Did you know nearly 30% of the Franklin & Marshall student body competes in varsity sports? The College boasts 28 varsity sports, along with five intramural sports and numerous club athletics. 

Below, browse an update of in-season sports on the turf, track, court and course. Follow your favorite sports team more closely at GoDiplomats.com.

Raise Our Game – F&M’s annual fundraising campaign supporting Diplomat student-athletes, coaches and athletic programs – began Oct. 1, and the final whistle will blow Oct. 31. Here’s how to give.  

Men’s Cross Country

F&M has competed in three races this fall, including the F&M Open and The Little Three Meet on its Baker Campus home course. The Diplomats are coming off their strongest performance of the year at Lehigh’s prestigious Paul Short Run, featuring Division I, II and III teams from across the country. 

Women’s Cross Country

The Diplomats’ future shows big promise with four sophomores and three first-years who have instantly contributed to the team’s success. The men’s and women’s cross country teams wrap up the regular season at Gettysburg Oct. 14 before competing at the Centennial Conference (CC) Championships Oct. 28.

Field Hockey

The Diplomats are tied for first in the CC with a perfect 3-0 record. The team challenged itself this fall with one of the toughest non-conference schedules of any Division III team. Three one-goal defeats to nationally ranked opponents make for a deceiving 5-5 overall record for this perennial national power. 

Football

The Diplomats were among 43 undefeated teams in Division III heading into week five of the regular season. It took a last-second touchdown from Dickinson for F&M to suffer its first defeat of the season. Fans will have the chance to cheer on their Diplomats inside Shadek Stadium when they host Ursinus (Oct. 7) and Johns Hopkins (Oct. 14) in crucial conference matchups.

Men’s Soccer

F&M has made the NCAA Tournament for a CC-record nine consecutive seasons, and this year’s squad is on track to continue the streak with a 7-1-2 (2-0-2 Centennial Conference) record. Men’s soccer is currently in third place in the conference standings. The Diplomats have been ranked as high as ninth in the national polls as they head into the final month of the regular season.

Women’s Soccer

Women’s soccer has found itself in the national rankings for the second time in program history, as the Diplomats were undefeated during their first six matches to move up to No. 25 in the country. The team currently sports a 5-1-3 record (2-1-1 CC) and is right in the thick of the conference playoff race. 

Volleyball

F&M owns a 9-4 overall record and opened up conference play with a 3-0 sweep of Washington College this past weekend. Six of the Diplomats’ first nine victories have been 3-0 sweeps of their opponents. This veteran team returned all but one graduated senior from last year’s squad, which advanced to the CC Championship match.

Other fall notables

The men’s and women’s golf, rowing and tennis teams have competed in several fall contests, but will play the majority of their competitive schedules during the spring semester. 

Men’s golf – the defending CC champions – has won both of its fall tournaments to date. On the women’s side, sophomore Reilly Melvin leads the team with an 81.6 scoring average and runner-up finishes during the team’s two most recent tournaments. 

The fall portion of the men’s tennis season was highlighted by sophomores Zac Ashtiani and Gonzalo Gentou advancing to the Round of 16 at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championships. A young women’s tennis team lineup found great success against regional powers Swarthmore, Haverford and Stevens during its fall season. 

Men’s and women’s rowing are set to make their fall season debuts with regattas throughout Pennsylvania and Virginia during four of the next five weekends.

Justin Grube, director of athletic communications, contributed to this article.