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SJSU Wrestling Archives The Spartan Daily 11-1-84 |
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Japanese Give SJSU A Lesson |
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by Dan Fitch |
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| The Spartans wrestlers can chalk this one up to experience, although some of them might want to forget about it
entirely. A young SJSU squad went up against a team of japanese collegiate champions, receiving a lesson in international wrestling. "Half their team is world class," first-year Spartan coach Dale Kestel said after the match. SJSU was beaten 32.5-7.5 by a team that had two Olympians, but Kestel saw the meeting as a positive experience for his team. "Too much competition hurts you only if you get physically hurt," he said. "I've got to see who our practice wrestlers are and who our meet wrestlers are." Joe Zamlich, a 141-pound sophomore, was the Spartans' best meet wrestler Tuesday, Japan's Shintaro Mishi in the fourth match of the evening 5-4. Zamlich jumped to a 2-0 lead with 2:03 left in the first period, becoming the first Spartan wrestler to lead in a match. "I was a little intimidated," Zamlich said, "but i went out with the feeling i had nothing to lose.? The three Spartan wrestlers prior to Zamlich lost by a combined score of 36-7, but one must keep in mind the SJSU squad consisting of six freshmen and sophomore was competing against a team loaded with international experience. "They were slick," Spartan 125-pound sophomore Arnold Khanbabian said. Khanbabian dropped a 10-4 decision to Kazutoshi Kamishima. Shannon Felix may have been the unluckiest Spartan of all, drawing Japan's Kosei Akaishi, a silver medalist in the 1984 Summer Olympics. Akaishi cruised to a 10-0 first-period lead without breaking a sweat, and the match was mercifully called at 1:48 of the second period with the score 13-0. International rules dictate that a match is stopped when a wrestler leads by 12 or more points. Red-shirt sophomore Don Knox has to be considered a veteran for the Spartans, and he put on a good show in a wild contest with Japan's Kikuo Ysauda. Knox led 9-4 midway through the second period, but eventually lost 18-9. Knox also believes the contest against the japanese aided the Spartans. "It definitely helped to point out our weaknesses," he said. "It puts you in perspective." Andy Tsarnas worked the mat successfully for the Spartans for four years, three times winning his weight division in the PCAA and twice earning PCAA Wrestler of the Year honors. SJSU did not have a wrestler at 190 pounds, so Tsarnas came out of retirement to take on Japan's Tamon Honda, who finished fifth in the Olympics. Tsarnas had not wrestled competitively since last year's NCAA championships, but up a good fight against honda, losing 5-2. "I don't think they (SJSU's squad) were jumping in too deep," Tsarnas said. "It was a good test to show them where they're at, to teach them what they need to know." |
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