Freshman grappler Jayne faces difficult decision

By JONATHAN BOMBULIE
Collegian Sports Writer

There are nine days until the Big Ten Wrestling Championships. For freshman Eddie Jayne, those nine days may hold the key to the success or failure of his initial campaign.

Jayne will have to decide whether he will cut weight in order to wrestle at 118 or pack up his gear for the season.

"We feel that he can do it, but he's got to feel that way," Coaching Assistant Troy Sunderland said. "It's up to him. He has to go on extra workouts and things like that."

Jayne is concerned more about his ability to wrestle well at 118 than with actually making the weight.

"If I really try, I can make 118," he said. "But the question is if I can perform at that weight. I don't want to go through hell if I can't perform."

This time last year, things were different for Jayne. He was wrestling at St. Edward's High School near Cleveland, one of the premier wrestling prep schools in the country.

His high school career was distinguished, to say the least. He won two Ohio state titles, including a 37-0 campaign his junior year.

Coming into Penn State, his future was promising. The starting spot at 118 was left open when Shawn Nelson graduated. Jayne could have been a starter on the No. 3 wrestling team in the nation as a freshman.

But injuries took their toll on both the team and Jayne. At last count, the team is 5-12 and No. 23 in the country. Jayne has wrestled only 10 matches, registering an unimpressive 4-6 mark.

Things still looked bright heading into the Lions' first and highest profile dual meet on Dec. 2 against No. 1 Iowa at Rec Hall. Jayne had a tough time making weight, but with the help of Lions' captain Tony Bobulinski, Jayne was able to get down to 118.

He fought admirably in his match against the Hawkeyes, but No. 1 Mike Mena was just too much. Mena handled the freshman, 14-9.

"I should have went right out and attacked him," Jayne said. "I waited until the third period."

The injury trouble for Jayne started at the Penn State Open Dec. 4. He was forced to forfeit in the third round with a knee problem. The injury had a ripple effect, causing him to miss workout time, which made it increasingly difficult for him to stay at 118 pounds.

That frustration came to a head Feb. 2, the Thursday before the team's road trip to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Jayne was struggling with his weight, and when the team was set to leave State College, he was not with them.

"I was really frustrated," he said. "I stepped on the scale and said, 'There's no way I'm going to be able to do this.' I just mentally cracked."

Since then, Jayne has been on the way back, competing at 126 pounds in Sanshiro Abe's absence. Last Saturday, he dominated West Virginia's David Sentner, 24-7, but lost 7-4 to Chad Jesko of Pittsburgh. In his loss, Jayne showed some spark in the third period, which impressed Fritz.

"Eddie did a real good job," Fritz said. "He was fighting hard, but came up short on points. The effort was there. And the more and more mat time he gets, the more confidence he has."