The Night The Cyclones Met A Thunderclap

Enter the heavyweights—220-pound Steve Shippos of the Cyclones and 235-pound John Illengwarth. Lehigh fans had cause to be hopeful. A fine clutch wrestler, Illengwarth had come through with a takedown in the final 25 seconds a week earlier at Penn State to give his team a 17-11 win. Should he decision Shippos now, Lehigh would gain a satisfying 12-12 tie; a pin would mean victory, and no doubt mass delirium.

But such dreams arc to remain just that, this year anyway. Shippos got a quick escape in the second period and rode Illengwarth for most of the match. Illengwarth escaped with 40 seconds left in the bout but again was unable to get a takedown. Shippos, with one point for riding time, was a 2-1 victor and the Cyclones won 15-9.

Oddly, several Iowa State wrestlers felt that the howling Grace Hall crowd had helped rather than hurt them. "When you hear that yelling, it makes your blood rush," said one. "They know wrestling and they get you keyed up."

And what of Barnabas Meriwether? If he was disappointed, he was not crushed. He had won his game, though he would not tell how. "After all," said Meriwether, "I may have to get into another Lehigh meet."