PAGE SIX Lion Gymnast Prepares , : ©r Army Match 23s?^*^^^^ lar t ° year ‘on* £?<SL£ Sff’ST £*H?iiS S£ i?™* *““ Champi ° n - Lion-Cadet Gym Meeting To Decide '53 EIGA Title Coach Gene Wettstone’s unbeaten gymnasts couldn’t- be performing in a more anti climatic script this season even if the 16-year Lion gym veteran had taken time out to write it himself. / Saturday 2 p.m. will tell the tale—all in one swoop. Army comes to town, complete with record and reputation, although its record this year shows one dual meet defeat. The loss, Speidel Foresees No Wrestling Changes With a tough Army contingent invading Rec Hall this Saturday, Coach Charlie Speidel, at the moment, does not have any plans in changing the present Eastern Intercollegiate wrestling champion ship lineup. State’s mentor stated he has no intentions of “changing in mid stream.” The tjiggest asset that Speidel possesses is the ability of his men to take up the necessary slack whenever State’s key men slip in their winning endeavor. In fact, this has spelled the difference be tween victory and defeat in the last three dual meets. At Cornell the Nittany Lions received their first scare and strong resistance, winning 18-10. * Then came a potential threat in the Terrapins of Maryland. They did carry four Southern champions and a winning streak, and were named two-time Southern, titlists, but that wasn’t enough. Coach Sully Krouse’s grapplers were able to stop Speidel’s key men, Jerry Maurey and Joe Lemyre, and their excellent records. Then too, the Terps carried the dual meet to the final bout, but to no avail.’ For Hud Samson, winning in team style, notched the win column for the Lions with his decisive decision. At Pitt’s Field House, the Lions received the same resistance, but it was stronger than any State adversary could perform on the mats this season. Cornell, Maryland,, and Pitt were responsible for putting to an end three excellent individual winning skeins. Homan was stopped at nine, Maurey at ten, and Joe Lemyre also at ten. Maurey also had one of the finest records spoiled against Maryland, that of not being scored upon in five dual meets. What will Army do? That question will be answered on the mats Saturday. With Army as powerful as any of the latter opponents, the West Pointers will not only have to be dealt with—but cut. A victory would do more than keep our Eastern prestige intact. It would give State’s two-time. EIW A champions an overall record of 218 wins, 51 losses, and nine ties in 44 years of wrestling. Under the master-of-the-trade, Speidel, Penn State would carry into the record books an impressive log of 128 wins against a mere 28 defeats in dual meet competition. Seven ties have occurred during Speidel’s 27 seasons at the helm. Last, but not least, a triumph would give the Lions the honor of being the winningest wrestling collegiate team in history with 29 straight. By SAM PROCOPIO Pitt Strongest Thus Far Army A Tough 'Deal' TFTF DAILY COLLEGIA N STATE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA By GEORGE BAIREY at the hands of Eastern foe Syra cuse, came early in the season and is the only mark on the Ca dets three-year slate. The afternoon meet, the begin ning of an all State-Army triple header, will put an end to this year s EIGA dual team meets for both clubs, with the title going to the winner either in part or entirely. If Army wins, a two-way tie for the 1953 crown will take effect, as both clubs will end up their Eastern scraps with identi cal 3-1 records. If the Lions win all the marbles! Championship Meet The Black Knights, doached by Tom Maloney, who also doubled as coach of the 1952 U.S. Olympic gym squad, weren’t supposed to figure m this year’s Eastern stand ings, except maybe in a spoiler ®fter Syracuse- surprised them. But the three-time defend ing champs weren’t through, as evidenced by last week’s start ling 53-43 upset over tough Navy TT So everything points to Rec Hall Saturday a championship duel between the undefeated Lions and the defending Cadets. The Nittany gymnasts, just for the record, haven’t tripped Army since 1948, the last year an East ern gym title found its way into Rec Hall. Scores over the years were: 1952, 58-38; 1951, 55%-40%- 1950, 59-37; 1949, 56-40, all Army! Army on Rebound Besides going for the Eastern crown Saturday, the Lions will be after their ninth straight dual meet win, the last club to beat Wettstone and Co. being the Ca dets. . . Army, on the rebound and on the. way up, will bring in a pow erful aggregation Saturday that has everything from individual stars to team depth to balance. The only reason Syracuse beat Army, said Wettstone, “is be cause a few _of Army’s key men broke on their routines and Syra cuse’s great'tumbler, Jimmy Seb bo, took a first in one of Army’s very strong events.” Besides being very strong in the tumbling, the men from the Hudson have the best ropeclimb tn° m intercollegiate play today. Three Cadets, Messrs. Ballyntine, Renner, 'and Funkhauser, are cap able of doing anywhere from 4.0 down to 3.7. The Lion’s Eye Collegian Sports Editor BASKETBALL AND COLLEGE PRESIDENTS: What a difference a year makes! One year ago today the Nittany basketball team was NCAA-playoff bound. Now the only, place the cagers are headed is Philadelphia for the season * windup against Temple . . . Yet, it was a good season. Elmer Gross’ claii did just as well as last year in every respect—they won all at home for the second straight season—except winning the big road games . . . Oddly enough, one team State did defeat on a foreign floor, George town, accepted a bid to the National, Invitational Tourney . '. . If you wani to be catty about it, ancient rival Pitt would be glad to own a 15-8 court record like State's. Every year Pitt Coach Doc Carlson modestly predicts, for the benefit of the Fourth Estate, < that the Panther cagers will "win 'em all." And for the seven sue cessive years prior Jo this season, the Pitts couldn't even win half of *' 'em all/' However, things are looking up at the Skyscraper U. —Pitt finished with a 12-11 mark ... With Pitt not using its celebrated freeze Saturday night, Clown Prince Colson, wasn’t as much entertainment as Nittany Prexy Milton Eisenhower would have been. No; basketball coaching is not numbered among the talents of “Ike’s brother.” However, the following story is well known at Kansas State where the Prexy occupied a collegiate White House rovious to coming to Penn State. Kansas State cage Coach Jack Gardner has told it thusly: "Sure, basketball coaches are screwballs. Bui let me tell you whal it does io college presidents. Prexy Eisen hower used to sit on the Jayhawk bench with me and the assistant coach during the home basketball games. Every lime "the ref would call a foul on one of our boys, Eisenhower would let out a howl and jump onto the floor. My as sistant would grab him by the coat tail and I would end up pulling them both back to the bench." RIP'S ANSWER TOO OBVIOUS? The Feb. 7 issue of New Yorker magazine ran a squib about Nittany football Coach Rip Engle but forgot the punch line. An item under the title, The Most Fascinating Story of the Week, ran some thing like this: State College, (£>)—Penri. State’s 43-year-old Coach Rip Engle had a ready answer when a reporter asked him when his hair started to turn white. However, the “ready answer”, wasn’t printed. Either it was a mistake, or the Ripper’s answer, “the day I started coaching football,” was -‘too obvious . . . Engle’s hair is in for further white-washing in another month. The gridders begin spring drills April 9.. *; ★ GRAPPLING ABOUT: Speaking of Pitt basketball “looking up,” take a look at the Panther’s wrestling noses-in-the-air. In 1950 Pitt’s grapplers had an 0-8 record. Their mark was 7-7 in 1951.' Last year Pitt only lost one, to Charlie Speidel’s EIWA champs, 25-5. Now this, year—last weekend to be exact—the Panthers lost their first again to State,- but only by four points. State may soon have to sing, “Hold that Panther, hold that Panther” . . . The Maryland-State grapplefest in Rec Hall last week had an unusual twist—the fans had the un accustomed displeasure of waiting on Hud Samsom’s heavyweight match for the final outcome . . . Bob Homan’s loss to Pitt’s Hugh Peery (123) wasn t so surprising in view of Peery’s background— Pan-American champ and United States Olympic tryout-bantam weight champ. However, Jerry Maurey’s first dual meet loss of his career was more startling since his Maryland conqueror, Rod Norris' (137), had never proved'himself. against top-notch competition . . . One last word on fhe Carlson freeze that hibernated this sea son. Former Nittany Coach John Lawther says that Pitt once froze the ball 13 minutes in Madison Square Garden against Fordham. However, it was a moving freeze operating out of the Figure Eight weave which Carlson perfected. With dazzling ballhandling which awed New York scribes, Pitt worked the ball in,, and then back out. but never took a shot. EiWA Tickets Are Reserved seats have been made | Old Main. ' avaxiabie to the Penn ; State Ath- H. R. 'Gilbert, graduate man letic Association for the Eastern ager of athletics, said the tickets Intercollegiate Wrestling Associ- are priced at $1.20 for each of the °‘ iai ”P l ?^ slu P s at Princeton, two Friday sessions, and $l.BO for March 13-14, and may now .each of the two Saturday sessions, be obtained at the A.A. office m The series ticket is priced at $4.20. - Sports Thru By JAKE HIGHTON Now Available , • > WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 1953 ★ ★
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers