A judoka who has never wrestled for SJSU, three wrestlers in "foreign" weights, and a freshman start
the campaign for All-American status this weekend.
The five Spartans will be competing in the NCAA Western Regionals today and tomorrow in Logan, Utah.
Although SJSU was conference champion and could have sent 10 wrestlers to the regionals, coach Terry Kerr was given
traveling expenses for only five wrestlers.
James Thompson from SJSU's judo team will see action in the 190-pound division.
Although he wrestled in junior college, Thompson has never wrestled for SJSU because of a commitment to the judo
team. But the judo season is now over for Thompson.
Three wrestlers are being dropped from weights in which they have been successful.
Eddie Ortiz (8-2 and PCAA champ) has been dropped form 126 pounds to 118.
Greg Hill (25-5-2 and PCAA champ) has been moved from 134 to 126.
The final move has Steve Dick (29-12-1 and PCAA consolation champ) at 134 after he had wrestled at 142 all season
long.
Freshman Nick DeLong (6-1 and PCAA champ) at heavyweight rounds out the Spartan contingent.
Ortiz, Hill, and Dick were moved to lower weights because coach Kerr said they weren't big enough at their former
weight.
The dropping of Ortiz into 118 eliminates another Spartan PCAA champion, Rudy Guevara.
"They (Ortiz and Guevara) had a hell of a challenge match to decide who's going. It was a knockdown, drag-out
fight but Eddie is the better wrestler," Kerr said. "It's too bad that Rudy can't go, but he's only a
sophomore and he'll have another chance."
Besides Guevara, Dean Prescott (158) will also be staying home.
Prescott, a four-year star, thought this was going to be his year for national recognition.
But a knee injury slowed him down at the start of the season and the same injury has caused him to miss the regionals
and may make surgery necessary. |
