Avery Shay, a graduate of Shippensburg University from New Fairfield, Connecticut, secured a place in the top 8 and All-American status on the first day of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships held at the Alliant Energy Power House in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Shay, who currently holds a 16-3 record for the season, won three matches on the first day of the championships, and will wrestle against Trent Mahoney of King University in the consolation bracket semifinals on Saturday. The afternoon session is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
In the preliminary round, Shay won a 4-0 decision over Gage Bernall of Lander, and he advanced to the quarterfinals of the championship bracket with a close 1-0 victory over the No. 7 seed, Jamar Williams of West Liberty. In the quarterfinals, Shay was paired with the No. 2 seeded Nick Novak of St. Cloud St., but Novak won with an 8-1 decision. In the wrestlebacks, Shay won a 5-2 decision against Carter Noehre of Colorado School of Mines, thanks to a third-period takedown.
Meanwhile, Danny Scheib, a redshirt-junior from Hegins, Pennsylvania, represented Shippensburg in the heavyweight bracket. In the opening round, he was paired with the No. 6 seed and returning national champion, Darrell Mason of Minnesota State. Scheib held his own against Mason, with the score tied at 1-1, and even took him to overtime. However, Mason was able to pin Scheib after a bear hug from Scheib resulted in Mason landing on top. Scheib then lost 4-0 to Jake Swirple of Minot State (N.D.) in the consolation bracket. Scheib finished his 2022-23 season with a 16-6 record, which is still an outstanding achievement.
