Varsity Grapplers Finish 14th In EIWA Championship Meet

The varsity wrestling team staggered to a 14th place finish over the weekend in the EIWA championships on the campus of Franklin and Marshall College. Only last place Cornell finished with a team point total lower than Harvard's.

Three Crimson grapplers advanced to the quarterfinals. Jim Corcoran (158 Ibs.) lost to Marty Schwartz of Yale, who went on to finish second. Sal D' agostino (190 Ibs.) was bested by Navy's Greg Cooper, Cooper, like Schwartz, wasn't defeated until the finals.

Heartbreaker

Finally, Kip Smith lost a heartbreaker in the heavyweight division. Wrestling against Franklin and Marshall's Bob Bickelman, Smith held a 6-5 advantage as the last seconds of the match ticked away. But, to the delight of the partisan crowd, Bickelman shot in at the buzzer for a take down and a 7-6 triumph.

Smith's loss was particularly disheartening since it probably cost him an invitation to the NCAA championships. The reward went instead to Bickelman, who finished third in the tournament.

More Disappointments

There were a number of other disappointments over the weekend. Bill Mulvihill (134 Ibs.) took on second-seeded Tom Bauer from Navy in his first match and lost a 7-6 squeaker.

In a consolation contest, D' agostino had a 4-0 lead against an opponent he should have beaten but made a mistake and got pinned on a fireman's carry.

Disaster Strikes

The weekend was also a disaster for Yale's Jim Bennett, the Ivy League's best wrestler and first NCAA champion in 16 years. He suffered a serious knee injury and had to forfeit the championship match at 150 Ibs.