PHILADELPHIA – The Franklin & Marshall wrestling team closed out the dual meet portion of its schedule with a thrilling 22-16 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) road victory at Drexel on Saturday evening. With that win, the Diplomats finish the dual meet portion of their schedule with a 6-3 overall record, including a 2-2 mark in conference action.
Saturday's performance was historic in a number of ways as it snapped a 16-match winning streak that the Dragons had in the series. Although they have not met every year since, F&M's last victory over Drexel came on February 17, 1988. The win also marked the first time in nine attempts that the Diplomats were able to come away with a win inside the Dragons' home gym.
With the dual meet ending in a five-five split after 10 bouts, bonus points loomed large as Franklin & Marshall got pins from Pat Phillips (141 lbs.) and John Crawford (197 lbs.) while James Conway (184 lbs.) added a major decision. The Diplomats surrendered just one bonus point the entire night. The Dragons' only bonus point came during the first bout at 125 lbs. when Gabe Giampietro earned a 10-1 major decision against Eric Howe.
The Diplomats quickly responded with back-to-back victories. Nationally-ranked Mason Leiphart got F&M on the board with an 8-1 decision at 133 lbs. He got a takedown and four near fall during the first period before eventually earning riding time during his victory. That win marked the 73rd time in program history a wrestler has gone undefeated in dual meet action throughout an entire regular season in F&M history Phillips really gave the Diplomats a shot of momentum after he rolled through on a tilt during the first period of his match at 141 lbs. Already looking to be up big with near fall points, Phillips had the tilt so tight that he got the fall in just 2:24. His first pin of the season gave F&M a 9-4 advantage in the team score.
Drexel won the next three bouts, but the Diplomats battled throughout the middle weights in a number of tightly-contested matches. Just a single takedown proved to be the difference during each of those bouts as Dominic Wheatley (149 lbs.) dropped a tough sudden victory decision, while Bryce Kresho (149 lbs.) and Josh Palmucci (165 lbs.) came out on the wrong side of 4-1 and 5-1 decisions.
Once again, Franklin & Marshall turned to its veteran leaders and they did not disappoint down the stretch. Noah Fox and Jack Janda squared off at 174 lbs. in a pair of top EIWA contenders and the match lived up the pre-dual hype by heading into sudden victory. During the extra time, Fox was able to deliver the takedown for the 4-1 victory which made the score 13-12. No. 20 James Conway gave F&M the lead for good with his 12-2 major decision at 184 lbs. After a scoreless first period, Conway got an escape and takedown to open the second period scoring. Two more third period takedowns broke the match open and gave the Diplomats a 16-13 lead heading into the final two bouts.
John Crawford was able to deliver the final bout for the Diplomats as his 20th victory of the season will certainly be one of the most memorable of his career. Needing just a decision to secure the dual victory, Crawford had built up a 16-10 lead but put an exclamation point on the victory when he pinned his opponent at the 6:56 mark of the match. Crawford finished his weekend with back-to-back falls and gave F&M a 22-13 lead heading into the heavyweight match where an escape and riding time was the difference for Drexel's Santino Marina a 2-0 decision over Harrison Shapiro.
Wrestling will have one final weekend of competition before the Diplomats turn their attention fully to postseason. The Diplomats close their regular season next Saturday by hosting round robin/pool bouts with Maryland, Lehigh, Penn, North Carolina, Ohio State, and Rider during the F&M Scramble. Action inside the Mayser Center that day will take place on three mats with draws to be announced in the coming week. Wrestling will get underway at 2 p.m. in Lancaster next Saturday
Franklin & Marshall 22, Drexel 16
125: Gabe Giampietro (Drexel) maj. Eric Howe (F&M); 10-1 (Drexel 4-0)
133: #30 Mason Leiphart (F&M) dec. Jaxon Maroney (Drexel); 8-1 (Drexel 4-3)
141: Pat Phillips (F&M) WBF Jordan Soriano (Drexel); 2:24 (F&M 9-4)
149: Dominic Findora (Drexel) dec. Bryce Kresho (F&M); 4-1 (F&M 9-7)
157: Tyler Williams (Drexel) dec. Dominic Wheatley (F&M); 4-1 (SV) (Drexel 10-9)
165: #30 Cody Walsh (Drexel) dec. Josh Palmucci (F&M); 5-1 (Drexel 13-9)
174: Noah Fox (F&M) dec. Jack Janda (Drexel); 4-1 (SV) (Drexel 13-12)
184: #20 James Conway (F&M) maj. Justin Griffith (Drexel); 12-2 (F&M 16-13)
197: #31 John Crawford (F&M) WBF Ibrahim Ameer (Drexel); 6:56 (F&M 22-13)
285: Santino Morina (Drexel) dec. Harrison Shapiro (F&M); 2-0 (F&M 22-16)
