BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Wil Gil toppled the 141-pound bracket's No. 1 seed in the consolation round at day one of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships on Friday at Lehigh to lead a group of 10 Franklin & Marshall competitors.

Gil was the lone Diplomat to advance into tomorrow's third session, where he'll take on No. 5 seeded Noah Baughman of Cornell in the Consolation Round of Four. Gil is guaranteed to place for the second straight year. He can finish no lower than eighth and as high as third. 

To view brackets from day one, click here. 

Jose Diaz – Day  1 

Diaz bounced back from an 11-3 major decision loss to the bracket's No. 4 seed in his opening bout but responded in consolations by recording a clutch takedown in the second tiebreaker period to claim a 5-1 decision over Bucknell's Geo Barzona. His tournament came to a close against the bracket's No. 2 seed Brandon Paetzell of Lehigh by a 20-5 tally.

Wil Gil (No. 6 seed) – Day 1

Following a disappointing 13-6 loss to Princeton's Marshall Keller in his Round of 16 contest, Gil stayed alive thanks to a second-period escape in a narrow 1-0 shutout of Hofstra's Vinny Vespa in the wrestle backs. 

Gil drew the bracket's No. 1 grappler in the next round. American's Salvatore Profaci entered the tournament ranked No. 23 in the nation, but Gil was in control early on, taking a 7-1 lead off a reversal in the second period. Profaci stormed back and eventually forced sudden victory off a takedown with just three seconds on the clock in the third. Profaci had Gil on the ropes in sudden victory, but Gil fought off an early shot and managed to record the winning takedown. 

Cole Aaron (No. 8 seed) – Day 1

Aaron was edged out by a 7-2 decision in the championship-round bout but proved his resiliency with a commanding 8-2 decision win over Penn's John Errico in the wrestle backs. The Diplomats' 157-pounder overcame a first-period takedown to collect six nearfall points in the second after riding out his opponent for the entirety of the frame.

Against Harvard's No. 6 seed Hunter Ladnier, Aaron trailed by just two late in the third but was turned on the mat at 5:21 for a pin.

Emmett LiCastri – Day 1

Emmett LiCastri battled against the 165-pound bracket's No. 6 seed and the nation's No. 22 ranked grappler Grant Cuomo of Princeton in his opening-round matchup but fell by a tough 4-2 decision score in sudden victory. 

In consolations, Licastri broke a 1-1 tie in the third period against Columbia's Riley Jacops by registering a takedown with 1:14 remaining to take a 4-1 decision victory. He was eliminated from the tournament in his next match with a hard-fought 9-3 loss against Cornell's Milik Dawkins.

Cenzo Pelusi – Day 1 

Following a narrow decision loss in the championship round, Pelusi got back on track with a 5-3 win over Navy's Riley Smith in consolations. F&M's heavyweight led 4-0 heading into the third and eventually sealed the match with an escape. In his next match, Pelusi trailed by a 1-0 score against No. 5 seed Joe Doyle of Binghamton in the third before knotting the match off a penalty point. However, Pelusi was ridden out in the third and lost the contest on riding time. 

The Results 

Up Next

Session three begins tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. with the Championship Semifinals, followed closely by the Consolation Semifinals and the seventh-place matches. Saturday's finals are set to start at 2:30 p.m.

Complete F&M Results

125: Jose Diaz

Day 1
L - 11-3 Major - No. 4 Seed - Troy Chalifoux (Army)
W - 5-1 Decision - Geo Barzona (Bucknell)
L - 20-5 Tech. Fall - No. 2 Seed - Brandon Paetzell (Lehigh)

133: Jack Bruce

Day 1
L - 21-6 Tech. Fall - No. 3 Seed - Nick Farro (Lehigh)
L - 18-2 Tech. Fall - Ty Agaisse (Princeton)

141: Wil Gil (No. 6 Seed)

Day 1
L - 13-6 Decision - Marshall Keller (Princeton)
W - 1-0 Decision - Vinny Vespa (Hofstra)
W - 12-10 Decision - No. 1 Seed - Salvatore Profaci (American)

149: Cristiaan Dailey

Day 1
L - 16-1 Tech. Fall - No. 5 Seed - Jared Prince (Navy)
L - 2-0 Decision - Rhise Royster (LIU)

157: Cole Aaron (No. 8 Seed)

Day 1
L - 7-2 Decision - Jack Bokina (Brown)
W - 8-2 Decision - John Errico (Penn)
L - Fall (5:21) - No. 6 Seed - Hunter Ladnier (Harvard)

165: Emmett LiCastri

Day 1
L - 4-2 Decision - No. 6 Seed - Grant Cuomo (Princeton)
W - 4-1 Decision - Riley Jacops (Columbia)
L - 9-3 Decision - Milik Dawkins (Cornell)

174: Crew Fullerton

Day 1
L - Fall (1:46) - No. 4 Seed - Brandon Womack (Cornell)
L - 11-3 Major - Neil Antrassian (Penn)

184: Reid Robilotto

Day 1
L - 16-0 Tech. Fall - No. 3 Seed - Noah Stewart (Army)
L 6-2 Decision - Kyle Inlander (Bucknell)

197: Ethan Seeley

Day 1
L - 16-0 Tech. Fall - No. 4 Seed - Jacob Koser (Navy)
L - 6-1 Decision - Robert Hetherman (Sacred Heart)

285: Cenzo Pelusi

Day 1
L - 5-2 Decision - No. 7 Seed - Brendan Furman (Cornell)
W - 5-3 Decision - Riley Smith (Navy)
L - 2-1 Decision - No. 5 Seed - Joe Doyle (Binghamton)