SUNDAY. SEPTEMBER 11. 195 h e 00T0, SOO STATISTICS ARE FUNNY THINGS . . . . sometimes they lit, sometimes they make a loser look like a winner, and most of the time they don't mean a thing. But in the case of last year's Penn State athletic record they don't lie, they don't lead to false conclusions, and they have a definite meaning—they mean that Nittany Lion sport aggregations had a terrific year.. Fox' those of you newcomers among us this may be a thing of the past and of little interest—but let the rest of us who en joyed these athletic triumphs bask in our glory for this short time. The 11 Penn State sports—football, basketball, wrestling, base ball, track, soccer, tennis, golf, lacrosse, gymnastics, and- cross country—compiled a total won and lost record of 87 victories against 35 defeats, for a percentage of .713. Only one team finished below the .500 mark and two squads posted undefeated records. One squad won the Eastern championship while another was recognized as national champion. Impressed yet? To get down to particulars, the Lion soccer team plowed through its eight match schedule without a setback and was recognized as national collegiate soccer champs. The Lion hooters posted wins over such powers as Army. Maryland. Ohio State and' in the final encounter of the season eaked out a sensational 3-2 victory over Penn with a fourth quarter rally. One of the standouts, this year's captain, Dick Packer, was named to the All-American team and Coach Ken Hosterman was selected soccer's "Coach of the Year." The golf team duplicated the soccer squad's record of eight wins without a defeat and finished fourth in the Eastern tourna ment. The winning season was nothing new for the linksmen as in their last 25 encounters they have tasted defeat only once. They currently are working on a 12-match winning skein. Although not perfect, last year's football record left little to be desired. The Lions gave fair warning of what to expect as in their opening encounter they upset a highly touted Illinois grid machine. They also finished the season on the same note as they again blanked Pitt and racked up a 7-2 season log. Baseball was next in line to share the limelight as Joe Bedenk's nine for the third time in the last four years went to the District 2 NCAA playoffs. The seasonal mark of 17 wins and four defeats earned this right, but the Lions were _eliminated in their first playoff tilt. The season was highlighted by the pitching of Ed Drapcho who hurled a no-hitter and ran a streak of 26 scoreless innings before being stopped, and the hitting of Ron Weidenhammer who com piled a .457 average. Basketball was the top win getter last year as the Nittany five garnered 18 victories and lost 10. The record was sufficient to earn the Lions a spot in the NCAA playoffs for the third time in the, past four years. Jesse Arnelle provided most of the excitement as the giant pivot man rewrote most of the Penn State scoring records. The pressure was on the Lions the whold season as they carried a 44- game home winning streak into the final contest only to have it snapped by a strong Penn aggregation. The gymnastic squad, a perennial tower of strength, was no exception again last year as it won six of seven encounters. The Blue and White gymnasts repeated as Eastern champs and finished second in the national tourney. Karl Schwenzfier put on a one-man show in both the Eastern and national tournaments as he broke the all-around performance records in both of these meets. The wrestling team, although compiling a very respectible 5 and 2 mark during the season, didn't begin to roll until the post season tourneys , as it finished second in both the Eastern and national tournaments. Two national champions emerged from last year's squad—Bill Oberly in the unlimited class and Larry Fornicola in the 137-pound class. Both will return this year. A well rounded track team racked up three wins against only one setback. It was sparked by Rosey Grier, Art. Pollard, and Rod Perry, who all at one time flirted with greatness. Pollard constantly lowered his time in the 100-yard dash, Perry equalled the world mark for the 50-yard high hurdles and in doing so beat Harrison Dilliard, and Grier unofficially topped the world's shotput mark in a practice heave. The lacrosse and tennis squads wound up with identical 7 and 5 marks. For the lacrossemen. it marked their best season since 1951 as after a slow start, they rallied to cop six of their last seven contests to finish in the blue. The tennis team fell off 1954's 9-2 mark, but it was a season of experiencing underclassmen. • The only Lion team which did not finish over the .500 mark was the cross-country team. The Harriers proved they weren't the "weak sisters" though, as they upset the Michigan State runners who were holders of the Big Ten and IC4A titles. This brings to a close our pleasant period of reminiscing. There's only one thing better than a good season's mark as was registered last year—that's a better record this year. Good luck. College Coach Johnny Potsklan, who co-cap- Penn State football, in 88 years tained Penn State's Cotton Bowl of u n in t e r rupted competition, team, is the new head coach of owns a record of 343 wins, 189 football at Albright College. defeats, 33 ties. By ROG BEIDLER Asst. Sports Editor Running Ahead THE p' ILY iCOLLEGIAIif, STATO COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA, • • : Nts Winter Sports (Continued from page fifteen) when he took over the helm. Last year he oilOted the team to an 18-10 mark, and took them to the NCAA playoffs. One of the most enviable coach ing records at Penn State is that of gymnastic coach Gene Wett stone. In his 16 years of tutoring gymnasts, Wettstone has racked up 54 wins and 22 setbacks with only one deadlock. What makes this record even more impressive is the fact that he has also garnered six Eastern John Egli Basketball Mentor l lntercollegiate titles, three nation al crowns, and three National AAU champs. He has piloted such individual champs as Jean Cron stedt, Karl Schwenzfier, Frank Wick, Bob Lawrence, and Tony Procopio. His efforts have not gone un noticed as in 1952, he was picked to conduct the Olympic tryouts and earned a trip to the Olympics as an international judge. Gymnastic Master mcLANAHANs Your One-Stop Department Drug Store Headquarters for •Prescription Drug and 'Leading Cosmetics and Perfumes Vitamin Needs •Humidified Tobaccos •Hallmark Greeting Cards and Cigarettes •Fanny Farmer Candy •Parker and Esterbrook Pens •Penn State Souvenirs •Eastman and Argus Photography and Novelties Supplies 'Costume Jewelry 'School and Stationery Supplies LUNCHEOi diETTE and SODA DEPARTMENT Featuring Breyer's lee Cream Open daily 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Simdays and Holidays: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. Completely Air-Conditioned Pinezich Joins. American Soccer Tour to Iceland Penn State's Jack Pinezich, who was a four-year letterman for the Lions in soccer, has joined the 15-player squad selected by the U.S. soccer football Association for a State Department sponsored three-game trip to Iceland during August and September. Pinezich won All-America hon ors last year as a lineman when the Lions went undefeated to cop an 8-0 season and earn the title of the nation's number one soccer squad. Pinezich, as a freshman, was a member of the Penn State team which went to Iran on a good- PAGE SEVENTEEN will trip also sponsored by the State Department. During his first two years, Pinezich played under Bill Jef frey, the Lions' long-time soccer pilot, and then finished his final two years of play under coach Ken Hosterman. During his sophomore year Pinezich scored a new Penn State record with 23 goals to break a 17-year-old mark of 21. Pinezich, who was graduated and com missioned in the United States Air Force last February, captained the Lions' 1954 National Cham pionship team.
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