Wrestlers Vie in Eastern Tourney At Lehigh Today

Bethlehem, Pa., home of steel mills and wrestlers, starts its big weekend of the year today, for all the top Eastern Collegiate muscle talent has come to town to decide the 1948 wrestling titles. With home-town Lehigh University as the defending champions, the 44th Annual Championships, with 16 teams entered, rate the climax spot of the grappling season.

Chances of the six Crimson entries doing anything, even with Western competitors barred, are passing poor; in fact, in the history of the tournament only two Harvard men have won--the last one Coach Chief Boston in 1938.

Louria, Fuller Could Win

Don Louria and Captain Pete Fuller are the possible exceptions on the basis of their performances this year. High scorer of the team, and undefeated 165-pound Louria faces defending champion Ed Erikson of Lehigh as the man to beat.

Fuller, at heavyweight, with a fair season behind him, faces the almost insuperable task of beating Columbia's Hank O'Shaughnessy, a job at which he has twice failed. Dan Ray, at 145, may possibly get as far as the quarter-finals but 145 is one of the strongest classes in the meet. Dave Coombs at 121, Bob Claflin at 175 and Jim Conant at 155 could pick up a couple of points with breaks in the drawings.