ABOUT THE MATCH

• After a one-year hiatus, Millersville and Franklin & Marshall meet again to Battle for the Rupp Cup Friday in Pucillo Gymnasium. Millersville is 4-7 and wrestling its final home dual of the season. Franklin & Marshall is 7-1 with all seven victories coming by at least 12 points. 
• Millersville briefly took possession of the Rupp Cup in Kerry Regner's second season as the Marauders' head coach (2019), but F&M took it back in 2020 with a 23-10 victory. 
• The Rupp Cup was named in honor of Dr. Theodore Rupp, who was an influential figure in the history of both wrestling programs. Rupp was a 1935 graduate of Franklin & Marshall, served in the Navy during World War II and upon his return from duty, he began teaching at Millersville and started the wrestling program. He led the program for 11 years, compiling a 71-18-2 record with two PSAC Championships. Rupp also coached Franklin & Marshall's program from 1936-43, leading 14 individuals to national titles.  He was a member of the inaugural Millersville Athletics Hall of Fame class in 1995, and was inducted into the F&M Hall of Fame in 1990. 
• In addition to the mat rivalry, the evening serves as a culmination to Millersville's 75th season celebration. The 10 members of the All-75th Season Team, selected by the fans, will be recognized on the mat during the dual. The members of the team include Shane Ruhnke '19, Shane Smith '12, Jarrett Hostetter '12, Curtis Yeager '05, Tom Barley '93, Randy March '82, Fran Presley '79, Andy Zook '78, Ernest Guyll '76, and Rich Zinck '75. Click here to read about the accomplishments of the 10 honorees. 
• Prior to and after the dual, Millersville is also hosting four high school girls matches between Penn Manor and J.P. McCaskey. The matches are part of the SanctionPA campaign--a grassroots effort to increase participation in high school girls wrestling and have it approved as a sanctioned sport in the state of Pennsylvania. 

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

• Millersville has faced some tough sledding in dual competition lately, and while the team has dropped six in a row, four of those losses came against teams ranked in the nation's top 19, and one was decided by criteria. 
• Anthony Yacovetti has cracked the InterMat national rankings at 174 pounds, coming in at No. 15 in the latest release. Yacovetti owns an impressive 11-2 record with three pins and three technical falls. 
• At 133 pounds, Devin Flannery has built his record to a strong 12-4 mark, and he owns the team lead with four technical falls. Flannery has won his last two matches, and his last seven wins have come with bonus points. 
• Millersville boasts two quality options at 165 pounds with Guy DeLeonardis and Brandon Connor. DeLeonardis leads the team in wins with a 19-12 record, and Connor is second with a 16-9 mark. DeLeonardis has won four of his last five matches.
   

SCOUTING THE DIPLOMATS

• The Diplomats have eight wrestlers with double-digit wins, and 141-pound Wil Gil is at the top of that list with a 20-5 overall record and 8-0 dual record. Gil recently won his 100th career match. 
•  At 125 pounds, Gio Diaz has won six-straight bouts, including two by technical fall. That has improved his record to 10-8. An interesting match-up is at 184 pounds between Millersville's Anthony Giampietro (8-4) and F&M's James Conway. Conway boasts a 17-9 record with six-straight wins--a stretch that includes two pins, a tech fall and a major decision. 
• 285-pound Cenzo Pelusi is also on a run, winning eight of his last nine matches. He has four falls on the season. 

THE LAST TIME OUT

• Millersville: Seton Hill 21, Millersville 21 (Feb. 5, 2022) - Seton Hill edged Millersville by the narrowest of margins in Saturday's PSAC wrestling dual. The final score stood 21-21, but Seton Hill claimed the victory based on its six matches won to Millersville's four. Millersville received wins from Devin Flannery at 133, Guy DeLeonardis at 165, Anthony Yacovetti at 174 and Jordan Espinosa at 285. Three of those four victories scored six teams points. Espinosa and DeLeonardis each scored falls. 
• Franklin & Marshall: at Messiah Open (Feb. 5, 2022) - Noah Fox and Mike Waszen both brought home individual titles to highlight a strong day of the mats for the Franklin & Marshall wrestling team at the Messiah Open. In addition to capturing two of the 10 individual brackets, Harrison Shapiro advanced to the medal round and finished with the a fifth-place showing at 197 lbs.
   

SERIES HISTORY

• Millersville and Franklin & Marshall first met in 1993-94 and have wrestled at least once each season since with two meetings in 2003-04 and 2004-05. Millersville dominated the early part of the series, winning 16 of the first 19 meetings. F&M turned the tide in 2011 and has since won nine of the last 10. 
• The Last Meeting vs. F&M - F&M 23, Millersville 10 (Feb. 13, 2020)