Photo courtesy of godiplomats.com.
By Gabby Goodwin || Editor-in-Chief
This past weekend, the F&M Wrestling team, as well as the F&M Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams, all celebrated Senior Day with a bang. On Friday night, in a home wrestling match against the Virginia Military Institute, F&M honored its seven-member senior class of Jacob Conners, Corey Kerkesner, Anthony Mancini, Chris Martorello, Antonio Pelusi, Paddy Quinlan, and Philip Robilotto.
F&M’s Jose Diaz started off the night at 125 lbs. with a pair of takedowns en route to a 12-0 major decision. F&M’s Mike Simonetti at 133 lbs. followed closely with a 11-2 victory in the next match with a third-period takedown and four back points to secure the Dips’ second straight major.
Ahead by a score of 8-0, a 14-9 decision from F&M’s Wil Gil (141 lbs.) and strong performance by Martorello (149 lbs.) put the Dips firmly in front at 17-0.
While VMI responded with a tech. fall at 174 lbs. and a decision at 184 lbs. in attempt to close the gap, it was too late, as the match was already firmly in the Dips’ control at 23-8.
Performances by Quinlan, Crew Fullerton, and Robilotto all added to a Diplomat victory. Additionally, heavyweight Antonio Pelusi (ranked No. 32 in the nation) concluded the match with a pin at :55 over VMI’s Trey Momon to secure F&M a 25-point win.
The Diplomats improved to 3-6 with the win, while the Keydets fell 2-11. The Diplomats face-off against Millersville at Millersville this Wednesday for the Rupp Cup at 7:30 PM. Additionally, this Sunday, they face-off against Penn in a Conference match at 7:30 PM in Mayser.
This past Saturday, F&M Men’s Basketball honored Senior forward J.C. McGrath and manager Jordan Cohn before the game in a special senior day presentation. Four players scored in double figures to lead F&M to a 76-70 CC win over Muhlenberg. The Dips improved to 14-9, 8-8 CC, while the Mules fell to 12-11, 9-7 CC.
Performances by Matt Redhead, Les Thomas, Solomon Mathis, and Justin Kupa all gave the Dips an edge, while McGrath ended with a game-high seven rebounds for F&M.
Furthermore, before their Saturday game, F&M Women’s Basketball honored its four-member senior class of AnnMarie DiCarlo, Haley Pilone, Sarah Pisani, and Lindsey Powers. With a 65-41 CC victory over Bryn Mawr, the Dips improved to 12-11, 9-9 CC, while the Owls dropped 1-22, 0-18 CC.
Performances by F&M’s Kristen Hamill, Maia Lockhart, Emily Moran, and Kenna Williams all led to a Diplomat victory. Additionally, Pilone led scorers with 25 points, going 7-for-10 from behind the arc. Hamill followed with 13 points and brought down 9 boards.
F&M faces-off against Johns Hopkins this Wednesday at 6:00 PM in Mayser for a CC game that is sure to be interesting!
Junior Gabby Goodwin is the Editor-in-Chief. Her email is ggoodwin@fandm.edu.