Visiting Yale Favored in Wrestling Finale

With the Ivy League title and the Eastern Intercollegiate championships already determined. Harvard and Yale will attempt to motivate themselves into a wrestling match at 3 p.m. this afternoon in the IAB.

If the wrestlers can get excited about a match that will only determine third place in the Ivy standings, today's competition could be the most interesting home match of the entire season.

Both squads are extremely talented and only missed the Ivy title by small breaks. Yale tied Penn and fell to Princeton by a single point, 16-15. The Bulldogs have qualified four grapplers for the NCAA tournament in Maryland next weekend.

The Crimson will be a slight underdog in the battle for the number one ranking in New England, but Yale coach Bert Waterman has referred to the Crimson several times as "as strong a team as any in the Ivy League."

The excitement of today's struggle will he heightened by the contrasting strengths of the two squads. While Harvard had its greatest success this year in the lower weight classes and at 177 and 190. Yale has an almost undefeated nucleus in the middle-weight classes and an outstanding heavyweight.

If Harvard hopes to pull an upset, the lightweights will have to win big. Penn built a 12-0 lead in its 17-17 tie with the Bulldogs. Princeton, knowing it needed to build an early advantage, told its 118 pound entrant to continually allow Yale to escape so that the Tiger could score five takedowns and a four-point decision. That strategy proved crucial in the close team score.

Dave Scanlon's injury may be too much for the Crimson to overcome. Coach John Lee will have to move Bruce Johnson to 177 and Ritchie Starr to 190. Besides Scanion, Jerry Kahrilas (cut hand) at 142 and Colin Mangrum (bad shoulder) at 158 may be sidelined.

Plenty of Talent

But the Bulldogs have enough talent to overcome morale problems. Senior Jeff Spendlow (150) lost only one bout last year and he is undefeated in dual matches this winter. He placed third in the Easterns last weekend. Behind Spendlow at 158 the Bulldogs have the Eastern champion, Al Gaby. An All-Ivy selection for three years. Gaby has only lost two matches in two years.

Captain Kevin Millikan (177) has also qualified to participate in the NCAA tournament. Millikan was undefeated as a sophomore, and he has recovered from a year of injuries for an 8-2-1 record this winter.

A Sure Six

Capping the Yale line-up is a sure six-point finish. Sophomore Tim Karpoff is undefeated in dual meets and placed second at the Eastern.

Harvard will also move its lightweight wrestlers up one notch to compensate for the loss of Kahrilas. Zac Gildstein will start at 126 while Carl Blello and Josh Henson move up one weight class.