Ex-teammates Angle, Marshall may face in championships

By CHRIS ANTONACCI
Collegian Staff Writer

On the cover of the Clarion wrestling media guide, Chris Marshall stands near the top of a mountain -- his head his turned, looking down at the foot of the peak, as he tugs on a rope to get to the top.

Already at the top, Mark Angle stands firm, a stern look across his brow, his arms at his hips.

When the wrestling season began, it was these the two Bald Eagles who dared to be Clarion's representative in the 141-pound weight class.

How things have changed since.

Apparently, Angle was in the photo where he would be for the entire season -- at the top. Marshall was forced to look up to last year's fourth-place finisher at the NCAA Championships after he was edged for the starting slot.

It had already been a difficult climb for Marshall, who was out last season with a shoulder injury. Being the understudy for Angle, was too tough of a slope to bear. Hence, he transferred to Central Michigan, hoping to get a crack at a national championship, which is being fought for on the mats of The Bryce Jordan Center until Saturday.

"I didn't even know he was thinking about it," Angle said.

Since transferring, Marshall has notched an impressive 25-0 record and earned a No. 2-seed at the NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships.

"We train together a lot -- he's a great workout partner," fellow Chippewa Casey Cunningham said. "He's been great, he's having an outstanding year.

"He's got a chance, but Angle's a good wrestler. It's going to be a good match."

But there was a reason Angle was at the top of the mountain -- he is No. 1, boasting a 35-0 mark.

Angle has faced his former teammate once, in the Midland Tournament, but he was forced to medical forfeit. And while he is optimistic he can beat anyone in the country (including Marshall), he is a bit uneasy because Marshall has seen his stuff first-hand.

"He is the most explosive wrestler I have ever gone up against," Angle said. "It would be pretty to neat to wrestle him, but I am looking to win the national championship."

Angle is pretty good himself. Yesterday he defeated Eastern Illinois' Don Pool 15-0 in 4 minutes, 24 seconds, earning a technical fall victory. In the second round, Angle topped Cornell's Ben New.

The Big Red's New witnessed first hand what the hype was about. He was taken down, time after time, and was never in competition to win the bout. Afterward, he sat in the empty corridor of the Jordan Center. His body was as red as his singlet and duffel bag, as his sweat-saturated face dripped more often than an annoying faucet. He sat solemnly, rubbing his face into his hands, obviously frustrated by Angle's talent.

Marshall also won big. He decisioned Pennsylvania's Mark Piotrowsky 8-4, a long-time-ranked wrestler this season. He then pinned Fresno State's Paul Ruiz.

"Chris has a lot to prove to himself," Central Michigan coach Tom Borrelli said. "But he's been wrestling with confidence throughout the tournament."

Provided he gets by Marshall, Angle hopes to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, a two-time national champion and 1996 Olympic Gold medalist.

But not in other ways -- Kurt is now wrestling with the World Wrestling Federation. Still, Angle respects his uncle's profession.

"Everybody's got to make a living somehow," he said smirking.

"In basketball they have the pros, but that is all we got."