Jason Shaner Jr., a former Hood River Valley Eagle and decorated wrestler, completed his freshman wrestling season at Clackamas Community College when he placed fifth in the 133-pound class at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championship. The event was held on March 1-2 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The Clackamas wrestling program took home the team championship as well, with nine of their athletes, including Shaner, becoming All-Americans. The team set a new national scoring record with 176.5 points and a victory margin of 24.5 points. Head coach Josh Rhoden released a statement in a press release about his team’s efforts.
“This is a special group of young men who believed in a mission and knew their purpose,” said Rhoden. “It is not very often that you get to work with guys who buy in, believe in what they are doing and achieve a common goal the way these guys did.”
Shaner was sent to the consolation bracket early on, having lost his second match to the eventual national champion Boo Dryden. From there he rallied and endured, winning four straight matches by significant margins before losing to the eventual third place finisher. His fifth place match was decided by medical forfeit, which awarded Shaner the placement.
The national championship marked the end of Shaner’s freshman season. He’ll have several months until the next season gets underway, wherein he’ll undoubtedly train hard in hopes of returning to the championships next year.
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