LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall wrestling team sent four grapplers into the quarterfinals of the 2024 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships. The quarterfinal round is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. on Friday evening. Mason Leiphart, Pat Phillips, James Conway, and John Crawford all advanced to the quarterfinals, while all 10 Diplomats are still alive after the first session of wrestling.
Seeded fifth at 133 lbs., Mason Leiphart got a takedown and two separate near fall counts during the first period of his match before finishing off his technical fall of Hofstra's Dylan Ryder with a reversal and four more near fall just 35 seconds into the second period. He will wrestle fourth-seeded Kurt Phipps of Bucknell for a spot in the semifinals during the second session.
Pat Phillips, the No. 8 seed at 141 lbs., was locked in a scoreless battle after the first period of his match with Drexel's Jordan Soriano. He put on an offensive clinch during the second period with two separate four counts – along with a stall point – and led 9-2 heading to the third. Phillips added an escape and a takedown during the final period for a 14-3 victory. He will wrestle top-seeded Josh Koderhandt of Navy for a spot in the semifinals.
Both James Conway (184 lbs.) and John Crawford (197 lbs.) were 5-1 winners during their opening bouts. Conway got a takedown with eight seconds to go in the first period and earned a riding time point after he and Drexel's Justin Griffith alternated escapes during the final two periods. Conway will wrestled 10th-seeded Anthony D'Alesio of LIU tonight, with the winner punching his ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Crawford got his takedown at the 58 second mark of the second period while also earning an escape and stall point during that middle period of his victory. Crawford, the No. 6 seed, will also have his chance to punch his ticket to the NCAA Division I Championship tonight when he wrestles third-seeded Lou Deprez of Binghamton.
While most Diplomats had just a single match during the opening session, both Dominic Wheatley (157 lbs.) and Harrison Shapiro (285 lbs.) had two matches during the opening session. Shapiro started F&M's tournament with a win as he broke a 1-1 tie with a takedown that came with 52 seconds remaining in regulation for a 5-1 win against Sacred Heart's Marc Berisha in pigtal action. Wheatley kept his tournament alive with a technical fall in 3:36 against Sacred Heart's Connor MacDonald during the consolation pigtails. Wheatley was up 14-0 after the first period following a takedown and three separate near fall counts before escaping to earn the technical fall.
Session II at the EIWA Championships is set to begin tonight at 4:30 p.m. In addition to the quarterfinal round, two rounds of consolations will also be wrestled as each bracket gets down to just the eight place winners after day one.
Franklin & Marshall results and upcoming opponents
#15 Eric Howe (125 lbs.)
Round of 16: Lost vs. #2 Brett Unger (Cornell); TF: 3:23 (17-1)
Consolation Round 2: vs. #10 Mike Joyce (Brown)
#5 Mason Leiphart (133 lbs.)
Round of 16: Won vs. #12 Dylan Ryder (Hofstra); TF: 3:35 (15-0)
Quarterfinals: vs. #4 Kurt Phipps (Bucknell)
#8 Pat Phillips (141 lbs.)
Round of 16: Won vs. #9 Jordan Soriano (Drexel); 14-3
Quarterfinals: vs. #1 Josh Koderhandt (Navy)
#14 Josh Hillard (149 lbs.)
Round of 16: Lost vs. #3 Kelvin Griffin (Lehigh); F: 6:33
Consolation Round 2: vs. #11 Jack Nies (American)
#15 Dominic Wheatley (157 lbs.)
Round of 16: Lost vs. #2 Lucas Revano (Penn); TF: 4:50 (19-4)
Consolation Round 1: vs. #16 Connor MacDonald (Sacred Heart)
Consolation Round 2: #10 Rocco Camillaci (Princeton)
#13 Josh Palmucci (165 lbs.)
Round of 16: Lost vs. #4 Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell); 8-0
Consolation Round 2: vs. #5 Gunner Filipowicz (Army)
#6 Noah Fox (174 lbs.)
Round of 16: Lost vs. #11 Dimitri Gamkrelidze (Binghamton); 8-4
Consolation Round 2: vs. #14 Michael Squires (Princeton)
#2 James Conway (184 lbs.)
Round of 16: Won vs. #15 Justin Griffith (Drexel); 5-1
Quarterfinals: vs. #10 Anthony D'Alesio (LIU)
#6 John Crawford (197 lbs.)
Round of 16: Won vs. #11 Ibramhim Ameer (Drexel); 5-1
Quarterfinals: vs. #3 Lou Deprez (Binghamton)
#16 Harrison Shapiro (285 lbs.)
Round of 32: Won vs. #17 Marc Berisha (Sacred Heart); 5-1
Round of 16: Lost vs. #1 Nathan Taylor (Lehigh); TF: 3:32 (17-1)
Consolation Round 2: vs. #9 John Stout (Penn)
