糖心

A $360,000 gift from Franklin & Marshall College Trustee Vice Chair Ken Mehlman 鈥�88 establishes the James Conway 鈥�26 Wrestling Scholarship, providing immediate recruiting support for F&M鈥檚 Division I wrestling program.

The scholarship was announced at a recent Diplomat Wrestling banquet and comes at the conclusion of . The scholarship will provide $90,000 annually to recruit and retain high-achieving student-athletes who demonstrate exceptional academic and athletic potential as well as a history and tradition of leadership and perseverance.

鈥淎thletics is part of the fabric of Franklin & Marshall College, and wrestling is among our oldest and most successful programs 鈥� our only D1 program for men,鈥� said President Andrew Rich. 鈥淜en Mehlman's generosity in creating this scholarship, and his thoughtfulness in honoring our exceptional wrestler James Conway, underscores the extraordinary leadership that our athletes bring to the College. My sincere thanks to Ken.鈥�

The new scholarship builds additional momentum for F&M Wrestling, which celebrated its 100th season in 2024. Wrestling is among the College鈥檚 most storied teams and receives significant philanthropy from fans of Diplomat Athletics, including a historic $5 million gift by Franklin & Marshall College and EIWA Hall of Fame wrestler and Trustee Dave Lehman 鈥�68 in 2014 to endow the program. The College has secured leadership support for the F&M Wrestling Scholarship Endowment, a transformative initiative that has empowered the recruitment of top-tier student-athletes and marks the College鈥檚 first athletic scholarships in more than six decades.

鈥淎t our peak, F&M is a college where we help people become their best selves,鈥� said Mehlman, a longtime supporter of the Diplomats and who in 2025 made the College鈥檚 single largest gift to Diplomat Athletics. 鈥淛ames Conway is a reflection of what F&M can do for people as athletes, scholars and leaders. He combines qualities that are the most important keys to success: He is incredibly consistent in every component of how he trains, how he studies, and how he prepares. He has an amazing work ethic. He is a generous servant leader, both by example and by helping others achieve their best. And he is someone who lives and embodies the growth mindset by how consistently he compounds gains. James Conway provides an example that is worth recognizing. This scholarship is designed to honor James, and it will help us recruit future James Conways to Franklin & Marshall College.鈥�

"I love this team, and I love that now I鈥檒l get to remain a part of it and its future with my name attached to this scholarship."

James Conway '26

Conway graduates this May as one of F&M鈥檚 most decorated wrestlers. The three-time captain earned 108 wins and finished his senior campaign with a 35-4 record. In his final season, he ranked as high as No. 4 in national polls and earned his second trip to the NCAA championship. He earned individual titles at the Southeast Open, Keystone Classic, Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, and David H. Lehman '68 F&M Open. Conway was the first F&M student-athlete in any sport to receive the Elite 90 Award for the highest grade point average at an NCAA Championship, and he was also a four-time Scholar All-American.

鈥淭his scholarship allows us to pursue the next 鈥楯ames Conway鈥� and helps us secure top talent earlier in the process. Higher-level recruits raise the bar for the entire program in competition, practice and teambuilding,鈥� said W. Roy Phillips 鈥�34 Wrestling Coach Mike Rogers. 鈥淜en Mehlman has done more than provide a transformative financial gift. He鈥檚 demonstrated leadership. For our wrestlers, this sends a powerful message: Alumni who came before them care deeply about where this program is headed and that they鈥檙e not doing this alone. For our staff, it鈥檚 energizing and validates the work done every day, reinforcing that we鈥檙e building something meaningful.鈥�

Conway learned of the scholarship from Rogers while being honored at the April banquet, which . He recalls being stunned by the news, which reminded him of the reasons he chose Franklin & Marshall and the experiences he鈥檒l carry with him long after concluding his collegiate wrestling career.

鈥淢y coaches showed me a lot of interest, and it was clear they wanted me here. That鈥檚 one of the factors that really drew me to F&M,鈥� said Conway. 鈥淭he gift to create this new scholarship is so generous. I love this team, and I love that now I鈥檒l get to remain a part of it and its future with my name attached to this scholarship. I can鈥檛 thank Ken enough for all he's done for our team and for F&M.鈥�

This fall, Conway will enroll at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, where he鈥檒l hone the skills learned in biochemistry and molecular biology and follow the example of his mentor, Dr. Carl Becker 鈥�87, a former wrestler and one of the team鈥檚 most active supporters. The James Conway 鈥�26 Wrestling Scholarship will be available as a recruitment asset for F&M coaching staff beginning this fall.