Brown Drubs Grapplers, 30-11

It wasn't until more than halfway through the Harvard wrestling team's match against Brown yesterday at the Malkin Athletic Center that the Crimson matmen managed to score their first team points, after finding themselves down 24-0.

Unfortunately, there was no miraculous come-from-behind victory, as Harvard managed to take only three of 10 bouts and was drubbed by Brown, 30-11, in an unexpectedly lopsided outing.

The defeat assured the Crimson of another season without an Ivy League wrestling title. With two matches remaining, the injury-riddled squad is now 1-3 in the Ivies and 9-7 overall.

"It gets just a bit frustrating," Tri-Captain Steve Farrell said yesterday after the match. "We're just too thin, and it won't get any easier from here on out."

The few Harvard bright spots were provided in victories by Tri-Captain Steve Farrell, Kelly Flynn and Pete Holmes.

Holmes, one of this year's most consistant performers, broke up the win shut-out with a 7-3 win in the *** class.

Farrell, another Crimson standout, dominated his opponent en route to a 15-11 rout. In the process, he upped his team-leading record to 10-1 overall.

Flynn also turned in an excellent performance in the 190-lb. division, shutting out his opponent, 12-0.

Weakness in the lower weight classes--which have been hit especially hard by injuries--have put the grapplers at early disadvantages for most of the season. The squad is down to one healthy starter--Joel San Pedro at 118 lbs.--in the first four weight classes, and even San Pedro is having trouble coming up with victories lately.

Yesterday, in a closely-fought match, San Pedro lost, 6-4, as his opponent took an early lead and held off the freshman's third-period comeback attempt.

126-lb. sophomore Bernardo Feliciano, filling in for an injured Courtney Henry, suffered a second-period pin, and junior Jeff Pelletier, at 134 lbs., was handled by his Bruin foe, 13-3.

After 142-lb. freshman Chris Throne was pinned, putting the Crimson down by an 18-0 score, John Freeman dropped a 13-2 decision to a solid opponent.

Finally Holmes was able to break up the scoring drought. Not only did he win, but the junior--who possesses the Crimson's best record against Ivy League opponents--also became the first Crimson grappler all afternoon to take a lead at any point in a match.

Hopes for a Harvard comeback, however, were quickly dashed when ailing senior Jerry Greenberg dropped a disappointing 2-1 decison after wrestling defensively and being tagged for a stalling penalty point.

Sophomore Alex Konovalchik--the third grappler to wrestle heavyweight for the Crimson this season--was defeated by a three point decison.