EVANSTON, Ill. – James Conway advanced to the semifinals of the 59th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on day one of the prestigious national event. However, his exploits were far from a solo effort as the Diplomats sent five wrestlers to compete in the nationally-renowned tournament and all five are still alive for a placing performance as Mason Leiphart, Pat Phillips, Noah Fox, and John Crawford find themselves in the consolation round of 12.

As a team, Franklin & Marshall won its first seven matches of the day and posted a combined team record of 14-4 during the impressive day one showing. That performance was punctuated by eight bonus point victories through day one of the two-day event.

With his spot in the semifinals, James Conway has already guaranteed himself a spot on the podium to make him just the second F&M place winner all-time at this even as he joins three-time place winner and former All-American Rick Durso in that exclusive club. Conway started his day with back-to-back major decision victories against Central Michigan and George Mason before an epic battle in the quarterfinals.

Conway, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, was trailing No. 11 seed and former NCAA qualifier Cody Howard of Virginia Tech by an 8-6 score in the third period, but earned two stall calls in the waning seconds before securing the 11-8 sudden victory decision. He will face seventh-seeded Max Hale of Penn in the semifinals for the third time this season where he already owns two hard-fought victories over the Quaker.

Conway was one of three Diplomats to wrestle in the quarterfinals, with teammates Mason Leiphart and John Crawford also making deep runs in the championship bracket. Leiphart entered the tournament as the No. 7 seed and earned a fall and technical fall during his first two matches. His 18-0 technical fall came in just 4:27 by an 18-0 score against 10th-seeded Nicolar Rivera of Wisconsin. Leiphart than squared off with Penn's Michael Colaiocco for the third time this season in the quarterfinals. Although unable to come away with the victory, the bout was the most competitive between the two to date, with Leiphart earning the riding time point in a 6-5 decision in Penn's favor. He will have another EIWA foe in Harvard's Coleman Nogle for a spot on the podium tomorrow morning.

John Crawford started his day with a 2-1 battle against Illinois' Joseph Braunagel before a huge 12-4 major decision over fifth-seeded Martin Cosgrove of Penn. Crawford entered the tournament as the No. 12 seed but was temporarily denied his spot on the podium by fourth-seeded Andy Smith of Virginia Tech in the quarterfinal round. Nevertheless, Crawford will have both revenge and a spot on the podium on the line when he faces 11th-seeded Kael Wisner of Michigan State during the round of 12 tomorrow morning.

Pat Phillips (141 lbs.) and Noah Fox (174 lbs.) were both in the championship bracket round of 16 but remained alive with back-to-back consolation victories to earn their spot in the round of 12. Phillips, the No. 11 seed, was defeated only by No. 6 seed and eventual semifinalist Tom Crook of Virginia Tech. The junior earned a major decision and technical fall on the day before taking down the No. 9 seed by a 9-2 decision during Friday night's session. Fox had the busiest day on the mat with the only round of 64 match for the Diplomats, but completed four victories to keep his Midlands Championship alive. Unseeded, Fox earned a 7-4 decision against Michigan and a pin versus Oregon State before dropping his championship round of 16 match to the No. 3 seed. Nevertheless, he defeated B1G opponents from Wisconsin and Rutgers to find himself in the round of 12. Both Phillips and Fox will take on the respective fifth seeds in their weight classes for a spot on the podium Saturday.

Saturday's third session is set for a 12 p.m. EST (11 a.m. local time start) with the semifinals, three rounds of consolations, and seventh place matches starting in the morning. The fourth and final session will feature first, third, and fifth place matches and begin at 7:05 p.m. EST (6:05 local). BTN+ will once again provide streaming of every mat.

Franklin & Marshall Results and Upcoming Opponents

#7 Mason Leiphart (133 lbs.)
Round of 64: Bye
Round of 32: Won vs. Carter Dibert (Arizona State); F: 4:12
Round of 16: Won vs. #10 Nicolar Rivera (Wisconsin); TF: 4:27 (18-0)
Quarterfinals: Lost vs. #2 Michael Colaiocco (Penn); 6-5
Consolation Round of 12: vs. Coleman Nogle (Harvard)

#11 Pat Phillips (141 lbs.)
Round of 64: Bye
Round of 32: Won vs. Ja`Kerion Merritt (Central Michigan); 14-3
Round of 16: Lost vs. #6 Tom Crook (Virginia Tech); 2-1
Consolation Round 4: Won vs. Danny Martinez (SIU Edwardsville); TF: 5:24 (17-0)
Consolation Round 5: Won vs. #9 Bradley Rosen (North Central); 9-2
Consolation Round of 12: vs. #5 Dylan Laylon (Cleveland State)

Noah Fox (174 lbs.)
Round of 64: Won vs. Joseph Walker (Michigan); 7-4
Round of 32: Won vs. TJ McDonnell (Oregon State); F: 6:59
Round of 16: Lost vs. #3 Adam Kemp (Cal Poly); 13-6
Consolation Round 4: Won vs. Cale Anderson (Wisconsin); 12-6
Consolation Round 5: Won vs. Shane Cartagena-Walsh (Rutgers); 6-0
Consolation Round of 12: vs. #5 Alex Cramer (Central Michigan)

#3 James Conway (184 lbs.)
Round of 64: Bye
Round of 32: Won vs. Cody Brenner (Central Michigan); 17-4
Round of 16: Won vs. Malachi DuVall (George Mason); 16-4
Quarterfinals: Won vs. #11 Cody Howard (Virginia Tech); 11-8 (SV)
Semifinals: vs. #7 Max Hale (Penn)

#12 Johns Crawford (197 lbs.)
Round of 64: Bye
Round of 32: Won vs. Joseph Braunagel (Illinois); 2-1
Round of 16: Won vs. #5 Martin Cosgrove (Penn); 12-4
Quarterfinals: Lost vs. #4 Andy Smith (Virginia Tech); 8-0
Consolation Round of 12: vs. #11 Kael Wisner (Michigan State)