F&M Wrestling 2023 Franklin & Marshall Duals

LAST TIME OUT

Keystone Classic

• The Diplomats had their best Keystone Classic performance in recent history as they placed fifth at Penn's tournament with 84 team points
• F&M bested Indiana, Utah Valley, Harvard, Duke, and Sacred Heart in the final team standings
• James Conway (184 lbs.) was named the EIWA Wrestler of the Week after becoming the Diplomats' first-ever individual champion at the Keystone Classic
• Conway defeated No. 21 Sam Fisher of Virginia Tech by an 8-5 score in sudden victory to claim the title
• John Crawford (197 lbs.) made the finals after avenging an earlier defeat to No. 17 Evan Bockman (Utah Valley), emerging with a 12-5 decision during the rematch before falling to No. 16 Andy Smith of Virginia Tech
• Six Diplomats in total placed at the Keystone Classic
• Pat Phillips (141 lbs.) and Noah Fox (174 lbs.) both finished third at the Keystone Classic
• Phillips' only defeat came to No. 28 Danny Fongaro (Indiana) during the semifinals while he defeated opponents from Appalachian State, Drexel, Virginia Tech, and Indiana
• Fox won five matches on his way to earning a bronze, with his only defeat coming to a Drexel first-year who is now appearing in the national rankings. Three of Fox's five victories came by bonus points in the tournament
• Mason Leiphart (133 lbs.) placed fourth with victories against Drexel and Virginia Tech, as his only losses came to the No. 8 wrestler in the country and the eventual champion
• The Diplomats also displayed great depth at 141 lbs. where Bryce Kresho placed eighth, including a dominant 14-1 major decision against Drexel's Jordan Soriano

Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Open

• Prior to competing at the Keystone Classic, F&M also sent a number of wrestler to Millersville's Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Open that same weekend
• Aidan O'Shea (133 lbs.) competed unattached and placed third with his only loss coming to cadet world champion Bo Bassett. The F&M sophomore had a pin and tech fall before closing his day with a decision versus Lock Haven
• Brandt Fajerman (141 lbs.) placed sixth after winning four consecutive wrestleback matches where he scored bonus points during each of those successive victories
• Nick Alvarez (165 lbs.) also competed unattached and placed sixth at his weight. Alvarez started his day with a sudden victory win against an EIWA foe from Columbia and also picked up a major decision and pin en route to his medal match appearance

F&M Duals

Sunday, December 3 (10 a.m.)

Schedule

• 10:00 AM
• Mat 1: F&M vs. Michigan State
• Mat 2: VMI vs. Bloomsburg
• 11:30 AM
• Mat 1: F&M vs. VMI
• Mat 2: Presbyterian vs. Bloomsburg
• 1:00 PM
• Mat 1: F&M vs. Presbyterian
• Mat 2: Michigan State vs. Bloomsburg
• 2:30 PM
• Mat 1: F&M vs. Bloomsburg
• Mat 2: Presbyterian vs. Michigan State

F&M DualS Notables

vs. Michigan State

• All-time: F&M is 1-1
• at F&M: Diplomats lead, 1-0
• Current streak: MSU +1 (W, 25-12; 12/29/2017)
• Last F&M win: W, 26-1 (2/25/1938)
• F&M last wrestled Michigan State during the 2017-18 season at the South Beach Duals
• Dan Martoccio, Josh Young, and Antonio Pelusi were all victorious for the Diplomats that day

vs. Virginia Military Institute (VMI)

• All-time: F&M is 15-10-1
• at F&M: Diplomats are 10-3
• Current Streak: VMI +1 (24-15; 12/4/2022)
• Last meeting: W, 24-12 (12/5/2021)
• Largest F&M victory: W, 29-3 (2/21/1942)
• Smallest F&M victory: W, 19-17 (11/16/2019)
• F&M had won five straight duals versus VMI before the Keydets snapped that streak last year
• These two teams have wrestled every year since the 2009-10 season, with VMI holding a slight 7-6 edge over that run
• Pat Phillips bumped up to 141 lbs. and defeated Freddy Junko by a 9-2 score last season
• John Crawford defeated Tyler Mousaw at 197 lbs. by a 6-3 score, with Mousaw moving up to HWT this season
• Mason Leiphart (125 lbs.) received a forfeit victory while Gio Diaz (133 lbs.) defeated Dyson Dunham by a 7-5 score

vs. Presbyterian

• All-time: F&M is 2-0
• at F&M: Diplomats are 1-0
• Current Streak: +2
• Last meeting: F&M won 33-9 (1/5/2023)
• Last Presbyterian win: N/A
• Largest F&M victory: W, 38-9 (12/18/2019)
• Smallest F&M victory: W, 33-9 (1/5/2023)
• Presbyterian joined the Division I ranks during the 2019-20 season
• The Blue Hose are led by head coach Mark Cody was the head coach at American University when F&M head coach Mike Rogers was an assistant on that staff
• Mason Leiphart (125 lbs.), Pat Phillips (133 lbs.), Avery Clarke (149 lbs.), Nick Alvarez (157 lbs.), Noah Fox (174 lbs.), James Conway (184 lbs.), John Crawford (197 lbs.), and Cenzo Pelusi (285 lbs.) all won last year when these teams met
• No rematches are slated to take place in this dual match from the 2023 meeting

vs. Bloomsburg

• All-time: Bloomsburg leads, 8-1
• at F&M: Huskies are 3-1
• Current streak: -8
• Last meeting: Bloomsburg won, 38-3 (2/9/2019)
• Last F&M win: 26-8 (12/18/1943)
• Despite both being from the Keystone State, F&M and Bloomsburg have met just twice this Century (2011 & 2019)
• Philip Robilotto had the lone win for the Diplomats ate 197 lbs. when these teams last met
• Bloomsburg did compete at the Journeymen Classic with the Diplomats earlier this season
• Potential rematches from that tournament that could be repeated on Sunday
• 125: Bronson Garber def. Eric Howe; 7-4
• 174: Noah Fox def. Anthony DeRosa; 8-0

Franklin & Marshall Notables

• Franklin & Marshall has at least one wrestler with a winning record at six of its 10 weight classes after three weekends of tournaments
• James Conway (184 lbs.) and Noah Fox (174 lbs.) headline that group with respective 10-3 & 9-3 records
• The Diplomats have posted back-to-back winning dual meet seasons for the first time since 1992 during the past two seasons
• F&M has won five consecutive non-conference matches dating back to last season, its longest such streak since the 2005 season
• F&M has won nine consecutive non-conference matches at home dating back to February of 2020. That streak is currently the 10th-longest such stretch in program history and the longest since the 1992-93 season
• The Diplomats are 55-40-1 all-time in season openers and have won each of their last four season-opening duals, that includes a 40-19 record when those openers are at home
• F&M is 57-39 overall in home openers, having won each of those last two home dual debuts

F&M in National Rankings

• The Diplomats have three wrestlers in FloWrestling's national rankings - the first time they have had at least three wrestlers ranked at the same time since FloWrestling began compiling Division I rankings in the mid-2000s

#26 Mason Leiphart (133 lbs.)

• Mason Leiphart jumped into the national rankings for the first time in his career with the help of a fall against the then-No. 15 wrestler in the country
• Leiphart is 6-5 this year and enters the weekend on the heels of a fourth-place finish at the Keystone Classic
• Five of his six victories have come by bonus points, with three of his losses coming to top-10 opponents in the country - including the defending national champion
• Leiphart led all Division I wrestlers in technical falls last season and already owns the school record for technical falls in his career with 15 after a tech fall during the Southeast Open

#15 James Conway (184 lbs.); #17 InterMat

• In addition to his FloWrestling and InterMat rankings, Conway's highest ranking comes from The College Wrestling Report who rates him No. 13 entering the week
• Conway defeated his third nationally-ranked wrestler of the season to become the Diplomats' first-ever individual champion at the Keystone Classic
• With a record of 10-3, Conway now has 53 career victories early in his junior season, with two of this three losses this season coming to the No. 2 and No. 3 wrestlers in the country at his weight class
• The Diplomats is in his third year as a starter in the lineup and placed seventh at last year's EIWA Championships

#28 John Crawford (197 lbs.); #30 InterMat

• Crawford's highest national ranking also comes from The College Wrestling Report which slots him No. 25 this week
• The win against No. 17 Evan Bockman of Utah Valley avenged one of Crawford's defeats and was his first nationally-ranked win of the year after knocking off several nationally-ranked foes last season
• The senior is 6-5 on the year and now has 52 career victories. He yet to face an EIWA opponent this season
• Three of Crawford's losses have come to top-15 opponents, including a defeat to three-time defending national champion Aaron Brooks of Penn State
• Crawford finished last season with a 24-13 record at 197 lbs. where he was also a nationally-ranked wrestler throughout the season

Assistant Coach Steve Borja

• Entering 11th season at Franklin & Marshall
• Previously served as an assistant coach at Millersville University and Manheim Central High School
• Graduated from Virginia Tech in 2008 where he was a two-time first-team All-CC wrestler who was ranked as high as fourth in the country during the 2007 season

UP NEXT - Lehigh's Sheridan Invitational

Friday, December 22