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SJSU Wrestling Archives The Spartan Daily 3-29-78 |
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Wrestlers Lose At NCAA |
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by Steven Goldberg |
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| The SJSU wrestling team did not fare well at the NCAA nationals, coach T.J. Kerr said. Robert McDowell (142), Duane Harris (191), and Ralph Kuehn (hwt) all lost their first round matches. Kuehn faced the second seed in his division while Harris wrestled last year's champion, Kerr said. But the team's high finish in the Western Regionals and it's 12-4 dual meet record that included wins over several Pac-8 schools, made the season successful, Kerr said. The grapplers' second place finish at the Regionals was the highest ever for SJSU, he added. The nations, and losing the PCAA for the first time in five years, were the major disappointments of the season, Kerr continued. Kerr said the team should do well next year. Not only are there several possible recruits that should help the tea, Kerr said, but the program probably be better off financially. The addition of Portland State University to the PCAA for wrestling will be responsible for the improved finances, Kerr said. PSU's entry into the PCAA will make the PCAA tournament eligible to become a qualifying tournament for the NCAA finals. The Western Regionals, Kerr said, would then be eliminated which would save the money usually spent going to that tournament. The NCAA is also going to pay the way for qualifying wrestlers next year, he added. The extra money will probably be used to go to a wrestling tournament earlier in the season. However, no official decision has yet been made as to whether the PCAA tourney will be a qualifying tournament. That decision should be made within several weeks, PSU wrestling coach Len Kauffman said. The addition of PSU to the PCAA will make the season-ending tourney a qualifying one, Kauffman said. The only question, he added, was whether the NCAA would make the change for next year or for 1980. PSU decided to join the PCAA because being in a conference will bring more attention to wrestling at PSU and for the competition, Kauffman said. "Utah State and San Jose are very good wrestling schools," Kauffman said. "We considered joining the PCAA last year but Utah State wasn't in the conference then. Utah State, and especially San Jose, were the reasons for joining. The PCAA is a better wrestling conference this year." "We certainly think we'll be competitive," Kauffman said. |
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