KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Reserve heavyweight Tommy Killoran's (Perkiomenville, Pa./Boyertown) third period pin caused an eruption from the Kutztown bench and secured a 26-16 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference dual win over Shippensburg for the 17th-ranked Golden Bears on Senior Night, Wednesday, at Keystone Arena.

Killoran has spent two seasons training with the top heavyweight in defending national champion Andrew Dunn Jr. (Bethlehem, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic), and has put that work to good use in limited action this season. Wrestling in just his second dual of the season, Killoran delivered in his final home match. Shippensburg's (8-10, 0-7 PSAC) Dan Scheib led 4-2 after two periods and chose the bottom to start the third, hoping to add more of a buffer with escape. That decision backfired when Killoran rolled him over and stuck him 40 seconds into the final stanza.

One of nine seniors honored prior to the match, Killoran, a Perkiomenville native, improved to 8-0 on the season and registered his fifth pin of the year --second most on the team.

The Golden Bears (9-4, 3-3) raced out to a 13-0 lead before the Raiders eventually rallied to within three. Joe Renne (Great Meadows, N.J./Hackettstown) won by forfeit at 125 pounds, while Collin Wickramaratna (Malton, N.J./Cherokee) became the first KU grappler to 20 wins on the year (20-2) with an 18-4 major decision over Bodee Tolbert in the 133-pound bout. Michael Albergo (Longport, N.J./Saint Augustine Prep) added an 8-1 decision over Matt Milbrand to extend Kutztown's lead.

DeAndre Reed earned Shippensburg its first points of the night with a 6-4 decision at 149, which was quickly followed by Patrick Duggan's major decision at 157.

Freshman AJ Bencivenga (Cranford, N.J./Cranford) tacked on three points to the Golden Bears' total, shutting out Drake Brenize, 5-0, at 165, but a pin from the Raiders' Colton Babcock at 174 pulled Ship to within 16-13.

Another of KU's seniors came up big at 184. James Potts (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West), who returned to the team this season after two seasons away from the mat, won his 13th match of the season to make it 20-13 Bears. Potts collected three takedowns over the first two periods to build a 6-2 advantage, before taking over in the third with a reversal, two stalling penalty points, another takedown and a riding time point for a 13-3 major decision.

Shippensburg kept the match's result hanging in the balance up until the final bout thanks to Alexi Castro's 5-2 decision at 197, but Killoran's pin brought the Keystone Arena crowd to its feet and sent the host supporters home happy on Senior Night.

Kutztown's win over Shippensburg was its ninth in a row dating back to 2012 and the Golden Bears improved to a perfect 5-0 in Keystone Arena against the Raiders over the last decade.

Joining Killoran and Potts in Senior Night ceremonies were Mitchell Camp (Chadds Ford, Pa./Unionville), Chad Haegele (Warrington, Pa./Archbishop Wood), Lucas Miller (Perkiomenville, Pa./Boyertown), Brody O'Connell (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown), Renne, Connor Rogovich (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) and Connor Yourkavitch (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing).

The Golden Bears will close out the regular season next Wednesday at East Stroudsburg at 7 p.m.

 

#17 KUTZTOWN vs. SHIPPENSBURG Wednesday, February 12, 2020 | Kutztown, Pa. (Keystone Arena)
WT.		KUTZ	SHIP
125	Joe Renne (KUTZ) won by forfeit	6	0
133	Collin Wickramaratna (KUTZ) major dec. Bodee Tolbert (SHIP), 18-4	10	0
141	Michael Albergo (KUTZ) dec. Matt Milbrand (SHIP), 8-1	13	0
149	DeAndre Reed (SHIP) dec. Michael Cusick (KUTZ), 6-4	13	3
157	Patrick Duggan (SHIP) major dec. Mitchell Camp (KUTZ), 20-7	13	7
165	AJ Bencivenga (KUTZ) dec. Drake Brenize (SHIP), 5-0	16	7
174	Colton Babcock (SHIP) pinned Connor Rogovich (KUTZ), 4:43	16	13
184	James Potts (KUTZ) major dec. Austin Klucker (SHIP), 13-3	20	13
197	Alexi Castro (SHIP) dec. Anthony Emig (KUTZ), 5-2	20	16
285	Tommy Killoran (KUTZ) pinned Dan Scheib (SHIP), 5:40	26	16
EXHIBITION
133	Jacob Downing (SHIP) major dec. Connor Yourkavitch (KUTZ), 12-1