University of Virginia Library

Crowd Turnout Could Be ACC Mat Key

By Tom Bell
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

It's been a full year since
Maryland edged Virginia in the
ACC wrestling championships in
Raleigh last March, and the
Cavaliers will get their big chance
for revenge this weekend when the
tournament is staged in Memorial
Gym.

The Cavaliers should rate an
excellent chance of knocking off
the Terps in what promises to be
strictly a two team event.

Coach George Edwards'
wrestlers have come a long way
since losing a dual meet to the
Terrapins at Maryland on January
12. Six spots in the ten man lineup
have changed hands since that
meet, and, of the four that remain.
three won at Maryland.

Since the loss at College Park,
the matmen have improved in every
meet, as they have run up a 5-1
record, including romps over ACC
opponents North Carolina (38-10),
N.C. State (23-9) and Duke (35-3).

The only loss since the Maryland
meet was to Indiana of the
powerful Big Ten by a slim two
point margin, and Mr. Edwards has
said that with his present lineup,
the team would have won.

There are numerous reasons for
the strong showing of the team
since semester break, top among
which is the return of Shelley
Zablow and Bill Farrell to the team
after sitting out the first semester.
Both have given good performances
in the past few weeks and have
added strength to the overall
lineup.

Five Cavaliers should be seeded
first in their divisions when the
tournament gets under way, as all
are undefeated in ACC
competition. 126-pounder John
Pitas, 134-pounder Lou Pavia,
142-pounder John Pegues, and
150-pounder Zablow all should get
top seeds and give the team a solid
base in the lower weights. Pegues
and Zablow are defending
champions in the tournament.

Kevin Michaels, who has an 11-1
overall record and a championship
in the highly rated Wilkes Open to
his credit is also unbeaten at 190
pounds in the conference and
should get a top seeding.

Seedings are important in the
event as they allow wrestlers to skip
the preliminary round, wrestle the
lowest seeded opponents, and pick
up valuable points.

Jay Douglas, who has come back
from a rib injury in the early season
to wrestle in the 167-pound slot for
the University, is also undefeated in
the conference, but probably won't
get top billing because he has been
out much of the season. Douglas
returned for the first time against
Duke last week, and was impressive
in pinning opponent Wink Fisher.

Co-captain Ted Moore,
118-pounder Jack Johndrow, and
158-pounder Denis Bittenbender all
rate good chances. Moore, twice an
ACC runner-up, has recovered from
injuries that have hampered him all
year. Johndrow has lost only once
in the conference in gaining an
impressive 9-1 dual meet record.
Bittenbender is 2-1 in the
conference.

Mr. Edwards feels that his team
is ready to go. "A good crowd for
the tournament will give us a
boost," he adds. "In a real tight
match, a home crowd can make the

difference between winning and losing. We are hoping everyone will
come out, in the early rounds as
well as the finals, and help us along.

Rounds will be at 2 and 7 p.m.
on Friday, with consolation rounds
at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday,
and the finals at 3 p.m. on
Saturday.