LANCASTER, Pa. – The winningest coach in Centennial Conference history, Dan Wagner will enter his 25th season leading the Diplomats as they embark on the 2026 season. Wagner has led the Diplomats to the NCAA Tournament 13 times during his tenure, including a stretch of 11 consecutive national tournament appearances from 2013 through 2024. With all of that tradition, Franklin & Marshall will certainly have a new look in 2026 as 16 newcomers team up with 13 returning players in hopes of a return to postseason action.
2025 Diplomats
It was certainly uncharacteristic season for the Diplomats last fall as they found themselves on the wrong side of one-goal matches during five different contests. Those tight matches ultimately led to the perennial power sitting outside of the playoff picture for the first time since 2008. Nevertheless, several players gained valuable experience as 11 of the team's returning players on the young team have started multiple matches throughout their careers in Lancaster.
Returning Players to Watch
Junior Thomas Kaplan has started every match he has played in during the past two seasons and led the team in scoring (5g, 1a) a season ago. Kaplan has been named to the All-Centennial Conference team during each of his first two seasons. He has nine goals in his career, including last year's game-winning effort versus Swarthmore. Senior Wes Wise and sophomore Nico Palacios are two more offensive threats to keep an eye on. Wise started eight games last season, while Palacios scored against both Albright and Ursinus.
Jack Baer is the most experienced Diplomat in the midfield as the senior started all but one match last season and has 56 career appearances to his credit. Sophomore Michael Glennon is poised to take another step forward this season as he started all but one match during his rookie campaign. A 2023 All-CC selection, Nico Gonzalez will be the veteran leader of the defense with 49 starts and 54 appearances to his name. Juniors Beckett Aufderhaar and Ethan Howard also have starting experience along the back line.
In goal, Diego Moreno started eight of his nine appearances last season and stopped over 70 percent of the shots he faced. His efforts included one shutout, while classmate Sam Sellitti appeared in goal during two different matches.
The Road Ahead
The Diplomats will start the season with three straight home games and four of their first five contests overall on Tylus Field. The season gets underway on Tuesday, September 1 against Rutgers-Newark and is followed by home games against Washington and Lee and Vassar that weekend.
Conference play begins at Muhlenberg on Saturday, September 19 at 7 p.m. Home conference contests include dates with Swarthmore, Dickinson, Ursinus, and McDaniel, leaving conference road trips to Washington College, Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins, and Haverford.
The Centennial Conference Tournament will once again take the top six teams from the regular season. The conference tournament begins with the first round on Tuesday, November 3 and continues through the championship game on Sunday, November 8. The NCAA Tournament will start in the round of 64 on Saturday, November 14.
In the Polls
The Diplomats were picked to finish seventh in the Centennial Conference in the annual voting of the conference's head coaches. Defending champion Dickinson was choosen to repeat, with Johns Hopkins and Muhlenberg also receiving first-place votes in the second and third spots of the poll.
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