Matmen Face Top Teams In Coast Guard Tourney

The Crimson wrestling team, fresh from an opening 21-7 win over MIT, travels to New London today to meet some of the best wrestlers in the East in the annual Coast Guard Tournament.

Harvard will be doing well if it can wind up in the top half of the twelve-team tournament; three of the region's top mat powers, Navy, Maryland, and Syracuse, will be participating, and host Coast isn't exactly a pushover, either.

Coach Bob Pickett says he hopes his team can finish as high as fifth in the meet. Last year the Crimson came in seventh out of 12 teams.

Probably the best bet on the Crimson for an individual title is captain Fred Pereira, the 167-pounder who worked his way into the finals last year. Pereira humiliated his M.I.T. appoinent, Lou Jackson, 19-4 in the meet Tuesday.

Pickett will be watching carefully to see how the Crimson's sophomores fare against the tough competition. Four of them won matches against M.I.T., and one tied. In the tournament junior Ben Brooks at 177 pounds will replace sophomore Lamar Fertig, who wrestled Tuesday. Pickett had thought Brooks was "not quite in shape," and kept him out of the season opener.

In other lineup changes, sophomore Mike King will wrestle at 130 in place of Brian Smith "because I'd like to give King the experience and because Smith asked to stay home and do some work," according to Pickett.

Sophomore Kevin MacMahon will wrestle at 152 pounds during the tournament, and Jan Bollinger will go at 157.