PHILADELPHIA – After becoming Franklin & Marshall's first-ever Keystone Classic champion during the 2023 tournament, James Conway won his second title in this event on Sunday to cap a 4-0 day for the Diplomat who is ranked as high as 12th in the national polls. Conway headlined six Franklin & Marshall place winners that included James Garcia (fourth at 125 lbs.), Mason Leiphart (fourth at 133 lbs.), Bryce Kresho (eighth at 141 lbs.), Pat Phillips (eighth at 149 lbs.), and RJ Moore (eighth at 197 lbs.). As team, the Diplomats placed ninth with 65.5 team points.
Conway entered the tournament as the top seed at a weight which featured three nationally-ranked wrestlers. The senior captain started his day with a pair of decisions against Lock Haven and Central Michigan before really picking up the intensity during the semifinals with an 18-0 technical fall against fifth-seeded Luke Vanadia of Michigan State on the strength of three takedowns and eight near-fall points. Conway secured three more takedowns in his final match against NCAA qualifier Jared McGill of Edinboro while only conceding escapes during the 10-3 win. Conway remains the only Diplomat in program history to win this event, having done so now during both his junior and senior seasons.
James Garcia (125 lbs.) and Mason Leiphart (133 lbs.) matched their seeds coming into the tournament with fourth place finishes as both lightweights advanced to the semifinals. Garcia started his day with a technical fall against Michigan State before battling out hard-fought one point decisions against Penn and Harvard to reach the semifinals. Leiphart had a bye into the quarterfinals before edging out fifth-seeded Austin Andrew of Central Michigan before his only two defeats came to the top two seeds in the bracket.
Bryce Kresho (141 lbs.), Pat Phillips, and RJ Moore (197 lbs.) were a trio of eighth-place finishers. Kresho started his day with decisions against Lock Haven and Harvard. Kresho secured an 8-2 decision versus Edinboro to reach the medal round as he scored at least eight points during his three victories while also hitting his match limit for the day. Phillips and Moore both came from unseeded lines in the bracket and had to battle back from first round losses to get on the podium. Phillips earned his victories in the wrestlebacks against Virginia Tech and Drexel while dropping matches only to three of the top five seeds. Moore defeated foes from Drexel and Harvard, scoring 18 points against the Crimson, to make his way onto the podium.
Jack Parker (125 lbs.) and Aidan O'Shea (149 lbs.) showcased depth at two of the weights where the Diplomats had place winners as each had wins in the championship bracket against EIWA opponents from Hofstra and Drexel, respectively. Both of those conference victories were bonus point wins, with a technical fall for Parker and a 13-1 major decision for O'Shea. O'Shea's day saw him only defeated by wrestlers seeded among the top five.
Tyler Fromm (165 lbs.), Jesse Scott (165 lbs.), and Dominic Wheatley (174 lbs.) each won matches on the championship side of the bracket. Fromm's tournament started with a second period pin in 4:27 against Harvard and included a medical forfeit win over the host Quakers. Wheatley earned his victory with a 6-2 decision against Michigan State before back-to-back matches against two nationally-ranked opponents. Scott's triumph was a 6-2 decision against Michigan State. Brody Kline also earned a victory in the consolation rounds with a 6-5 decision against Lock Haven's Ethan Miller.
Wrestling will now have the upcoming weekend off from competition during the week of Thanksgiving before returning to competition in Las Vegas, Nevada for the two-day Cliff Keen Las Vegas Collegiate Invitational (CKLV) which is set for December 5-6. Just one wrestler per weight can enter per team in a tournament that annually draws some of the toughest teams across the Division I landscape.
Franklin & Marshall Results
#4 James Garcia (125 lbs.) – Fourth Place
Round of 32: Won vs. Nick Corday (Michigan State); TF: 5:20 (18-2)
Round of 16: Won vs. Brady Pruett (Penn); 7-6
Quarterfinals: Won vs. #5 Logan Brzozowski (Harvard); 12-11
Semifinals: Lost vs. #1 Ayden Smith (Rutgers); 11-2
Third Place: Lost vs. #7 Chris Vargo (Edinboro); 6-3
Jack Parker (125 lbs.)
Round of 32: Won vs. Tommy Aiello (Hofstra); TF: 6:46 (16-1)
Round of 16: Lost vs. #7 Chris Vargo (Edinboro); 13-0
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. #2 Caleb Weiand (Michigan State); TF: 3:53 (15-0)
#4 Mason Leiphart (133 lbs.) – Fourth Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Bye
Quarterfinals: Won vs. #5 Austin Andrew (Central Michigan); 9-8
Semifinals: Lost vs. #1 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers); TF: 6:15 (19-2)
Third Place: Lost vs. #2 Gable Strickland (Lock Haven); 4-2
#4 Bryce Kresho (141 lbs.) – Eighth Place
Round of 32: Won vs. Hunter Gould (Lock Haven); 8-5
Round of 16: Won vs. Sidney Tildsley (Harvard); 12-6
Quarterfinals: Lost vs. Nick Blackburn (Central Michigan); 8-4
Consolation of 8 #2: Won vs. Parker Sentipal (Edinboro); 8-2
Consolation Semifinals: Lost vs. Drew Gorman (Virginia Tech); 17-7
Seventh Place: Lost vs. Dante Frinzi (Harvard); 8-6
Pat Phillips (149 lbs.) – Eighth Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. #3 Lucas Kapusta (Lock Haven); 6-2
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Won vs. Christopher Bacchioni (Virginia Tech); 7-2
Consolation of 8 #2: Won vs. Patrick Kelly (Drexel); 6-5
Consolation Semifinals: Lost vs. #4 Jimmy Nugent (Central Michigan); 8-1
Seventh Place: Lost vs. #5 Devon Magro (Rutgers); 8-0
Aidan O'Shea (149 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Won vs. Deon Pleasant (Drexel); 13-1
Quarterfinals: Lost vs. #2 Andrew Clark (Rutgers); 11-5
Consolation of 8 #2: Lost vs. #5 Devon Magro (Rutgers); 9-0
Brandon Sauter (149 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. Patrick Kelly (Drexel); F: 2:28
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. #7 Ryan Michaels (Edinboro); 6:44 (16-0)
Nick Alvarez (157 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. #7 Darius Marines (Michigan State); 10-3
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Frank Volpe (Hofstra); 6-4
Tyler Fromm (165 lbs.)
Round of 32: Won vs. Michael Bobola (Harvard); F: 4:27
Round of 16: Lost #7 Sean Seefeldt (Penn); TF: 3:38 (22-7)
Consolation of 16 #2: Won vs. Isaias Rodriguez-Jimenez (Penn); MFF
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. DJ Shannon (Michigan State); 16-4
Jesse Scott (165 lbs.)
Round of 32: Won vs. Cam Adams (Michigan State); 6-2
Round of 16: Lost vs. #4 Ryan Burgos (Edinboro); TF: 3:47 (17-2)
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Chandler Amaker (Central Michigan); 8-1
Dominic Wheatley (174 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Won vs. Connor O'Neill (Michigan State); 6-2
Quarterfinals: Lost vs. #1 Lenny Pinto (Rutgers); 17-7
Consolation of 8 #2: Lost vs. #3 Avery Bassett (Lock Haven); 15-2
Brandon Carr (174 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. Haden Bottiglieri (Harvard); 12-9
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. #3 Avery Bassett (Lock Haven); TF: 3:39 (18-1)
#1 James Conway (184 lbs.) – First Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Won vs. Cole Bartram (Lock Haven); 10-6
Quarterfinals: Won vs. Adrien Cramer (Central Michigan); 4-2
Semifinals: Won vs. #5 Luke Vanadia (Michigan State); TF: 5:33 (18-0)
First Place: Won vs. #3 Jared McGill (Edinboro); 10-3
Leo Varga (184 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. Cory Thomas (Michigan State); 13-5
Consolation of 16 #1: Bye
Consolation of 16 #2: Lost vs. Cole Bertram (Lock Haven); TF: 6:04 (17-2)
RJ Moore (197 lbs.) – Eighth Place
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. #7 Martin Cosgrove (Penn); TF: 2:11 (15-0)
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Won vs. Justin Griffith (Drexel); 5-1
Consolation of 8 #2: Won vs. Mason Pellegri (Harvard); 18-6
Consolation Semifinals: Lost vs. #6 Will Conlin (Hofstra); 2-1
Seventh Place: vs. Lost Nick Lodato (Edinboro); 10-1
Jake Allred (197 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. #4 Ibrahim Ameer (Drexel); TF: 6:19 (19-3)
Consolation of 16 #2: Bye
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Jackson Zimmerman (Penn); 15-7
Brody Kline (285 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. Kade Sottolano (Lock Haven); 10-3
Consolation of 16 #1: Bye
Consolation of 16 #2: Won vs. Ethan Miller (Lock Haven); 6-5
Consolation of 8 #1: Lost vs. Aden Roe (Edinboro); 2-0
