Ruhnke earns All-America honors, places sixth at the NCAA Championships

Friday, March 9

Cedar Rapids, IA

Millersville University

NCAA Division II Championships

Ruhnke earns All-America honors, places sixth at the NCAA Championships

3/10/2018 4:31:00 PM | Wrestling

NCAA Championships Final Brackets

By: Ryan Small, Athletic Communication Graduate Assistant

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Redshirt junior Shane Ruhnke captured All-American honors with the sixth place performance in the NCAA Division II Championships Saturday afternoon.

Ruhnke is Millersville's first All-American since Tom Barley (142) in 1991, and the first-ever in the Division II ranks.

The Millersville wrestler started the day with a 14-6 major decision victory over Seth Elwood of Minnesota State. In the consolation semifinal, Tyler Mann of Ouachita Baptist defeated Ruhnke, 8-6. Ruhnke earned a spot into the fifth place match. Ruhnke led for most of the match until Rodney Shephard of UNC Pembroke pinned him at the 3:47 mark.

In the fifth-place match, Ruhnke held a 4-3 lead at the end of the first period. Shepherd managed to take down and get on top of Ruhnke 47 seconds into the second period and scored the pinfall for fifth place.

Mann and Ruhnke went down to the wire in the consolation semifinals. Mann scored a takedown at the start but Ruhnke quickly escaped. Ruhnke and Mann traded takedowns for a 5-5 tie. Mann brought Ruhnke to the ground to get a takedown with 25 seconds left to make the score 7-5. Ruhnke escaped with time running down and could not get a takedown. Mann won 8-6 with riding time.

Ruhnke's major decision over Elwood came in his first match of the day. Ruhnke had built an 11-1 lead in the third period. Elwood came back with two takedowns and an escape in the final minute of the third period but Ruhnke's lead was too much.

The win was the 70th of Ruhnke's career, tying him for 28th all-time in Millersville history. He won three matches at the championships, boosting his record to 27-9, making him one of 34 wrestlers in Millersville history with 27 or more wins in a season.