By Austin Sommer, EIWA Sports Information Director

In a day where college wrestlers are seeing less matches every year, Bryce Kresho of Franklin & Marshall is going against the grain. Kresho just earned his nation-leading 31st win of the season this past weekend. Kresho, a junior captain of the team, is the tenth wrestler in program history to achieve this feat. James Conway was the last Diplomat to do so. Conway finished 30-11 last season with a trip to NCAAs. He's currently taking a redshirt season.              

Speaking with Head Coach, Mike Rogers, he helped digest how Bryce has so many wins. "He's aggressive and mentally tough. He believes in the staff, and puts in the work needed to see success." Rogers described Bryce's work ethic as top notch, which translates to his results.

Of course, wrestling can be a physically brutal sport. Injuries effect many wrestlers. Luckily, Bryce has avoided injury. Rogers's explanation may be correct; "I believe it makes him more durable when he's on the attack instead of being put in vulnerable positions when getting attacked." Plus, his basic style of wrestling does not include any "flashy" moves. He sticks to the basics.           

If you look at current trends of the sport, many wrestlers do not reach 30 matches in a year – let along 30 wins. At the conclusion of the postseason, finding a wrestler with 30 wins is challenging, which is why Bryce's accomplishment is something worth noting. Franklin & Marshall's schedule is filled with tournaments and a few dual meets – typically most teams go the opposite route. "We need to find balance with our schedule," Rogers stated. He continued, "We want to see many different teams. We do not want a schedule to be too hard or too easy for our guys."

Additionally, the program puts emphasis on mat time due to its parity of collegiate experience when looking at the roster. Much of the roster still needs development. Open tournaments are great ways to get the entire team on the mat, not just the ten starters like dual meets. "We are always looking at the future. We go to top events, like the Midlands, to help gain recognition and allow our wrestlers to earn quality wins." Rogers stated when discussing the schedule. This puts a lot of work on the staff, sometimes being split up to "divide and conquer" or attending multiple events on weekends.

Kresho's win total is an outlier on his own team as well. The next highest win total for a teammate is Jack Parker at 125lbs, who currently touts a 15-14 record as a redshirt freshman. Bryce's resume includes seven tournament-style events where he racked up 37 of his 44 overall matches. He's placed at every tournament he's participated in – most notably a 6th place finish at the Midlands.

Bryce has spent his first two seasons at 149lbs. He seems to have found a home at 141lbs this season. With a combined record of 23-33 over his first two seasons, he has already seen much more success down at his new weight. Bryce's time at the heavier weight was out of necessity, more than desire. Teammate, Pat Phillips, has held down the 141lbs class for years. Pat is taking a redshirt year this season, allowing Bryce to come down to his natural weight. Coach Rogers did find positivity in this scenario, "I think it helped him develop his skills wrestling bigger competition being undersized. Now, opponents his size do not have that physical strength advantage."

Looking at the remainder of the F&M schedule, they have one dual meet against Millersville on February 16th. This concludes the regular season. Assuming a win there, will bring his season total to 32 wins in a single season – already good enough for 6th in F&M history. He will have a handful of matches at EIWA's, and possibly the NCAAs. The 35-win mark will put him in the top 5 of the F&M list.            

The awards have been plentiful to Franklin & Marshall over the past three seasons. Mason Leiphart led the NCAA in technical falls a few years ago. He was in the top three last year once again. Last season, James Conway was the Elite 90 Award winner – touting the highest cumulative GPA at the NCAA championships for all 330 qualifiers.

This season, Bryce is on track to win the most matches in the entire nation. These are important awards to a small school like Franklin & Marshall. Coach Rogers made the case for his program when he stated "You can win here without being a 5-star recruit. As long as you believe in the coaches, and our system, you can achieve many of your goals." With Pat Phillips and James Conway returning from redshirt next year, and Bryce Kresho having another season under his belt, the Diplomats will look to add more awards to their program's rich history.