South Mountaineer Volume 32, Issue 13

              Volume 32, Number 13
December 6, 1989
Bethlehem, Pa.
Engineers place 10th in Las Vegas
By MIKE ALBRIGHT
Sports Information Assistant
LAS VEGAS — Junior Matt Ruppel won his third
tournament title of the year last weekend, capturing
the 190-pound crown at the Las Vegas Invitational at
the Showboat Sports Pavillion.
Ruppel (Deer Lodge, Mont.), along with place-
winners Solomon Fleckman (Cape Coral, Fla.), third
at 167, and Rick Hartman (Lakewood, Ohio), seventh
at 126, helped Lehigh to a 10th place finish in the 42-
team tournament. The Engineers scored 50.75 points.
Arizona State captured the team title with 126.5
points, edging defending national champs Oklahoma
State, which finished second with 122.75 points.
Rounding out the top five were Nebraska, Indiana and
Iowa State.
Nationally, most wrestling experts keep an eye on
the results of the Las Vegas Invitational because in
each of the last three years, the winner of this tourney
has gone on to win the NCAA Championship later
that same season.
In the finals. Ruppel took a 12-4 decision from
Michigan's Fritz Lehrke, currently ranked fifth in the
nation.
Ruppel is ranked third and was the second seed in
the tournament. He is 13-0 this season and has won
the Central Jersey Open and the Mat-Town USA in
addition to this weekend's crown.
Ruppel led Lehrke 6-3 after two periods but wore
Michigan wrestler down in the final period, scroing
six points, including one for 1:19 of riding time he
mostly accrued in the early periods.
Soloman Fleckman works on a Penn opponent during
the Mat-Town USA tournament two weeks ago. Fleckman captured that tourney's crown at 167 and then
went on to take third in the Las Vegas Invitational.
Following the win. Ruppel said it was the biggest
tournament win of his collegiate career.
"I felt like I wrestled very well. I've had problems
with my confidence in the past." he said. "But this
tournament helped me gain the confidence and show
myslelf that I've got what it takes to be a (national)
champ."
Ruppel's closest bout came in the semi-finals where
he had to hold off an attacking Chris Nelson for a 7-5
win.
Heading into the final period, Ruppel was tied at 3-3
with Nelson until he registered an early escape. The score
remained 4-3 until Ruppel took Nelson down with 19
seconds left. However, seven seconds later. Nelson,
had scored a reversal. He allowed Ruppel to escape
with seven seconds left and was attacking when the
final buzzer sounded.
Lehigh coach Tom Hutchinson said Ruppel.
Fleckman and Hartman wrestled exceptionally well in
the tournament.
And while the team's showing may have a
surprise to many. Hutchinson said he really had no
expectations for the team entering the tournament.
See WRESTLING page 3
Photography by YOUNG HONG
Lehigh wins big over SMU
Split games in California tourney
By GLENN HOFMANN
Sports Information Assistant
PALO ALTO - A sun filled trip to California, the first by a Lehigh team since
1977, was made even sunnier on the court as the Engineer baksetball team pulled off
a major upset in the consolation game of the Apple Invitational Tournament at ■
Stanford.
Lehigh's 69-49 thrashing of the Mustangs brought the Engineers a third place
finish, their first win of the season and renewed optimism heading into their final
week of play before exams.
'"We have some confidence now," head coach Dave Duke said. "We really
played hard, especially Saturday night, and most importantly we shot the ball well
from the outside."
Lehigh put together two excellent halves of basketball for the first time this
season and for the tournament the Engineers played three top-notch halves and one
poor one—the poor showing after the intermission against Stanford which uirneu a
two point halftime deficit into an 82-59 loss.
Stanford would go on to win the tournament, beating Louisiana Tech in the
championship game.
Against SMU. Lehigh came out ready to play and their tough defensive pressure
combined with excellent ball movement on offense confused Southern Methodist—
resulting in a 13-point halftime lead and one which was as much as 22 points late in
the game.
""I think we wanted the game more," junior Mike O'Hara (Springfield, Pa.)
said. '"We rebounded much better than we have been and that was real important."
The Mustangs did cut the Engineers lead to as few as eight points early in the
second half hut Lehigh quickly countered with a Mike O'Hara (Springfield. Pa.)
three pointer and a Bob Krizansky (Hazleton. Pa.) steal and jam—which effectively
.sealed the game.
Neal Fenton (Latrobe. Pa.) came off the bench for Lehigh and had his best game
ever as an Engineer scoring 18 points, including four three pointers. The 18 points
was also Fenton "s best while playing for the U.S. NaVal Academy.
"Neal's a veh good shooter." Duke said.  "Against SMU, he was given an
opportunity and he capitalized."
See MEN S BASKETBALL page 2