EVANSTON, Ill. – The Franklin & Marshall wrestling team sent four wrestlers to compete at the prestigious Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Monday. Two of those wrestlers – James Garcia and Josh Hillard – advanced to the second day of action on Tuesday with a pair of victories and find themselves just one match away from a spot on the podium.

Garcia made a run to the quarterfinals as he secured takedowns during each of the final two periods of his opening match to defeat Pittsburgh's Colyn Limbert by a 10-4 score. He followed that up with a first period pin of SIU Edwardsville's Drew Davis in 2:35 before falling 7-0 to nationally-ranked Blake West of Northern Illinois who was a round of 16 finisher at last year's NCAA Championships. Garcia will wrestle his second opponent from Pittsburgh in the round on 12 on Tuesday morning as he takes on Matt Marlow for a spot on the podium.

Hillard will also be looking for a spot on the podium when takes the mat against Anthony Berg of Cal Poly on Tuesday. Hillard's tournament got off to a controversial start when he appeared to have back points that were ultimately not awarded in a 9-8 loss. The senior rebounded nicely though with a pin of Stanford's Jake DeSena in just 1:25. Hillard's second victory on Monday came on the strength of a second period reversal that he turned into four more near fall points during a 6-2 decision over Hayden Whidden of SIU Edwardsville.

First-year Brandon Carr was the third Diplomat making his Midlands debut and did earn a 6-5 decision against Bradley Gillum of SIU Edwardsville during the consolation round. However, he drew Virginia Tech's Sergio Desiante in his opening match and ultimately fell to the No. 28 wrestler in the country from host Northwestern during session II. Bryce Kresho also competed for the Diplomats, falling to a highly-touted recruit from Cornell who represented the Spartan Combat RTC before running into another staunch opponent from Michigan in the wrestlebacks.

Session III of the 2025 Ken Kraft Midlands Championships gets underway at 10:30 eastern (9:30 local) on Tuesday. Medal matches will take place at 5 p.m. eastern as Garcia and Hillard look to join a group of four Diplomats who have placed at the Midlands, including All-American Rick Durso and current teammates James Conway, Mason Leiphart, and Bryce Kresho.

Full Franklin & Marshall Results
James Garcia (125 lbs.)
Round of 32: Won vs. Colyn Limbert (Pittsburgh); 10-4
Round of 16: Won vs. Drew Davis (SIU Edwardsville); F: 2:35
Quarterfinals: Lost vs. #25 Blake West (Northern Illinois); 7-0
Consolation Round of 12: vs. Matt Marlow (Pittsburgh)

Bryce Kresho (141 lbs.)
Round of32: Lost vs. Elijah Cortez (Spartan Combat RTC); 11-5
Consolation Round 1: Bye
Consolation Round 2: Lost vs. Eren Sement (Michigan); 20-12

Josh Hillard (157 lbs.)
Round of 32: Lost vs. Ryan Bennett (Illinois); 9-8
Consolation Round 1: Bye
Consolation Round 2: Won vs. Jack DeSena (Stanford); F: 1:25
Consolation Round 3: Won vs. Hayden Whidden (SIU Edwardsville); 6-2
Consolation Round of 12: vs. Anthony Berg (Cal Poly) (Tuesday; 10:30 a.m.)

Brandon Carr (174 lbs.)
Round of 32: Bye
Round of 16: Lost vs. Sergio Desiante (Virginia Tech); 5-1
Consolation Round 2: Won vs. Bradley Gillum (SIU Edwardsville); 6-5
Consolation Round 3: Lost vs. #28 Eddie Enright (Northwestern); TF: 4:51 (19-4)