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Matmen Face Franklin & Marshall; 6 Sophomores Top Improved Team

By Lee H. Simowitz

Harvard coach Bob Pickett will be babysitting for a total of six sophomores when he takes his wrestling team to Franklin and Marshall today. Ordinarily, a half-dozen first-year men would be a sure sign of fatal weakness; for the Crimson, however, they may mean just the opposite.

The teac scored five wins in its opening victory over M.I.T.: three were by sophomores. It took three third places in the Coast Guard Academy tournament last week; sophomores earned two of the three. Finally, the team has pinned a total of five opponents so far this season; sophomores were responsible for three of the pins.

At Coast Guard, the sophomores excelled. Ed Franquemont at 157 and Chris Wickens at 167 each took third places by winning three matches and losing two. Franquemont added a pin. Howard Henjyoji, the Crimson's lightweight, won two matches and was eliminated from the tournament only by a last-second reversal that cost him his second loss. Sophomore Tim McCarthy won one match and lost two at 137.

Of the non-sophomores, John Daniels captured third place at 147 with three wins and two losses. Tack Chace was fourth in the heavyweight division with a 3-2 record that included a pair of pins, Tom Gilmore won two and lost two at 180, and captain Ben Brooks, suffering through a slow start, won one and lost two at 177.

Franklin and Marshall, curiously enough, will also be starting five sophomores. The Diplomats are lead by Saul Shimansky at 130 and by Peter Martin, their captain, at 137. Shimansky and Martin were both victorious last year in F and M's 18-9 loss to Harvard. "They're always tough," said Pickett. "They're a well-balanced team."

Two Lineup Changes

The Harvard lineup will read the same today as it did at Coast Guard, with two exceptions. Franklin and Marshall recognizes the 191-pound class, so captain Ben Brooks will move up from 177 to fill it. The addition ends a seesaw struggle between Wickens and sophomore Jeff Hall for the 167 slot. Wickens will wrestle 177, leaving 167 for Hall.

The other change is at 147, where Phil Emmi, another sophomore, will wrestle in place of Daniels. Howie Durfee, a star last year at 137 had hoped to wrestle today, but a sinus infection has set back his training and he will not be in shape until after the Christman vacation.

Two factors seem to be working against Harvard wrestlers today. The match is at Franklin and Marshall, and, as Pickett said, "It's always a handicap to be away from home." More importantly, Franquemont, Hall, Wickens, and Brooks will all be giving weight to their F and M opponents, a serious disadvantage.

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