F&M Wrestling Wednesday, January 18 vs. Gettysburg (7 p.M.) - Senior Day; Saturday, January 21 at LIU (12 p.m.) & Hofstra) (4 p.m.)

LAST TIME OUT

vs. Drexel

• F&M will be looking to get back in the win column after a 23-13 defeat against Drexel inside the Mayser Center this past Saturday
• Despite the final team score, there were several positives for the Diplomats as Mason Leiphart (125 lbs.) defeated former NCAA Division qualifier Antonio Mininno by a 9-6 score to start the night
• F&M closed the dual by winning three of the final four bouts
• John Crawford (197 lbs.) picked up F&M's bonus point with an 11-2 major decision thanks in part to a six-point move near the end of the second period
• Noah Fox (174 lbs.) and Cenzo Pelusi (285 lbs.) each took one point decisions. Fox was a 4-3 winner behind a pair of takedowns while Pelusi's bout went to overtime where he got a stalling point during a 2-1 sudden victory final
• Drexel's lineup featured three nationally-ranked wrestlers, with James Conway (184 lbs.) coming the closest to securing a nationally-ranked win before dropping a 3-2 decision versus #25 Brian Bonino

Weekly Schedule

Wednesday, January 18 - Senior Day

vs. Gettysburg (7 p.m.) - Mayser Center

Saturday, January 21

at LIU (12 P.M.) - Pratt Recreation Center

at Hofstra (4 p.m.) - David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex

Diplomat Notables

F&M vs. Gettysburg

• All-time: F&M leads 62-6-2
• At F&M: Diplomats are 33-2-1
• First meeting: February 26, 1930 (F&M won, 36-0)
• Last meeting: January 26, 2022 (F&M won, 44-6)
• Last Gettysburg win: January 12, 1999 (GC: 28-14)
• Current streak: F&M + 10
• Gettysburg is a member of the Centennial Conference where the Diplomats compete at the Division III level in their other varsity sport offerings
• F&M is the only Division I wrestling team that competes at the Division III level with their other varsity programs
• Only three Bullets who wrestled in the dual last year at Gettysburg are expected to compete this week
• All three of those GC wrestlers lost to seniors on last year's team
• The Diplomats and Bullets have both wrestled Elizabethtown this season. F&M won 32-9 against the Blue Jays back in December, while ETown bested Gettysburg, 20-19, last week

F&M vs. LIU Notables

• F&M and LIU met for the first time in program history last season, with the Diplomats claiming a 32-16 victory at home
• LIU joined the EIWA during the 2019-20 season, moving up from the Division II ranks
• The only potential rematch from last year's dual could come at 133 lbs. where Pat Phillips defeated Kaelan Francois by a 9-0 major decision
• F&M and LIU have each competed at the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial and Lehman Open this season, with F&M holding a 3-1 record in those head-to-head which have occurred
• 133: Pat Phillips def. Mateo Castillo, 17-3
• 133: Drew Currier def. Kaelen Francois, 10-3
• 157: Rhise Rhoyster def. Nick Alvarez, 12-3
• 157: Anthony Micci def. Brian Gonzalez, F: 2:43

F&M vs. Hofstra Notables

• All-Time: Hofstra leads 10-5
• At F&M: Pride are 5-4
• First meeting: December 12, 1947 (F&M won 20-6)
• Last meeting: February 20, 2022 (Hofstra won 22-11)
• Last F&M win: January 13, 1996 (F&M won 29-20)
• Current streak: Hofstra +6
• Following F&M's win in 1996, the teams met once in 1999 before resuming the series on a full-time basis during 2016-17 season (fifth consecutive season)
• Hofstra returns seven wrestlers from last year's dual, but only one rematch is expected to take place, as Hofstra heavyweight and then-18th ranked Zachary Knighton-Ward picked up a 4-2 decision last year vs. Cenzo Pelusi
• F&M and Hofstra both wrestled at the Lehman Open where three head-to-head matchups took place
• 133: Joe Sparacio def. Pat Phillips, 8-1
• 157: Eric Shindel def. Anthony Micci, 4-0
• 197: John Crawford def. Nik Miller, 13-8

F&M Dual Notables

• F&M holds a 46-34 individual bout record in dual meets, registering bonus points during 21 of those victories
• Mason Leiphart (125 lbs.) and John Crawford (197 lbs.) are both a team-best 7-1 in dual meets
• Cenzo Pelusi (285 lbs.) is a perfect 4-0 in dual meets since returning to the lineup in late December
• Gio Diaz (133 lbs.) is a perfect 2-0 in duals this year
• Noah Fox (174 lbs.) is 6-2 on the year in duals, while Pat Phillips (133 lbs.) and James Conway (184 lbs.) are both 5-2 in dual meets
• The Diplomats have wrestlers with winning records at seven of the 10 weights and can have four wrestlers (Pat Phillips, Noah Fox, James Conway, John Crawford) join Mason Leiphart with 20-plus wins on the season this week

Division I National Leaders

• Franklin & Marshall has won 233 individual matches this season, recording bonus points in 123 of those victories (52.8%)
• That total includes 48 falls, 26 tech falls, and 33 major decisions
• 21F&M wrestlers have registered at least one pin this season

Mason Leiphart (125 lbs.) - 9 Tech Falls & 21 Wins

• True freshman Mason Leiphart leads all Division I wrestlers with nine technical falls on the season, four more than any other Division I wrestler
• Leiphart has three more tech falls than West Virginia's Caleb Dowling who ranks second in the country with six technical falls
• The Diplomats' first-year has recorded bonus points in 18 of his first 21 career victories, including one fall, nine tech falls, five major decisions, and three forfeits
• Leiphart's 21 wins are tied for the third-most Division I, trailing second place by just one win and the national leader by four victories
• Leiphart and Missouri's Clayton Whiting (21 wins) are the only true freshman to rank in the top 10 of Division I wrestling in total victories
• The F&M record for tech falls in a season (10) was set by Rick Durso '16 during his senior season in which he compiled a 39-10 record
• Leiphart is already tied for fourth in program history for tech falls in a season with Michael Parziale '05 and Wil Gil '22)
• The program record for tech falls in a career was set by James Nalbone '91 (13)

Pat Phillips (133 lbs.) - 4 tech falls

• Phillips has won five of his last eight bouts overalls and registered tech falls during three of those victories
• The F&M sophomore is ranked 10th in Division I with four tech falls
• Franklin & Marshall is one of just nine Division I schools that has two wrestlers with at least four technical falls this year

Josh Hillard (133 lbs.) - 8 Falls

• First-year Josh Hillard has registered falls during eight of his 15 victories
• Hillard is currently tied for ninth in Division I with those eight pins
• Only three other true freshmen in Division I wrestling have at least eight pins: more falls than Hillard: Thaddeus Huff - Bellarmine (13), Joseph Martin - Northwestern (9), Gabe Sollars - Indiana (8)
• Hillard's eight falls are the most by an F&M wrestler since Philip Robilotto also had eight during the 2018-19 season
• Hillard additionally owns two tech falls, two major decisions, and one medical forfeit, giving him bonus points during 13 of his 15 victories (86.7%)

Aidan O'Shea (133 lbs.) - 6 Major Decisions

• Aidan O'Shea's six major decisions are tied for the eighth-most in Division I wrestling, just two behind the national leader (Lachlan McNeil - North Carolina)
• O'Shea's six major decisions are tied with Bellarmine's Michael Schiffhauer for the most in Division I among all true freshman
• The last Diplomat to record six major decisions in a season was Jose Diaz '22 during the 2018-19 season

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

Next Week

Sunday, January 29

vs. Sacred Heart (2 p.m.)

EIWA TICKETS NOW ON SALE

First NCAA Coaches Ranking to be released on Thursday, January 19