University of Virginia Library

Wrestlers Finish Fourth
Despite Improved Score

By Tom Sansonetti
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

John Pegues Faces Off Against Opponent In Holiday Tournament

Cavaliers finished Last In Quadrangular Tourney Despite Tripling Last Year's Total Point Output

William & Mary was the victor
in the second annual University
wrestling tournament which was
held over the Christmas holidays.
Although the final overall scores
have not yet been tallied, it was
determined by comparative team
scores that the Indians were indeed
the winners followed closely by last
year's champs, Old Dominion College.
Rutgers University finished
third and Virginia fourth.

Virginia, however, did well in
defeat, as they scored three times as
many points in the quadrangular
tourney then they managed in the
'67 debacle. The tourney was not
decided on duel meet scores, but on
total points as each of the participating
squads played each other
once.

The tourney put a premium on
physical condition as the wrestlers
were forced to go at it three times
in two days. Substitutions were
frequent as coaches tried to conserve
the energy of their best
wrestlers for the final round Saturday
afternoon.

According to Coach George
Edwards, the Cavaliers were "condition-wise
best in the tournament.
Of course, the boys are coming
back after this last week of vacation
overweight." Coach Edwards will
no doubt remedy that situation
quickly.

After the first round Friday
afternoon, the other coaches asked
that the following matches be reduced
to six minutes, instead of the
regular eight minutes.

The number of one point
matches lost by Virginia was
phenomenal. One cannot help but
wonder, since the Virginia grapplers
were evidently in superior shape, if
they would not have been able to
have pulled out some of those
matches in the two cancelled
minutes

Describing the Cavaliers' effort
as a "pretty decent showing."
Edwards commented that the
thought the tourney had given
some of the boys needed confidence.
"Last year some of our boys
lost bad, real bad, to the same guys
they gave real fights to this time.
Many succumbed by one point."

Ted Moore put on the best
show, finishing 2-1 for the good
guys. His only loss (6-5) came in a
nip and tuck tussle with William &
Mary's steadiest performer.