Five grapplers make early exit at tourney

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- In the middle of the 1996-97 season, the Penn State wrestlers sent out a warning to opposing teams that they were good top men, meaning they could ride their opponents and pick up points for riding time.

However, the table was turned at the 1997 NCAA Wrestling Championships for the Nittany Lions, as five wrestlers were bounced from the tournament Friday by either not being able to hold their opponents to the bottom position or being ridden out themselves.

Lion wrestling coach John Fritz said during the dual-meet season that his team was able to pick up some victories by riding their opponents. During the weekend the Lions got a taste of their own medicine.

"We have to go back and evaluate the situation," Fritz said.

At 126 pounds, Jason Betz lost his bid for All-American status as he was defeated by Lock Haven's Terry Showalter, 5-4, in the fourth round of consolations.

The score was knotted 4-4 at the end of regulation as Showalter registered two takedowns to Betz's reversal, escape and penalty point when Showalter was called for stalling with 15 seconds to go. But Showalter was victorious as he accumulated a one-minute, six-second riding-time advantage and picked up the bonus point for the win.

In the third round of consolations, Lion 134-pounder Biff Walizer was ousted when he lost a 5-4 tie-breaker to Jason Nase of Rider. The bout was tied through regulation and sudden death at 4-4, but Nase won the coin toss, took the down position and escaped 13 seconds into the 30-second period.

At 142 pounds, Lion Clint Musser looked strong in the third round of consolations, pounding Frank Laccone of Purdue, 19-6. But he lost a heartbreaker in the fourth round when he was defeated by Brad Fenske of Army, 5-4, thanks to a point for riding-time advantage.

Penn State's 158-pounder John Lange was eliminated in the third round of consolations, as he was beaten by No. 6 seed Dwight Gardner of Ohio University, 7-6, in a very bizarre bout.

After two periods, the match was tied at 6-6, but Gardner owned a one-minute, 28-second riding-time advantage. To start the third period, it was Lange's choice on the coin flip and he chose the neutral position instead of possibly choosing the down position, escaping and eliminating the riding-time point.

Instead, by taking the neutral position, Lange was willing to take a big risk and go for a takedown, which would have given him the victory. The risk was as bad as a student not studying for a final exam as he was not able to take down Gardner in the final stanza and lost by the riding-time advantage.