Lions Upset Grapplers, 21-16

The Crimson grapplers dug themselves into an early hole yesterday against a team they should have defeated, then fell short in their attempt to climb out and finally succumbed to the Columbia Lions, 21-16.

Any way you look at it, the beginning of the match figured to be brutal, since Columbia coach Ron Russo trots out three all-Ivy performers at the top of the lineup, but things went even worse than they should have.

In the first two matches, Harvard grapplers Dave Albert (118 lbs.) and Milt Yasunaga (126 lbs.) each faced two opponents, a standout grappler from Columbia, and a case of the flu, which limited the two Crimson wrestlers to half-speed performances.

"I felt worse today than I ever have out on the mat," Albert said. Unfortunately, he looked like it, getting beaten, 8-2.

Then, Lion dynamo Jerry Reid not only beat his Harvard foe, but came away with a pin as well, turning the trick on Yasunaga in the third round of their one-sided bout. Harvard's slide into the pit continued as Bill Mulvihill (134 lbs.) wrestled a good match but still limped away a 5-2 loser.

So after Columbia's terrible trio had been dealt with, so to speak, Harvard was staring up from the bottom end of a 12-0 whitewash. However, the worst was yet to come, as George Baker (142 lbs.) blew an 8-2 lead on the way to an 11-9 loss in one of the match's pivotal contests.

Finally, Tom Bixby (150 lbs.) got Harvard started on the long road back with a 5-2 victory. Jim Corcoran (158 lbs.) followed with a 7-3 triumph before Ed Bordley (167 lbs.) lost, 8-2.

Harvard trailed by 12 points with only three matches remaining, but the Crimson's hopes still looked bright. "We were definitely expecting to win right up until the 190 lb. bout," said heavyweight Kip Smith.

First, Harvard Captain Jim Strathmeyer (176 lbs.) set the stage for the crucial match at 190 lbs. by toying with his outmatched foe for a four-point decision.

In the next bout, Sal D'agostino (190 lbs.) was pitted against Columbia's second stringer, and attacked him aggressively, looking for a pin. But the fired-up Lion put up the fight of his life, and the two grapplers were locked in a 6-6 knot in the waning minutes of the match.

D'agostino was in command and had the lead in riding time, so all he had to do was hold on for a 7-6 win. His raging opponent escaped, though, and then charged in for a takedown that gave him the victory and his team an insurmountable 21-10 lead.

The Crimson's Kip Smith (UNL) followed with a pin that might have been the clincher had the previous match gone differently, but by then it was too late.

After losing to a team that had come in with a 1-8 record, Lee said he was very disappointed. About D'agostino's match, he said in a dazed voice, "It was like seeing your best hitter get struck out six times by a ham."

Harvard faces another Ivy League opponent this afternoon when the Big Red of Cornell invades the IAB.