Wrestlers Open at Springfield Tonight

The varsity wrestling team starts its season tonight with an away match against Springfield, the best team in New England last year. Coach John Lee says he has assembled his best squad since 1972, and the team is hopeful of bettering last year's 6-9 mark.

The Crimson must face its most serious challenges right at the top of the schedule. After Springfield, Harvard goes up against Boston University, Hofstra, Alabama, and Georgia Tech, all grappling powers. Strangely enough, the overall schedule is easier than last year, since such vicious foes as Navy and Cal Poly have been dropped.

If the team can come through the dangerous early matches in good shape, the lighter remaining schedule and improved team balance could lead to the best record in several years. Hofstra shapes up as the only opponent on this year's slate that Harvard doesn't seem capable of defeating, according to Lee.

The squad is young; only two seniors will be starting. Returning lettermen David Albert (118 lb.) and Milt Yasunaga (126 lb.) hold down the lower weights. Last year, Yasunaga compiled a fine 10-3-2 record and was named the team's most valuable member.

Freshman Bill Mulvihill, a Massachusetts and New England champion in high schol, will wrestle at 134 lbs. He will surely have to go through a period of adjustment as he faces college competition for the first time, but Lee is confident that he will quickly develop into a superior wrestler.

Kelly Jenson, one of the two seniors, and Carlos Enriquez will man the next two weight classes after Mulvihill. Jim Corcoran had won the right to start at 158 lbs. but was the victim of the only injury to strike the team through eight weeks of preseason practice. Until his return next week, his place will be taken by letterman Tom Bixby.

Lee has two equally talented grapplers at 167 lbs., Jon Franklin and blind freshman Ed Bordley. Franklin will go against Springfield's Nick Perillo, the national champion in that weight class last year, but Bordley will wrestle against B.U. next week.

The last three weight classes will be held down by senior captain Jim Strathmeyer, who went 11-2-1 last season, Sal D'agostine, who won three of four matches last year and then finished fifth in the Eastern tournament, and Kip Smith, who has been nagged by minor injuries.