F&M Wrestling Wednesday, December 7 at Ursinus (7 p.m.)

LAST TIME OUT

Duke, VMI Duals & Patriot Open

• The Diplomats fell to 1-2 in dual meets with a pair of tough setbacks in Virginia against VMI (L, 24-15) and Duke (L, 19-18)
• Mason Leiphart (125 lbs.), Gio Diaz (133 lbs.), and John Crawford (197 lbs.) each went undefeated in the two duals while Nick Alvarez (157 lbs.) won his match in the only dual he wrestled against the Blue Devils
• Crawford's most notable win came during a 6-3 decision against VMI's Tyler Mousaw who was a Southern Conference (SoCon) runner-up a season ago and has been nationally-ranked at multiple times throughout his career
• Simultaneous to the duals against their Southern Conference and ACC opponents, seven Diplomats competed at George Mason's Patriot Open
• Josh Hillard (133 lbs.) was the team's top placer at the Patriot Open, finishing sixth
• Hillard racked up three falls and a major decision as all four of his victories came via bonus points
• Bryce Kresho (141 lbs.) finished one match shy of the medal round at George Mason, posting a 3-2 record that featured a victory over SoCon runner-up Heath Gonyer of Appalachian State

Ursinus

Wednesday, December 7 (7 p.m.)

F&M vs. Ursinus All-Time

• All-Time Series: F&M leads, 8-1
• At Ursinus: First-ever meeting in Collegeville
• Last year: F&M won 48-4
• First Meeting: February 7, 1930 (F&M won 36-0)
• Current Streak: F&M +1
• The Division I Diplomats and the Centennial Conference Bears met in December 2021 after the all-time series was dormant since 1944
• F&M is the only primarily Division III school that competes at the Division I level in wrestling
• The majority of the Diplomats' varsity sports compete in the Centennial Conference

Potential rematches

• Just one potential rematch from last year's dual is expected to occur at 184 lbs. where James Conway pinned Ursinus' Connor Fritsch in 1:48 last December
• The Bears' Jackson Brandt (174 lbs.) dropped a 10-1 major decision to John Crawford a season ago, but Crawford has since moved up to 197 lbs.
• Cenzo Pelusi (285 lbs.) registered a 14-3 major decision against Ursinus' Jake Ahmad last year, but Pelusi will not return to the Diplomats lineup until later in the year
• Pat Phillips (133 lbs.) also won by fall a season ago when F&M squared off against the Bears in mid-December

F&M Dual Notables

• Mason Leiphart (125 lbs.) and John Crawford (197 lbs.) are both a perfect 3-0 in dual meets during the early part of the season
• Gio Diaz (133 lbs.) is 2-0 in dual action following this past weekend in Virginia, while Sam Kotch (141 lbs.) won the only dual he wrestled versus Elizabethtown

Ursinus Notables

• Ursinus finished third at the Centennial Conference Championships last year
• Returning place winners from the Centennial Conference Championship include Terry Adams (second; 125 lbs.), Romeo Rodriguez (second; 133 lbs.), and Shawn Marchesano (fourth; 157 lbs.)
• Ursinus head coach Joe Jamison is no stranger to Franklin & Marshall and the EIWA as he was an assistant coach at Princeton for over a decade before taking over the Bears where he is in his third season as head coach
• Assistant coach Michael Childs spent four years as an assistant coach with the Diplomats under current F&M head coach Mike Rogers

Division I National Leaders

• Franklin & Marshall has won 118 individual matches to date, recording bonus points in 59 of those victories (50%)
• That total includes 25 falls as a team and 12 technical falls
• 17 individuals have at least one pin during the first month of the 2022-23 season

Mason Leiphart (125 lbs.) - 4 Tech Falls

• Mason Leiphart is currently tied for the Division I lead with four technical falls, sharing that top spot with nine other individuals
• Leiphart is one of four true freshman who is tied for the national lead as his four tech falls are equal to Iowa State's Jacob Frost (141 lbs) and Manuel Rojas (174 lbs.), and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville's Alec Peralta (149 lbs.)
• Leiphart and Little Rock starter Jayden Carson are the only 125 lb. wrestlers who are among those currently tied for the national lead in tech falls
• The Diplomats' first-year has recorded bonus points in 11 of his first 13 career victories, including one fall, four tech falls, three major decisions, and three forfeits

Josh Hillard (133 lbs.) - 5 Falls

• First-year Josh Hillard is currently ranked in the top-10 nationally with five falls, just one behind nine wrestlers who have recorded six falls so far this season
• Cal Poly's Johnny Lopez (133 lbs.), and Iowa's Gage Marty (285 lbs.) are the only true freshman who have more pins than Hillard
• Seven other true freshman are currently tied with Hillard at five falls
• Hillard has recorded bonus points during 10 of his 11 victories, including two other early match terminatations via technical fall

F&M In National Rankings

Cenzo Pelusi, Sr./285 (#31 InterMat / HM FloWrestling)

• Will make season debut during spring semester
• 35-23 career record at F&M (42-41 in college)
• Placed seventh at last year's EIWA Championship for first conference placement of his career

Assistant Coach Steve Borja

• Entering 10th 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

Holiday Tournaments

Wilkes Invitational (Thursday, December 22)

58th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships (Thursday, December 29 - Friday, December 30)