LANCASTER, Pa. — Millersville was edged 25-15 in a thrilling battle for the Rupp Cup against longtime foe Franklin & Marshall.
The Marauders claimed four wins. Freshman Daniel Sinclair scrapped for a 7–3 decision. Millersville also had a string of wins within the heavier weight classes. Cole Dubois fought from a deficit to win by decision, 9–7. Bruce Vaughan earned an 8–6 decision, while Bishop McCoy logged a pin--the only bonus point win for the Marauders.Â
F&M won the first three matches building an 11-0 lead before Sinclair stepped in at 149 pounds. Sinclair controlled the action and pace of the whole match against Josh Hillard but it was low-scoring early. Hillard opted to start on the bottom and escaped from Sinclair to go up 1–0 in the second. Without hesitation, Sinclair followed this action with a takedown. Hillard escaped once again to conclude the second period. In the third, Sinclair elected to start on the bottom and had an escape and a takedown to secure his 7–3 decision win. Â
The Diplomats took the next three matches to extend their lead to 19–3. The Marauders rallied in the 184, 197, and 285-pound weight classes.
Down all match at 184 pounds, Dubois rallied to come out on top. Noah Bash from F&M had two first-period takedowns to Dubois's one escape. Bash got complacent with the five-point lead and started in the down position to start the second. Dubois did everything he could to try and earn points, but Bash was not wrestling and got called twice for stalling to award Dubois with a point. Still with work to do, Dubois chose to start on the bottom in the third and had a reversal to close the gap 6–4. Bash escaped but also got called for stalling once more. With the clock winding down, Dubois shot, fought for the takedown and was awarded one additional point for riding time to seal the 9-7 victory.
At 197 pounds Vaughan followed up that performance with a well-deserved 8–6 decision over R.J. Moore. Vaughan struck first with a takedown, and eventually, Moore escaped. In the second, Vaughan had an escape, but Moore followed that action with a takedown of his own. With urgency, Vaughan escaped to go up 5-4 to start the third. Moore leveled the score five a piece from an escape, but Vaughan, with momentum, sealed Moore's fate with one final takedown. The Diplomat escaped, but time expired.Â
At 285 pounds, McCoy pinned Quincy Long in 1:07. McCoy, a redshirt senior, flipped the sophomore over onto his back and pinned Long with ease. It was McCoy's career-best 10th pin and his most wins in a season at 19.Â
The long-standing tradition between the two teams started in 1993–94 in honor of Dr. Theodore Rupp. He was an influential coach and mentor to both programs. Since then, the two opponents have seen each other 33 times, with Millersville holding a 17-16 edge in the series.
Millersville concluded their dual match-ups for the 2024-25 season and posted a 12–7 overall record and a 3–3 conference record. Millersville competes in the Mideast Futures Invitational at The College of New Jersey on Saturday, Feb. 22, before the Super Region I Championships commence on Saturday, March 1.Â
THOUGHTS FROM HEAD COACH JERRY BOLAND:
- Thoughts on today's dual: "I thought we battled today. We did some good things but came up short in some key bouts. We came from behind in a few, and I think our conditioning and toughness are things we can build on going into regionals."
- The team gained momentum at the end of the match. How does the team use that to keep F&M from getting bonus point wins and keep the dual close: "Bonus points are key in closely contested duals. They picked up 7 bonus points in the first three bouts. But our guys continued to battle and chip away, but like I said, just fell a little short."
- What does the annual Rupp Cup rivalry mean to the program and team: "Anytime there's cross-town rivalry, it adds a little something special to the season, and it didn't go our way today. We will get another crack at it next year, but it's time to shift our focus to regionals."
Franklin & Marshall 25, Millersville 15
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