Matmen Lose 19-16 Squeaker To Elis in Hard-Fought Match

The Harvard wrestling team ended its regular season by losing a harrowing 19-16 battle against Yale last Saturday in New Haven.

The Crimson snared five out of ten matches and led the Elis by as much as six points before crucial middleweight duels at 150 and 158.

"We fell down in the middle again," Harvard coach John Lee said after the meet. "All it took was a couple of tactical errors on our part to give Yale the edge."

Yale strongman Jim Bennett whipped Mike Dee, 11-5, at 150 to close Harvard's lead to 10-7. Dee showed marked improvement over earlier performances, but Bennett dominated throughout the match.

At 158, Harvard's John Keough squandered a four-point lead in the third period and gave Yale a reverse and near fall to deadlock the match, 6-6. The Elis won the decision on a point awarded for time advantage.

Jim Strathmeyer (177) and Richie Starr (190) copped impressive wins to offset a loss by Bruce Johnson (167) and put Harvard ahead before the last bout, 16-13.

Not a Match

But Yale captain Tim Karpoff (unl.) wrapped up the meet by nabbing six team points after pinning Carl Culig in the second round. Culig, who weighed 184 pounds, was not match for Karpoff (252 lbs.), who placed second in the Easterns last year.

Carl Biello (134) wrenched his ankle in the first round against Yale's Bob Labate but pulled through with a solid 8-0 win. The injury will keep Biello out of the Eastern championships this weekend. "It's upsetting," Lee said, "because Biello's a strong contender for the championship."

George Baker drubbed Yale's Jeff Rosen, 12-4, in a wild match at 142. He accumulated a ten-point lead before allowing a Yale reverse in the closing seconds. Harvard's Dan Blakinger rapped Bill Gomper, 17-5, to boost his season record to 15-1.

The loss to Yale sealed Harvard's season record at 5-11. Without Biello in the Easterns, Lee said he will be counting on Blakinger, Starr and Strathmeyer to win laurels for the Crimson.