ROANOKE, Va. – Nationally-ranked James Conway made his official return to the Franklin & Marshall lineup in grand fashion as he won the 184 lb. Open Division title at the Southeast Open on Sunday, headlined by a pair of victories over fellow nationally-ranked wrestlers. Conway led a group of seven place winners for the Diplomats during the first event of the season.
Ranked No. 16 by InterMat, Conway had a fall and technical fall during his first two matches before a convincing 8-3 win against No. 28 Tomas Booker of Appalachian State in the semifinals. Conway came up against the 22nd-ranked wrestler in the country in the finals, but recorded his second technical fall of the tournament as he scored 17 points in just over six minutes to earn his second college tournament championship as he was also the individual champion at the Keystone Classic during the 2023-24 season before redshirting last season.
Mason Leiphart (133 lbs.) and Bryce Kresho (141 lbs.) also secured nationally-ranked wins during their first competitions of the season. Leiphart, started his tournament by adding to his school record for technical falls with a 15-0 blanking of his opponent. The senior then recorded a major decision victory against No. 29 Chris Cannon of Minnesota who is a three-time national qualifier and two-time All-American during his time at Northwestern. Leiphart was denied a spot in the finals by ninth-ranked Braxton Brown of Maryland before finishing in fourth place. Kresho, garnering national attention by several ranking services, had a pin and technical fall before he wore down No. 23 Jayden Scott of North Carolina and eventually secured a takedown in sudden victory during the 4-1 victory. He dropped his semifinal match to the eighth-ranked wrestler at his weight class and finished fourth in the tournament.
The Diplomats had place winners at each of the first three weights in the open division as James Garcia took third at 125 lbs. He had a fall and major decision during his run to the semifinals where his only loss on the opening weekend came to No. 8 Jore Volk of Minnesota. Garcia ended up with a third place finish as he received a medical forfeit during his final match.
Returning starting heavyweight Brody Kline took third in the freshman/sophomore division behind a 4-1 record that included a technical fall to start his day. A tough 2-1 win in the quarterfinals and 7-4 victory in the third place match made him the highest F&M placer in the division. Leo Mongiello (141 lbs.) and Dylan Shelton (184 lbs.) both placed in their collegiate debuts. Mongiello started his collegiate career with three consecutive first period falls. Shelton defeated opponents from Appalachian State and The Citadel to start his career before a semifinal setback and injury finished his day in fourth place as the Diplomats had placers in each division at both 141 lbs. and 184 lbs.
Nick Alvarez and Brandon Carr both had multiple bonus points triumphs during deep runs in the open division. Carr, making his F&M debut, competed in the open division and battled No. 21 Clayton Whiting of Minnesota in his first collegiate match before picking up his first win with a technical fall. Alvarez had a technical fall and default victory at 157 lbs. where both Josh Hillard and Luke Bender also had victories.
Brayden Hartranft (141 lbs.), CJ Ferree (149 lbs.), and Tyler Fromm (165 lbs.) all won multiple matches during their collegiate debuts. Sophomore Leo Varga came just one match short of placing at 184 lbs. in the freshman/sophomore division as he registered a 3-2 record that included three bonus point victories. Charlie Colantonio had a pin and decision at 133 lbs. while Jesse Scott (165 lbs.) earned his first collegiate victory an 8-4 decision to start his season.
Wrestling returns to action next Sunday, November 9 when the Diplomats compete in the tournament portion of the Journeymen Collegiate Classic.
Complete Franklin & Marshall Results
Open Division
James Garcia (125 lbs.) – Third Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Won vs. Louie Gill (West Virginia); F: 4:37
Quarterfinals: Won vs. Brady Joling (Davidson); 9-1
Semifinals: Lost vs. #8 Jore Volk (Minnesota); 5-1
Third Place: Won vs. Mac Cafurello (Noke Wrestling RTC); MFF
Jack Parker (125 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. Matthew Dolan (West Virginia); F: 0:52
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Colby McBride (Appalachian State); 2-1
Ejiro Montoya (125 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. Jackson Baglio (Gardner-Webb); 13-3
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Tyler Washburn (The Citadel); F: 4:24
Mason Leiphart (133 lbs.) – Fourth Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Won vs. Elijah Lowe (Chattanooga); TF: 4:30 (15-0)
Quarterfinals: Won vs. #29 Chris Cannon (Minnesota); 15-7
Semifinals: Lost vs. #9 Braxton Brown (Maryland); 13-0
Third Place: Lost vs. Troy Hohman (North Carolina State); 7-0
Bryce Kresho (141 lbs.) – Fourth Place
Round of 32: Won vs. Clayton Gabrielson (Maryland); TF: 6:44 (18-2)
Round of 16: Won vs. Fernando Dominguez (Presbyterian); F: 2:27
Quarterfinals: Won vs. #23 Jayden Scott (North Carolina); 4-1 (SV)
Semifinals: Lost vs. #8 Vance Vombaur (Minnesota); 8-3
Third Place: Lost vs. Dario Lemus (Maryland); 19-11
Pat Phillips (149 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. Anderson Heap (Davidson); 4-2
Consolation of 16 #1: Bye
Consolation of 16 #2: Won vs. Aidan O'Shea (F&M); 5-1
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. TJ Langley (West Virginia); 5-3
Aidan O'Shea (149 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. #31 Drew Roberts (Minnesota); 12-2
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Pat Phillips (F&M); 5-1
Brandon Sauter (149 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. Michael Pizzuto (Maryland); F: 4:58
Consolation of 16 #1: Bye
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Rhett Koenig (Minnesota); F: 1:57
Nick Alvarez (157 lbs.)
Round of 32: Won vs. Austin Collins (Coker); TF: 6:17 (17-2)
Round of 16: Won vs. Tyler Tracy (North Carolina State); DEF: 5:24
Quarterfinals: Lost vs. Jeremiah Price (Appalachian State); 17-4
Consolation of 8 #2: Lost vs. vs. Kailan O'Dell (Appalachian State); 5-2
Josh Hillard (157 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. #19 Cody Chittum (Chattanooga); 15-6
Consolation of 16 #1: Bye
Consolation of 16 #2: Won vs. Alex Hutchcraft (Chattanooga); 3-2
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Kailan O'Dell (Appalachian State); 9-5
Billy Templeton (157 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. Kal Miller (Maryland); 5-0
Consolation of 16 #1: Bye
Consolation of 16 #2: Won vs. Tyler Tracy (North Carolina State); MFF
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Cullen Kane (North Carolina); 2-0
Luke Bender (157 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. Tyler-Xavier McKnight (Davidson); 10-6
Consolation of 16 #1: Won vs. Tyler Berish (VMI); 12-0
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Joey Showalter (North Carolina); 5-0
Josh Palmucci (165 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. #24 Mac Church (Virginia Tech); F: 2:20
Consolation of 16 #1: Bye
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Bryce Griffin (Davidson); 9-5
Brandon Carr (174 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. #21 Clayton Whiting (Minnesota); 14-4
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Won vs. Matthew Williams (Coker); TF: 3:31 (16-1)
Consolation of 8 #2: Won vs. Jeremy Olszko (Ohio); MFF
Consolation Semifinals: Lost vs. Blaine Brenner (Minnesota); F: 6:46
Dominic Wheatley (174 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. #20 Sergio Desiante (Virginia Tech); TF: 5:28 (19-3)
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Marc Koch (Davidson); 4-3
#16 James Conway (184 lbs.) – First Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Won vs. Roy Price (The Citadel); F: 4:33
Quarterfinals: Won vs. Collin Carrigan (North Carolina); TF: 5:59 (19-2)
Semifinals: Won vs. #28 Tomas Brooker (Appalachian State); 8-3
First Place: Won vs. #22 Jaden Bullock (Virginia Tech); TF: 6:14 (17-2)
RJ Moore (197 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. #17 Gavin Nelson (Minnesota); TF: 7:00 (17-2)
Consolation of 16 #1: Bye
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Gunner Pool (Appalachian State); 8-0
Freshman/Sophomore Division
Vincent Gioffre (125 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. Jacob Buffum (Unattached); F: 2:33
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Connor Lenahan (Noke Wrestling RTC); 2-0
Charlie Colantonio (133 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. Logan Mueller (Gardner-Webb); 3-1 (SV)
Consolation of 16 #1: Won vs. Rafael Otero (VMI); F: 1:20
Consolation of 16 #2: Won vs. Zander Samargia (Tennessee Valley Wrestling); 8-4
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Matthew Botello (North Carolina); TF: 5:09 (19-3)
Leo Mongiello (141 lbs.) – Fourth Place
Round of 32: Won vs. Sammy Gantt (Unattached); F: 2:32
Round of 16: Won vs. Hudson Waldrop (Campbell); F: 2:17
Quarterfinals: Won vs. Cole Krutzfeldt (Chattanooga); F: 1:09
Semifinals: Lost vs. Jonah Paulino (Noke Wrestling RTC); 16-6
Third Place: Lost vs. Charleston Baglio (Gardner-Webb); 13-4
Brayden Hartranft (141 lbs.)
Round of 32: Won vs. Thomas Salinas (Unattached); 14-4
Round of 16: Lost vs. Noah Doi (Campbell); 4-1 (SV)
Consolation of 16 #2: Won vs. Noah Rankin (Unattached); 8-7
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Ramil Islamov (West Virginia); TF: 5:37 (20-2)
CJ Ferree (149 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. Taylor Smith (Noke Wrestling RTC); 13-5
Consolation of 16 #2: Won vs. Jorge Gonzalez (Coker); 8-0
Consolation of 8 #1: Won vs. Pierce Pennington (Chattanooga); 7-1
Consolation of 8 #2: Lost vs. Thomas Johnson (The Citadel); 11-2
Brendan Sholders (149 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. Jonathan Chang (Campbell); 5-4
Consolation of 16 #1: Bye
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Joseph Morris (Presbyterian); 9-3
Seth Weaver (157 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Won vs. Phil Cuttino (Presbyterian); 12-8
Quarterfinals: Lost vs. Cole Evans (West Virginia); 14-2
Consolation of 8 #2: Lost vs. Bailey Wilman (Noke Wrestling RTC); 10-9
Kyle Deisley (157 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. Brady Campbell (The Citadel); F: 6:57
Consolation of 16 #1: Bye
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Phil Cuttino (Presbyterian); 10-9
Tyler Fromm (165 lbs.)
Round of 32: Won vs. Christian Hale-Anderson (Presbyterian); TF: 4:30 (19-3)
Round of 16: Lost vs. Leo Contino (West Virginia); F: 1:50
Consolation of 16 #2: Won vs. Alexander Quintano (Noke Wrestling RTC); 12-8
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Cade Parent (Noke Wrestling RTC); 4-1 (SV)
Jesse Scott (165 lbs.)
Round of 32: Won vs. Taven Williams (Noke Wrestling RTC); 8-4
Round of 16: Lost vs. Kendrick Hodge (Campbell); 10-2
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Kyle Lee (Noke Wrestling RTC); 12-3
Michael Fuccilli (174 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. Beau Lewis (VMI); 6-1
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Bye
Consolation of 8 #2: Lost vs. Seth Digby (Maryland); TF: 6:32 (17-2)
Dylan Shelton (184 lbs.) – Fourth Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Won vs. Pierce White (Appalachian State); 6-1
Quarterfinals: Won vs. Kaleb Mitchell (The Citadel); 11-6
Semifinals: Lost vs. Cody Kirk (Davidson); F: 0:21
Third Place: Lost vs. Glean Gonzalez (Virginia Tech); Def: 3:35
Leo Varga (184 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. Glean Gonzalez (Virginia Tech); 6-2
Consolation of 16 #2: Won vs. Andrew Barford (VMI); 15-4
Consolation of 8 #1: Won vs. Brady Conlin (West Virginia); F: 5:47
Consolation of 8 #2: Won vs. Kaleb McNeil (The Citadel); 10-2
Consolation Semifinals: Lost vs. Gunnar Garelli (Virginia Tech); 4-1
Brody Kline (285 lbs.) – Third Place
Round of 32: Won vs. Damien Couture (Ohio); TF: 3:25 (16-1)
Round of 16: Won vs. Nick Cook (Noke Wrestling RTC); 7-3
Quarterfinals: Won vs. Christian Bell (The Citadel); 2-1
Semifinals: Lost vs. Oscar Williams (Maryland); 5-0
Third Place: Won vs. Wyatt Schmitt (Ohio); 7-4
