LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall is set for a busy week of action with four duals and a tournament lining the Diplomats' mid-January schedule. Competition begins Tuesday on the road with F&M's first Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) dual of the season against Bucknell.
The Week Ahead
Tuesday, Jan. 10 – at Bucknell – 7:00 PM
Video | Live Results
Saturday, Jan. 14 – at Pitt. (Pitt. Duals) – 9:00 AM
Video | Live Results
Saturday, Jan. 14 – at Binghamton (Pitt. Duals) – 10:30 AM
Saturday, Jan. 14 – at Davidson (Pitt. Duals) – 12:00 PM
Saturday, Jan. 14 – Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Classic (Hosted by Millersville)
Live Results
Scouting Bucknell: The Diplomats and Bison are meeting for the sixth-consecutive season with F&M holding the 21-14-1 all-time lead, dating back to 1947. F&M's last win came at home on Feb. 14, 2014, with a thrilling 23-21 victory, but the Diplomats are seeking their first win against the Bison in Lewisburg since 1978.
Bucknell enters action sporting a 0-2 dual meet record, having lost to No. 1 Oklahoma State (36-30) and No. 12 Lehigh (33-7). Three top-25 wrestlers and returning NCAA Qualifiers grace the Bison's lineup in Tyler Smith (141), Victor Lopez (157) and Tom Sleigh (197).
Matchup to Watch: The bout at 141 figures to be the marquee matchup of the dual with F&M's Paddy Quinlan expected to take on Smith. P. Quinlan enters with a 15-10 overall record and is fresh off a fourth-place showing at last Saturday's David H. Lehman F&M Open. Smith is a two-time NCAA Qualifier who hold a 12-5 record on the season and is ranked at No. 19/18/17 by Intermat, The Open Mat, and FloWrestling, respectively.
A Look at the Pitt Duals: A total of 13 teams will compete in the Pitt Duals on Saturday. The event features five dual-meet competitions occurring simultaneously and each squad participating in at least a trio of matchups. Wrestling begins at 9:00 a.m. on five mats. All rounds start at 125, with 10 minutes between each round.
For a full order of events, click here.
Scouting No. 23 Pittsburgh: The Panthers head into Saturday with a 4-2 dual meet record, including a 23-15 victory against West Virginia their last time out on Dec. 11. A total of five NCAA Qualifiers are on the roster, as well as a strong freshman class that was ranked No. 11 in the country by FloWrestling.
Scouting Binghamton: The Bearcats enter the weekend with a 2-2 dual meet mark, including a 2-1 record in the EIWA. Binghamton last faced Columbia on Sunday, rolling to a 32-8 win and is led by 184-pounder Steve Schneider who qualified for last season's NCAA Tournament as a sophomore.
Scouting Davidson: The Wildcats currently stand at 3-6 with a 0-1 EIWA mark. Last Sunday, Davidson fell to Clarion by a 41-6 score to extend a five-dual losing streak and has yet to defeat a D1 opponent in 2016-17. F&M last squared off against the Wildcats at the 2016 Pitt. Duals, securing a 32-6 triumph in its opening match of the day.
A Look at the Shorty Hitchcock Memorial Open: Millersville's annual tournament will feature nine mats in the double-elimination event that will see participants competing for top-four places. The Diplomats will send a split squad to take part in the action, which begins at 9:00 a.m. in the Student Memorial Center (SMC) on the Marauders' campus.
Last Time Out: P. Quinlan (141) and Antonio Pelusi (who competed unattached at 285) both secured fourth-place finishes to pace F&M at its fifth annual home wrestling tournament, the David H. Lehman F&M Open in Lancaster on Saturday.
To read the complete recap, click here and to view the final brackets, click here.
King Moving Up the Charts: Standing at 14-10 on the season after a string of successful tournament showings, King now holds a 67-59 career record, which is good for the 14th most wins in program history.
Season Leaders: Anthony Mancini (184 pounds) leads the way with a 16-9 overall record, including a 5-4 mark in EIWA competition. P. Quinlan is next at 15-10, while Robbie King is 14-10 and Emmett LiCastri is 13-12. Pelusi (competing unattached) stands at 16-9, while fellow redshirt Philip Robilotto in an impressive 11-4.
Pin Leaders: With three pins at the David H. Lehman F&M Open, P. Quinlan retook the team lead with eight. The junior captain is on a historic pace, already ranking in a tie for ninth on the all-time season pins list and has a total of 16 in his career.
LiCastri is next with six falls during his freshman season, followed by Dan Martoccio with five and King with four.
