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“Sports Limelight” of The Luminary

By Staff | Mar 25, 2020

Clyde Frantz, the human wrestling machine, parlayed his great skill and amazing determination into his second successive Eastern Intercollegiate title and second accolade as the tourney’s “outstanding wrestler” at the EIWA tourney in Penn State last weekend.

Frantz, who won the title as a sophomore last year and amazed the entire crowd at Lehigh, swept through his four bouts this time with two decisions and two pins and won the coaches’ votes for the outstanding wrestler nomination.

Wrestling at 150 pounds, Frantz made his most impressive showing in the semi-finals when he decisioned Army’s Bill McBeth, 11-4, after barely shading him by 3-2 in the Penn State-Army dual meet. Then in the final, he pinned F&M’s Doug Ward at 6:58.

Muncy’s Dana Balum, entering the tourney with a 4-4-3 dual meet record, almost pulled the surprise of the tourney as he battled his way to the finals before losing to defending champion Dale Stahl, of Navy, at 133 pounds. Balum with three impressive victories before the finals, held Stahl at 2-2 until the final eight seconds when Stahl engineered a quick takedown for the victory points The performances of Frantz and Balum helped Penn State to second place in the tourney. Navy with six champions walked away with the honors and actually iced the title when Stahl decision Balum. Penn State got the other four champions, marking real domination of the 16-school tourney by Navy and Penn State.

Frantz, third in the NCAA last year, expects to wind up his second year of varsity competition at the nationals on the campus of Northwestern University at Evanston March 26-28.It was announced this week that Penn State coach Bill Koll also would take Balum to the NCAA meet.

The Hughesville native, son of MR. and Mrs. Wilfred Frantz, is a co-captain of the Nittany wrestlers this year. He carried an unbeaten record into the tourney, having a 9-0-1 mark prior to the meet, and adding four EIWA wins for a 13-0-1 record to date. Balum, son of Mr. and Mrs. Con Balum, of Muncy, is now 7-5-3.