University of Virginia Library

Grapplers Seek Title
In Conference Tourney

By Tom Bell
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Undefeated Virginia Wrestlers Travel To Raleigh This Weekend For ACC Tournament

Coach George Edwards' Grapplers Are Picked As Team To Beat After Maryland Win

Having stopped Maryland's regular
season ACC win streak after 84
matches, the Cavalier wrestlers will
attempt to break another Terrapin
win streak this weekend in the ACC
Wrestling Tournament at Raleigh,
N.C.

Maryland has won every one of
the fifteen ACC wrestling tournaments,
but for the first time in
history they are not favored to grab
the title. The Cavaliers enter the
competition in the unfamiliar favorite's
role as a result of last
weekend's 24-11 win over the
Terps.

The Cavaliers should have top
seedings in three classes, with
chances in two more, 118-pounder
Kim Hatcher, 126-pounder John
Pitas, and 134-pounder Shelley
Zablow are all undefeated in ACC
competition and should be favored
to nail down titles in the lower
weight classes. Defending ACC
134-pound champion John Pegues
and last year's 177-pound runnerup
Ted Moore should be seeded
either first or second, depending on
the decisions of the leagues coaches
when they get together to decide
seedings after this morning's weigh-in.

The tournament should be
closer than ever with three teams
fighting for the title. Maryland,
N.C. State, and Virginia are the
pre-tourney favorites, with Duke
rated as an outside chance.

Maryland lost four defending
conference champs during the season
due to injuries and wrestlers
leaving the squad. Two time winners
John Baker and Ralph Sonntagg
will not be in action as well as
one time champs Joel Hahn and
Randy Umberger. This leaves the
Terps with only two of their six
defending champions, 118-pounder
Gary Mulligan, who lost in the
weekend's match to Virginia's Kim
Hatcher, and 150-pounder Curt
Callahan, who is recovering from an
injury which forced him to miss last
weekend's dual match at Memorial
Gym.

N.C. State gave the Cavaliers
their toughest match of the season
before bowing 17-15 on Paul
Boehm's pin in the last match of
the night. The Wolfpack, however,
lost to Maryland 24-12 during the
regular season. Any home mat
advantage in the meet should go to
the Wolfpack, as they are hosts for
the tournament.

Duke is rated no better than an
outside chance. They lost to Virginia
31-3 during the season and to
Maryland 27-9, but according to
Cavalier coach George Edwards
they have "one or two good
wrestlers, which is sometimes all
you need in tournament wrestling."

According to Mr. Edwards, the
tourney will be decided by the
number of second and third place
finishes a team can muster, and also
on the number of pins. First place
finishes should be divided fairly
evenly among the top four teams.