Burnsville, Minn. --- For the third week in a row, a Parkside Rangers Wrestler has been named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) wrestler of the week. For the second time this season redshirt senior Shane Gantz has been named the conference wrestler of the week. Gantz earns this honor after his teammates Reece Worachek and Troy Dolphin held the honors the two weeks prior. 

This past weekend, the Rangers Wrestling team traveled to Fayette, Iowa to face their final ranked opponent of the season in No.10 Upper Iowa. The Peacocks boast the No.2 ranked wrestler at 165-pounds in Chase Luensman. Gantz was able to take down Luensman late in the first extra time period to win in a 6-4 decision. This marks the second time this season that No.1 Gantz has defeated No.2 Luensman as Gantz bested Luensman at the Midwest Classic in a 4-2 decision to take home the individual championship. The three points earned by Gantz helped propel the Rangers to a 23-17 win over No. 10 Upper Iowa. With the win the Rangers improved to a 7-0 record in NSIC duals this season. 

Gantz is once again paving his way toward a National Championship appearance. In 2021-22 Gantz held an undefeated record leading up to the first place match in the 2022 National Championship, where he ultimately was defeated 2-1 by the No.1 wrestler in the country at 165-pounds; his final record was 32-1. This season, Gantz has been the No.1 ranked wrestler at 165-pounds for the entirety of the season. The two-time NCAA Division II All-American and Scholar All-American has begun this season similarly to last season, with a 27-0 record heading into the final two duals of the season. 

Gantz and the Rangers will wrap up the regular season in a pair of home duals inside De Simone Arena against Minnesota State-Moorhead and Minnesota State-Mankato. Following the regular season, Gantz and other Rangers will shift their focus toward the NCAA Super Regional V Championships in Aberdeen, S.D. on February 25^th.