Franklin & Marshall Diplomats

The Franklin & Marshall Diplomats are the 28 intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Franklin & Marshall College, located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They compete in the NCAA Division III, except for their wrestling team, which competes in Division I. They are primarily members of the Centennial Conference, except for wrestling where they are members of the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA).

F&M competes in NCAA Division III for all varsity sports except wrestling, which is Division I, and men's and women's squash, which are non-divisional.^{[2] [3] [4]}

The Franklin & Marshall Diplomats football program was first organized in 1887 by Seminary student Miles O. Noll. Franklin and Marshall was defeated 9–0 by the York YMCA. Later that year, the program played a re-match and lost again, this time by a score of 6–4.^[5] Frank Mount Pleasant became the head football coach in 1910.

Professor Charles W. Mayser founded the F&M wrestling team in 1923, and early 1924 saw the college's first wrestling match as the Blue & White defeated Western Maryland College 24–5. The Diplomat grapplers finished their maiden season with a 4–1 record. F&M wrestling has competed in the EIWA since 1948, making F&M the only Division III school to compete in Division I wrestling.^[2]

In 1981, F&M President Keith Spalding accounded the formation of the Centennial Conference.^[6] F&M is a charter member of the Centennial Conference, an athletic conference of 11 mid-Atlantic institutions that compete in 22 sports in the NCAA's Division III. The Centennial Conference also has 6 associate members, drawing distinction to F&M's privileged membership.^[7] The other founding members of the conference are Bryn Mawr College, Dickinson College, Gettysburg College, Haverford College, Johns Hopkins University, Muhlenberg College, Swarthmore College, Ursinus College, Western Maryland College (renamed McDaniel College), and Washington College.^[7]

The men's basketball team started play in 1899. They have reached the NCAA Division III Final Four on five occasions (1979, 1991, 1996, 2000, 2009), appearing in the national championship game in 1991. The men's basketball team has been nationally ranked on a frequent basis since the late 1970s, including No. 1 in Division III at some point during seven different seasons. Head coach Glenn Robinson is the career leader in wins in Division III. Robinson has been listed as one of the top 100 college basketball coaches of all-time.^{[8] [9]}

Other successful athletic teams at F&M include men's soccer, men's and women's swimming, baseball, and squash. They all traditionally compete for conference championships and have been ranked high nationally. In 2008, the men's swimming team won the Centennial Conference championships and the women's swimming team placed second.^{[10] [11]} At that championship, Thomas Anthony Grabiak Jr. of F&M set Centennial Conference championship meet records in the 100 and 200 yd breaststroke events.^[12] Men's squash consistently maintains a top 20 Division I national ranking. In 1987 the men's squash team finished 15-1 and achieved a #2 national ranking led by four time all-American Morris Clothier. In 1988, the men's lacrosse team finished the season 13-3 and played in the USILA national semifinals.^[13]

F&M also boasts several student-run clubs, most notably men's and women's rugby, both of which have become serious contenders for regional, and national championships each season and which compete in the Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union. Ultimate frisbee is also a popular club sport on campus, fielding both a men's and a women's team. In 2009, the college water polo team was revived and currently competes in the American Water Polo League and the Collegiate Water Polo League.^[14]

Sponaugle–Williamson Field is a stadium for the outdoor athletic teams of the college. It was built in 1920 as Williamson Field, named after S. Woodrow Sponaugle, who coached football and basketball and was the athletic director at F&M for 15 years. He shares the stadium's dedication with Henry S. Williamson, who was a trustee of the college from 1894 to 1917.^[15]

Shadek Stadium is used for football and lacrosse. Construction began in the fall of 2016 and ended in the fall of 2017. The stadium was named after the Shadek family, a family prominent at the school. The turf field in the stadium, Gilburg Field, is named after football player and former F&M coach Tom Gilburg. In the first football game played in the stadium, the Diplomats defeated Centennial Conference rivals Dickinson College 56–0.^[16]

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