SJSU Wrestling Archives The Spartan Daily 1-28-85                  Coach Attempts to Win Without A Heavyweight              by Scott Vigalion           Although SJSU's wrestling team sports only a 4-5 record, coach Dale Kestel seems pleased with his squad's efforts. "We've done remarkably well considering we still don't have a heavyweight," he said. Because of the absence of a heavyweight wrestler, the Spartans are forced to forfeit six points each match. "Despite our record, the matches have closer than the scores indicate," Kestel insisted. Since the winter break began, the Spartans have beaten Simon Fraser 28-21, and UC Davis 32-18. However, they've dropped dual meets to Oregon State 35-9, Portland State 27-23, and Oregon 32-18. In tournament meets, SJSU captured the Eagle Tournament in LaMirada, and placed seventh at the Doc Peterson Open in Chico. "I'm pleased as far as they've gone," Kestel said about his wrestlers. "I'm pleased but never satisfied. There is always room for improvement." Kestel said he's already seen an improvement in the team's performance, but shortcomings are still present. "We have had some inconsistency because we're very young," the first-year SJSU coach said. "Sometimes we can be up and sometimes we can be down." "We have not wrestled an easy schedule so far, but we have still been very competitive," he added. The top Spartan wrestler this season has been Dave Ciprian, a 126-pounder. Ciprian boasts a 23-6 record, good for a winning percentage of .793. "He hates to lose. He has a strong determination to win," Kestel said of Ciprian. "He's a fighter, and he's very aggressive," the coach added. Kestel singled out Ken Brison (13-6), Don Knox (12-6), and Kraig Walker (14-7-1) as the team's top performers. In fact, Ciprian, Brison, Know, Walker, and Shannon Felix all took first in their respective weight classes at the Eagle Tournament. SJSU won the tourney with 130 points, while Chico State finished second with 107, and the favorite, Adams State of Colorado, took third with 102. "Everybody kind of wrestled at our level," Kestel said. "We could have fell apart, but we went after what we wanted." However, the Spartan coach admitted the tournament "was not all that strong." He felt the Doc Peterson Open was extremely strong, though. The tournament featured 17 universities and six wrestling clubs. Various Olympians. including U.S. gold medal winner Dave Schultz, competed. So Kestel was not upset after the Spartans took seventh place. He said, "It was a strong finish for the amount of competition." Ciprian took second at the Open, losing only to another U.S. Olympian, Joe Gonzales, in the finals. The team title went to Fresno State, a squad the Spartans will face in the PCAA. SJSU is presently 0-1 in the conference, bowing to Utah State 41-6 early in the season. "Our toughest competition will be the PCAA," Kestel said. But the Spartan coach wouldn't make any predictions. "It's hard to tell how we'll do."