SJSU Wrestling Archives The Spartan Daily 2-27-73                   Wrestlers Win PCAA Title           "It even said in the program that Fresno was supposed to win the championship," said Terry Kerr, SJSU wrestling coach. Kerr was commenting on what everyone in the PCAA expected to happen at the league finals last Saturday in Long Beach. Everyone, that is, except for Kerr and his Spartan grapplers. The SJSU matmen beat Fresno State University 92-88 for the PCAA wrestling crown, and qualified four men for the NCAA University Division championships. Dan Kida (118), Oscar Trevino (126), Tim Kerr (158), and Donnell Jackson (hwt) all garnered firsts for the Spartans, and thereby qualified to represent the PCAA in the NCAA finals March 8-9 at the University of Washington in Seattle. Jim Lucas (134), Dan Cunningham (142), and Carl Ekern (190) all placed second in their respective divisions for SJSU. The seven finalists for SJSU was a record for PCAA league finals. The grapplers finished no worse than fourth, as Pete Murchison (177) place third, and Dean Prescott (167) and Mike Cunningham (150) bother garnered fourths for SJSU. Last season, Russ Camilleri (former SJSU wrestling coach), assisted by Kerr, took the Spartans from a fifth place finish in the PCAA (1970-71) to a second place showing in the finals. Following SJSU and the Bulldogs in scoring were Long Beach State University 42.5, UC Santa Barbara 35, San Diego State University 26, and Los Angeles State University 16. "I felt we wrestled very well," state Kerr, "and we have a good chance to finish in the top twenty at the NCAAs." Kida, Trevino, (Tim) Kerr, and Jackson all won their championship rounds by pinning their opponents, and Murchison outpointed his foe to capture his third place. The Spartans, who finished the regular season with an 8-10-1 mark, also captured the Biola Invitational wrestling meet this year to break a nine year drought for SJSU. The last time SJSU had won an invitational tourney was in 1964 when they captured their own invitational meet. Earlier in the season, the SJSU matmen weren't even ranked in the top ten wrestling teams in California (according to a poll of coaches at four-year colleges). Fresno was ranked third.