On senior day, the laundry list of goals is pretty short. The first is to appropriately recognize the seniors on the team for the accomplishments they accumulated during their time as a member of the squad.
The second is to pummel the opposition.
For those in attendance at F&M’s final dual match of the 2011-2012 season last Friday, they saw both goals accomplished. With the Rupp Cup on the line, F&M’s four seniors, Colin Ely, Matt Fullowan, Matt Latessa, and David Pucci, lead the Diplomats in what became a thorough beating of visiting Millersville.
“I felt like the team was finally clicking,” Ely said. “It took us awhile to get there. Like the coaches said, we had different people turning it on during different matches.”
“Everyone wants to beat Millersville,” Latessa added. “It’s a little different walking out onto that mat. They can’t hang with us conditioning wise. Even in my match, even though I lost, I think I would have worn him out if I didn’t have to take that injury timeout.”
The words of both Latessa and Ely ring true for those who witnessed the Diplomats triumph over Millersville for the second consecutive season. Few of Millersville’s wrestlers appeared to be on the same level as those of F&M, and it’s true that, had Latessa not sprained his ankle late in his match and been forced to take an injury timeout, he would have likely won in the end.
“It’s a motivator, when you’re out on the mat, to know you’re outworking kids and knowing it doesn’t come down to size or strength or speed, but it just comes down to effort,” Latessa added.
Wrestling Millersville is important for every Diplomat. However, for some, it is a little more personal.
“For me, it was a bit of a personal match,” Ely said. “I don’t know if anyone remembers, but we were up my freshman year and I was up in the last match and I ended up losing. I kinda lost the entire match for us my freshman year. Ever since, I just…I never wanted to lose to Millersville again.”
Knocking off Millersville and keeping the Rupp Cup at F&M for a second year is a special reward for a small group of seniors that has persevered through some of the most difficult times in the program’s history. The win vindicated the work these seniors have put in for the past four years.
“For most of us, we’ve been here year round for four years,” Fullowan said. “I’ve probably been home for a maximum of three days in a row. Wrestling has become a second family. It also gives you the work ethic to get through the ups and downs, it teaches you how to deal with what happens in the real world.”
Given the trend the program was on when these four seniors first joined the team, it’s a little surprising the team has done as well as it has.
“From where we started, we came in here with a class of nine, and there’s now four of us,” Pucci said. “When we came in, we were told we would be the foundation. Now a lot of that has been washed away. But first we got Greenberg and then we got Rogers, and that marked the split from the old to the new.”
Despite the tumultuous beginning, all four seniors now look back on the entire experience as one that has been incredibly rewarding and gratifying.
“I don’t want it to end,” Ely said. “We’re the only four people in the world who understand the change that has happened. This year, I had so much fun. It was awesome.”
“It’s not a chore to come to practice anymore,” Latessa added. “Even though we had the same amount of wins as last year, the level of competition this year compared to last year is so much better. The program is coming around, but people may be skeptical because of the wins and losses.”
Latessa is generally correct; simply looking at the win-loss record would indicate that F&M did not improve this season. Unfortunately, most people will stop looking after seeing that sole statistic. For those close to the program and for those who are intimately involved with it, the change and the improvement is far more obvious.
“If you look at the record, you don’t see the progress,” Ely said. “But if you look at anything else, any other barometer for success, it’s obvious. Just hang out with the team and it’s obvious. It was depressing three years ago. People were saying, ‘I hope it’s a short practice,’ or, ‘I can’t wait to get out of here.’”
“I don’t think it’s too bold of a claim to say that in five to ten years F&M will be, or at least be in the discussion, one of the best wrestling programs in the country, because of what the coaches have done,” Latessa added.
Although head coach Mike Rogers and assistant coach Matt Greenberg have done a lot for the program, Ely has focused on what he believes to be the most critical aspect of the coaching staff’s job: recruiting.
“[This year,] we have ten freshmen who are all legitimate recruits,” Ely said. “Yeah, that’s awesome to say, but if you look at what Rogers had to work with, coming from where our program was, how do you sell that to a kid who can probably get offers from other places? Just the fact that Rogers brought in ten guys makes me confident that he will take this program through the roof. I don’t know how they do it. I think recruiting is an underrated part of how this program is turning around.”
While their final dual meet as Diplomats has now come and gone, these four seniors still have a great deal to look forward to. In less than two weeks, the Dips will travel to the EIWA Championships with an opportunity to make it known just how much they have improved in just one year. It is also a chance to make it known that F&M is here to stay.
“Coach said it’s important to peak at the right time. This our last shot of the year and we don’t want to go out and get beat at conferences,” Fullowan said. “It’s our last shot to go out and show [the EIWA] what we have and really prove ourselves. I know that, with these guys here, we’re going to go out with a bang. We’re going to go out there and really put up a fight.”
It’s a sentimental moment for all four of them. While they recognize that their wrestling careers are officially coming to a close, all four acknowledge the EIWAs are a way to boost the profile and stature of Diplomat wrestling.
With all these thoughts combined, all four seniors look back on their experiences with fondness, even though not every moment was a high point.
“I guess, I’m just really proud to have been a part of this team,” Ely said. “Our class is the bridge from what it was to what it’s becoming. I’m proud of the fact that we’re turning it around. When I visit in the future, I’m going to be very proud to wear my [wrestling] gear.”
All four wrestlers were appreciative of the F&M student body for the visible boost in attendance this season. While in past years the Mayser Gym has been relatively quiet on wrestling nights, this year saw raucous crowds and pumped up students pack into Mayser to watch the Diplomats compete.
That and the coaches who allowed him to wrestle are what Fullowan is most thankful for.
“Thank you to the coaches for giving me the opportunity to go out there and wrestle,” Fullowan said. “And thank you to the fans for coming out and helping us win.”
“Thank you to all the fans who came out to the home matches,” Ely added. “Our attendance has been a lot better this year and that really helps.”
For Latessa, his wrestling experience boils down to his relationship and his bond with the other three seniors on the team. He recognizes that the four seniors who persevered are special and that nobody can take what they have accomplished away from them.
“It’s about the guys in this room right here,” Latessa said. “My father always told me it takes a special breed to wrestle. We’re in the company of a special breed and that’s something I’m going to have with me past graduation. We did this together and there were a lot of times it would have been easy to say screw this, but we didn’t and we stuck it out.”
Of the four, Pucci probably had the most tumultuous experience, thanks to the many injuries he has sustained over the course of his career. But even he looks back on his wrestling experience with pride and is excited about what is in store for the Diplomats.
“I’m just really appreciative of the opportunity I had,” Pucci said. “I appreciate it so much. I’m just looking forward in a few years to watching someone from F&M on ESPN wrestle for the national title.”
To that, Fullowan simply smiled.
“You mean this year,” he quickly chipped in.
All Pucci could do was grin.
“Yeah,” Pucci said. “This year.”
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