F&M Wrestling vs. Millersville (Sunday, February 16; 2 p.m.) - Senior Day

Last Time out

• F&M wrapped up EIWA Independence Division matches with a 30-9 defeat the hands of Drexel at home last Friday before competing at the Messiah Open the following day
• Against the Dragons, both Mason Leiphart (133 lbs.) and Bryce Kresho (141 lbs.) earned wins to get the Diplomats out to an early lead
• Leiphart won his match by a 5-3 score after securing four near fall during the third period of his bout
• Kresho picked up his eighth fall of the season in just 2:48 to give the Diplomats a 9-3 lead after three bouts
• In tight battles, Jack Parker (125 lbs.) was trailing 8-2 heading into the third period, but got one takedown to make the match a 9-6 score. Parker was also in on the legs of 32nd-ranked Desmond Pleasant during the final seconds for the potential match-winning takedown before running out of time
• Josh Hillard (149 lbs.) and Josh Palmucci (165 lbs.) were in two more hard-fought matches between the Diplomats and Dragons
• Tied at 1-1 in the third, Hillard was taken down but quickly escaped and had a chance at the go-ahead takedown before his opponent countered for the final score in a 7-2 decision
• Palmucci found himself in a 5-3 third period battle before his opponent held off a final takedown attempt for the decision victory with riding time
• At the Messiah Open, the Diplomats had 12 place winners and won a total of 53 bouts among their 17 entrants
• Those victories saw a number of bonus point matches as F&M registered 13 pins, 10 technical falls, nine major decisions, and two medical forfeits for a total of 34 bonus point victories
• Messiah Open Place Winners
• Second Place: Ejiro Montoya (125 lbs.), Dominic Wheatley (174 lbs.)
• Third Place: Charlie Colantonio (125 lbs.), James Garcia (133 lbs.), Josh Hillard (149 lbs.)
• Fourth Place: Michael Fuccilli (174 lbs.)
• Sixth Place: Tyler Shea (174 lbs.), Jake Rickett (285 lbs.)
• Seventh Place: Quincy Long (285 lbs.)
• Eighth Place: Jake Neill (157 lbs.), Makoa Niebel (165 lbs.), Noah Bash (184 lbs.)

Millersville

Sunday, February 16 (2 p.m.)

Rupp Cup

• The Franklin & Marshall Diplomats and the Millersville Marauders meet annually for the battle of the Rupp Cup in honor of Lancaster County’s wrestling patriarch, Ted Rupp
• A student at the F&M Academy and Franklin & Marshall, Rupp maintained strong ties to both his alma mater and Millersville University
• In 1948-49, Rupp coached both Millersville and F&M, finishing with a 20-2 combined record
• That is believed to have been the only time in collegiate wrestling history when one man coached two colleges concurrently
• In 1950-51 when F&M head coach Austin Bishop was recalled to the Pentagon for military service, Rupp took over the Diplomats' program on a temporary volunteer basis while maintaining his position with Millersville
• In spite of difficulties, he earned a conference title at Millersville (10-0) and a 10-1 dual meet record at Franklin & Marshall, with the lone loss coming to Lehigh University, for a combined 20-1 record
• He also assisted Roy Phillips with F&M coaching duties in 1961-62 when his regular assistant was called back to military service
• In his retirement, Rupp continued to support the Diplomats' wrestling program. In 1995, he agreed to spearhead a fundraising drive to endow the Franklin & Marshall coaching position
• Rupp graduated from Franklin & Marshall as a member of the Class of 1935 and started his teaching career at the F&M Academy in 1935 where he also coached wrestling, guiding the teams to four consecutive national prep-school championships
• After the Academy closed in 1943, he taught for a year in Pittsburgh and spent two years as a Naval Officer in WW II before teaching at Millersville for 36 years
• Rupp started the wrestling program at Millersville and also served as a professor in French and Spanish, retiring from that position in 1979At Millersville, Rupp posted an 71-18-2 record (.791 winning ratio) in 11 season from 1946 to 1952, including the only conference titles in program history
• In 1995, Rupp was inducted into the inaugural class of the Millersville University Athletic Hall of Fame and remains one of just a few non-Millersville graduates selected
• Rupp was also inducted into the following halls of fame: Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches (1975), PSAC Wrestling Coaches (1983), Franklin & Marshall College (1990), and the Pennsylvania/Susquehanna Valley Chapter (1992)
• He received the prestigious George Kirchner Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to Lancaster County sports in 1984 and received a Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1999
• Rupp was additionally a PIAA Certified High School official for 50 years
• In honor of his distinguished service to both institutions, the Rupp Cup is now awarded to the winner of the annual meeting

F&M vs. Millersville History

• All-Time Series: Millersville leads; 16-15
• First matchup: F&M won 28-19 (February 12, 1994)
• Most recent: F&M won 38-7 (February 16, 2024)
• Last 10: F&M 9-1
• Current streak: F&M +4
• Longest F&M winning streak: 8 (2011 - 2018)
• Largest F&M Margin of Victory: W, 41-3 (February 21, 2014)
• Smallest F&M Margin of Victory: W, 25-19 (February 25, 2004)
• Last Millersville win: W, 22-21 (February 13, 2019)
• Although these teams met prior to this matchup, F&M vs. Millersville was officially designated as the Rupp Cup during the 2008-09 season
• F&M is 11-5 all-time against Millersville since this rivalry was renamed in Ted Rupp's honor. That stretch includes winning 12 of the last 13 matchups after the Marauders won the first three in that series

F&M vs. Millersville

• Millersville is 12-5 on the year, including a 1-1 record against Division I opponents as it defeated Bloomsburg (W, 30-12) and fell to George Mason (L, 54-0) during the Mason Duals in the second weekend of November
• Franklin & Marshall and Millersville have already competed in two tournaments together as both teams wrestled at the Shorty Hitchcock Invitational hosted by the Marauders and the Lehman Open which was hosted by the Diplomats
• F&M is 4-1 in head-to-head matches versus Millersville this season
• There are no expected rematches based on the team's probable lineups for the Rupp Cup dual on Sunday
• F&M vs. Millersville Matchups during the 2024-25 season
• 125: Ejiro Montoya dec. Gavin Boland; 14-8
• 125: Ejiro Montoya TF Dom Flatt; 6:20 (21-5)
• 125: Charlie Colantonio dec. Braxton Keiffer; 6-1
• 149: Seth Weaver TF Matthew Morris; 3:23 (17-1)
• 149: Danny Sinclair maj. Seth Weaver; 14-4
• 165: Jake Neill dec. Mitch Bivona; 6-3

National Leaders

Bryce Kresho (141 lbs.)

• Kresho, a junior team captain, is currently leading all Division I wrestlers with 31 victories on the season
• The only other wrestler who has won at least 25 matches on the year is Army's Brady Colbert
• Kresho has additionally recorded eight major decisions to rank fourth nationally in that category
• With a fall against Drexel, Kresho now has eight pins in the year to rank in a tie for eighth among all Division I wrestlers in that category

Assistant Coach Steve Borja

• 12th 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: vs. F&M Invitational (Mayser Center)

Sunday, February 23 (12 p.m.)