1983 Miracle Yearbook

SPORTS Wrestling The Wrestling Team started well, finished not so well, and sent three grapplers to the NAIA Regionals. This was Matt Kunkel's first year as the wrestling coach,and it initially promised to be a good season. There was a large turnout for the team in spite of the intensive practices,and the team seemed to have good potential. The first match was at home, where the Yellow Jackets beat Ohio Wesleyan 22-19. The next two matches were tournaments in which Cedarville placed in the top half of the competition. After Christmas break,the team was riddled with losses due to illness, grades, and financial reasons. As the team grew smaller,the competi- tion grew tougher. Cedarville only took three wrestlers to the NAIA Regionals, but they all placed well — Ron Comfort placed second, and David English and John Harbeck both placed third. The Yellow Jackets placed ninth overall in the NCCAA National Competition on the strength of Ron Com- fort's third place and David English's fourth place. If next year's team can duplicate this year's turnout and avoid this year's crippling losses, next season could indeed have poten- tial. ThisPage,Above:John Harbeck thwarts an escape attempt. Upper Right: Mall Kunkel rides his opponent to improve his position. Middle Right:John Bennett tries to force his opponent onto his back. Bottom Right: Ron Comfort gets ready to pin his opponent.OppositePage,Upper Left: John Bennet rides his opponent to try and get him to the mat.Upper Right:John Harbeck's opponent grapples desperately to keep from ending on his back. Middle Left:The referee watches as Ron Comfort puts his foe in a precar- ious near pin position. Middle Right:An opponent finds himself in a tough situation when John Bennett controls his legs. Bottom Left: Dave English dominates his foe. Bottom Right:The 1982-83 Wrestling Team — Seated: Jim Howe,Dave English, Alvin Tucker.Standing: Mark Tinner,Ron Comfort, Donna Kunkel (statistician), Matt Kunkel(coach), Tim Bell, Rod Tennant. 60