinhart of Pitt-Johnstown. Reinhart, the top-seeded wrestler in the weight class, managed to top Shannon by a 6-0 decision, ending the rookie's season with a 25-12 record.

Ruhnke faced an uphill battle on day two of the championships. He needed two wins just two reach the third-place match. He drew Seton Hill's Zach Voytek in the consolation quarterfinals and was pinned with just one second left in the match.

Millersville finished in 13th place with 16.5 points as a team.

Shannon's 25 wins are the most by a Marauder since Jarrett Hostetter, Shane Smith and Jeremy Brooks all won 30-plus matches in 2008-09. He also became the first freshman on record to win 25 matches in a season. Ruhnke posted a 22-12 record, giving the Marauders multiple 20-win wrestlers for the first time since that 2008-09 season. Ruhnke also led the team with 11 pins.