Imrie Is Eighth In NCAA Meet

Sophomore John Imrie turned in one of the most outstanding performances of the winter sports season last weekend as he pinned three opponents to earn Harvard's six points in the NCAA Championships at Brigham Young University.

Imrie's feat was even more impressive in that he was wrestling in the heavy-weight class instead of in his usual 191-pound spot. Imrie weighed in at the last moment 1/4-pound overweight because he did not have time to visit the nearest bathroom.

All three of the Crimson star's victories were come-from-behind efforts, with the pins coming late in the match. "These heavier guys couldn't stick with me as far as weight went so I tried to keep moving, and it all paid off," Imrie said last night.

Imrie finally lost in the quarterfinals when Big Ten Champ Jeff Smith of Michigan pinned him in 2:49. Smith went on to finish second in the tournament. The Harvard sophomore failed to finish in the top six as he dropped a 9-5 decision to Iowa State's 250-pound Wayne Beske.

Imrie's performance enabled the Crimson to finish ahead of all Ivy League teams and among the top in the East. Coach John Lee, who was one of the only Harvard supporters present, was the last Crimson competitor to do as well as Imrie in this tournament. In 1953, Lee placed third in the NCAA's after being undefeated in dual meets for three years.

Hitchhikers

Mark Faller was the only other member of the team to make the trip. Faller, a 160-pounder, lost in the opening round to Pacific Eight Champion Curt Alder of UCLA. Alder won the match, 8-6.

Since they did not finish first or second in the Easterns, Imrie and Faller were not sponsored by Harvard's Department of Athletics. Therefore, the two were completely on their own and had to hitchhike to Chicago and then drive in Imrie's car to Utah.