Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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lir»l Row: Moore. Thornton, Wheeler. Berry, Brown. Koberlson, Barclay Second Row: Claus (manager). Skinner. ! oivitsky. Triimbo. Stewart. French. Emerson. Coach Cuplon Third Row: Mariani, Massie. Cheatham, Stevenson, Carter, Anderson, Diamondidis (manager) WRESTLING SCHEDILE VMI Davidson VMI Emory VMI Auburn VMI West Virginia VMI N. C. State VMI VPI VMI Maryland VMI Virginia VMI Duke VMI North Carolina Captain EDGAR BROWN and Coach OSCAR GUP- TON. With Ed leading the team and Gup, now in his second year here, coaching it, we have a fine combination and can expect much from them. HAROLD CLAUS, manager. In- juries early in his wrestling days cut short a promising record, but Hal nurses his boys along just the same.

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Johnston Taferner Boxley William and Mary. V. P. I. next fell in the wake of the Keydet tide. Perhaps the next meet with U. Va., always a hig rival, proved to be the most exciting of the season. V. M. I. came from behind and won the meet in the last relay. The season concluded with the State and Conference meets. Outstanding performers on this year ' s team were Captain Harry Johnston, Richard Taferner, Dick Hoyt, winner of the Rat swimming trophy, and Frank Boxley. These men were the main- stays of the team. Johnston was able to set a new record in the 200 yard backstroke and copped many honors for himself as well as the team. Other stellar performances were turned in by free-stylers Taferner and Hoyt. Hoyt, a fourth classman, proved to be the team ' s hidden power and will be of great value to the team in seasons to come. Thus with a successful season, a State championship and a good showing in the Southern Conference, Coach Conyne again demonstrated his ability to produce a top- notch swimming team. Taferner Langhainnter, Brophy. Jackson Stanley, Penhton. Johnson

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THE WRESTLING SCENE ■■- «fejl As the 1951-52 season ended, the wrestlhij; future of VMI shone hrightly. The team, on the huihl, had functione l far better than had been expected. It appeared that Maryland ' s supremacy might be strongly challenged this year. One champion, two third place men and one fourth place man (Ed Brown, Walt Sanders, Ted Mariani, and Miles Nowitsky) formed a solid core round which to fashion the team. There were also many others whose hard work in gaining much-needed experience and whose strong desire to win made them valuable cogs in the grappling machine. It was not in the cards, however, for this group of men to take to the mat as a unit at full strength. Even before the season opened Mariani suffered a neck injury that made it impossible for him to compete for the duration of the season. Shortly after the Christmas holidays, Sanders, who had three falls to his credit, was the victim of a freak accident in practice that put him out of commission for the remainder of the season with a leg fracture. After these disasters set the pace, the influenza epidemic and various other injuries stepped in to weaken the entire squad and sideline more talent. The wrestlers who filled the gaps worked long and hard, but their inexperience proved too much of an obstacle to bring the team up to its original power. Jock Wheeler, who was counted out with an injury late in the season, did a grand job of wrestling against opponents of greater experience in most of the meets. Bill Berry, Buck Anderson and Troy Carter also turned in good accounts in the face of some of the roughest contests. Despite the heavy loss of key men, and the consequent decline of team strength, the grapplers suffered only one bad defeat and that was to the conference champion. The other meets were about evenly matched. Credit is due to the team as a whole, for the substitution of spirit in lieu of experience makes a long hard road to travel. Brown Berry NowilKky J