PHILADELPHIA – The Franklin & Marshall wrestling team had its best Keystone Classic in recent memory as six Diplomats found their way onto the podium while the team finished fifth in the final standings with 84 points. Highlighting the day was the first-ever Keystone Classic Champion for head coach Mike Rogers as James Conway took home the 184 lb. title in sudden victory, while John Crawford also made the finals at 197 lbs.

Conway's run to the top spot on the podium featured a pair of sudden victory wins as he picked up his second consecutive overtime victory against Penn's Max Hale during the semifinals before taking down No. 21 Sam Fisher of Virginia Tech by an 8-5 decision during the finals. The F&M junior started his day with a technical fall against Penn's Om Shastri and also claimed a 4-1 victory against Utah Valley's Jacob Armstrong to become the first Keystone Classic Champion in program history.

John Crawford added to that history-making day as he punched his ticket to the finals right after Conway did. To do so, Crawford had to defeat Evan Bockman of Utah Valley who entered the tournament as the No. 17 wrestler in the country. Avenging one of his loses from the Southeast Open, Crawford would do just that with a seven-point feet-to-back move during the semifinals and nearly turned this match into a major decision of his own before finishing off the 12-5 victory. Facing three quality opponents, Crawford found himself trailing Indiana's Gabe Sollars by a 4-0 score in the quarterfinals, but scored the final eight points of the match during the final three minutes of regulation time. Only a loss to No. 16 Andy Smith of Virginia Tech kept the Diplomats from having back-to-back Keystone Classic Champions.

In addition to the finalists, the Diplomats went a perfect 3-0 in the consolation semifinals to send three wrestlers to the third place bouts. Noah Fox (174 lbs.) wrestled the maximum six matches in a day and won five of them on his way to third place finish. Fox picked up bonus points during three of his victories, but also had his share of hard-fought battles as he used a reversal with 19 seconds left in the third period to defeat his opponent from Virginia Tech. During his third place bout, Fox was trailing by one in the third period, but got an escape and a takedown during the final 20 seconds before tacking on riding time during the eventual 11-7 victory.

Pat Phillips also took third in the tournament, with his only loss on the day coming in the semifinals to the No. 28-ranked wrestler in the country. Phillips defeated opponents from four different schools. He used third period takedowns during the wins against both Drexel and Virginia Tech to come away with those wins. The win against the third-seeded Dragon came with a takedown right at the buzzer and was upheld despite his opponent's challenge. Mason Leiphart also had a thrilling overtime match against the Dragons where he defeated Jaxon Maroney in the rideout after needing an entire third period ride to secure exactly one minute of riding time to force sudden victory. He also had fall versus Virginia Teach during the consolation semifinals as his only defeats on the day came to the host Quakers.

The Diplomats finished with two place winners at 141 lbs. as Bryce Kresho came back from an opening round loss to place eighth. He started his road through the wrestle backs with a victory against teammate Josh Hillard before a dominating 14-1 major decision against the No. 3 seed from Drexel to clinch his spot on the podium. Before hitting his own teammate in the consolation rounds, Hillard had only other loss to the No. 28 wrestler in the country while also earning a 7-4 win against Duke.

The Diplomats also got bonus point victories from Luke Bender and Noah Bash throughout the Keystone Classic. Bender matched up with the No. 25 wrestler in the country during his opening round match, but came back with a 17-1 tech all during his first consolation match. Bash started the day with a first period pin in 1:22 against his EIWA foe from Sacred Heart.

With three tournaments under their belts, the Diplomats will now have the upcoming week away from competition as they prepare for the Franklin & Marshall duals which are set for Sunday, December 3. With four dual matches to start the home slate, the Diplomats will wrestle Michigan State (10 a.m.), VMI (11:30 a.m.), Presbyterian (1 p.m.), and Bloomsburg (2:30 p.m.) during a busy day inside the Mayser Center.

Franklin & Marshall Results
Eric Howe (125 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. #15 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech); 14-3
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Desmond Pleasant (Drexel); 10-0

Mason Leiphart (133 lbs.) - Fourth Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Bye
Quarterfinals: Won vs. Jaxon Maroney (Drexel); 3-3 (TB2)
Semifinals: Lost vs. Alex Almeyda (Penn); 6-0
Consolation Semifinals: Won vs. Logan Frazier (Virginia Tech); F: 3:17
Third Place: Lost vs. #8 Michael Colaiocco (Penn); 8-0

Pat Phillips (141 lbs.) – Third Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Won vs. Kaden Keiser (Appalachian State); 6-2
Quarterfinals: Won vs. Jordan Soriano (Drexel); 9-7
Semifinals: Lost vs. #28 Danny Fongaro (Indiana); 8-1
Consolation Semifinals: Won vs. Mac Church (Virginia Tech); 4-2
Third Place: Won vs. Cole Rhemrev (Indiana); 12-10

Bryce Kresho (141 lbs.) – Eighth Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. Mac Church (Virginia Tech); 13-5
Consolatiion of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Won vs. Josh Hillard (F&M); 11-6
Consolation of 8 #2: Won vs. Jordan Soriano (Drexel); 14-1
Consolation of 4: Lost vs. Isaac Byers (Appalachian State); 14-5
Seventh Place: Lost vs. James Emmer (Utah Valley); 6-2

Josh Hillard (141 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. #28 Danny Fongaro (Indiana); 9-3
Consolation Round of 16 #1: Bye
Consolation Round of 16 #2: Won vs. Peter Chacon (Duke); 7-4
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Bryce Kresho (F&M); 11-6

Luke Bender (149 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. #25 Cody Bond (Appalachian State); 10-0
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Won vs. Logan Fite (Duke); TF: 5:51 (17-1)
Consolation of 8 #2: Lost vs. Hunter Gandy (Penn); 6-4

Josh Palmucci (165 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. Tanner Lofthouse (Utah Valley); 6-4
Consolation of 16 #1: vs. Bye
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Jaxon Garoutte (Drexel); 8-1

Noah Bash (165 lbs.)
Round of 32: Won vs. Calvin Pindeda (Sacred Heart); F: 1:22
Round of 16: Lost vs. #12 Derek Gilcher (Indiana); TF: 7:00 (17-2)
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Michael Bobola (Harvard); 6-3

Noah Fox (174 lbs.) - Third Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Won vs. Lance Urbas (Penn); 12-0
Quarterfinals: Lost vs. Jasiah Queen (Drexel); F: 1:20
Consolation of 8 #2: Won vs. Kolton Clark (Virginia Tech); 4-3
Consolation of 4: Won vs. Logan Eller (Appalachian State); TF: 5:32 (16-0)
Consolation Semifinals: Won vs. Jack Wimmer (Duke); 12-0
Third Place: Won vs. Jack Janda (Drexel); 11-7

James Conway (184 lbs.) – First Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Won vs. Om Shastri (Penn); TF: 2:08 (19-4)
Quarterfinals: Won vs. Jacob Armstrong (Utah Valley); 4-1
Semifinals: Won vs. Max Hale (Penn); 4-1 (SV)
First Place: Won vs. #21 Sam Fisher (Virginia Tech); 8-5 (SV)

John Crawford (197 lbs.) – Second Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Bye
Quarterfinals: Won vs. Gabe Sollars (Indiana); 8-4
Semifinals: Won vs. #17 Evan Bockman (Utah Valley); 12-5
First Place: Lost vs. #16 Andy Smith (Virginia Tech); 17-6

Harrison Shapiro (285 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Bye
Quarterfinals: Lost vs. #18 Hunter Catka (Virginia Tech); TF: 2:27 (18-0)
Consolation of 8 #2: Lost vs. Jack Forbes (Utah Valley); 7-2