The varsity wrestling team rebounded from its first loss of the season, subduing Cornell, 17-15, Saturday afternoon at the LAB in the grapplers' league opener.

Both teams won five matches apiece, but the five points won by Howie Freedman at 191 made the difference. "It was a good win," Harvard coach John Lee said, "but it was tighter than it should have been." It was only the second time in fourteen years that the wrestlers have beaten Cornell.

Tom Schnorr performed well at 123 despite losing to the visitors' Larry Jackson, 10-2, but Schnorr's teammate Bruce Goodman evened the match with a 5-3 win over his opponent.

The score was still tied after the next two bouts as Harvard's Paul Catinella downed Pete Wright, 3-2, to avenge a loss to Wright last year. Dean Sheppard started well at 145, but Greg Koneng of Cornell came from behind to beat Sheppard, 13-6.

The Big Red took the lead when 152-pound Jack St. John narrowly defeated Pat Coleman, 4-2. Lee feels that St. John was probably their best wrestler. Things got worse before they got better as the Crimson's Mark Faller lost, 3-1, and Cornell went ahead by six points.

Captain Howie Chatterton led the Harvard rally by disposing of Del Crandall, who had pinned Chatterton last year, by a score of 13-4. John Imrie, recovering from a rib injury, evened the match score again by taking an 8-2 decision at 177.

Freedman turned in his pin in 3:30 for a third consecutive Crimson victory, and an assured tie. Tom Tripp lost, 10-1, to Cornell's heavyweight, but kept off his back to give Harvard the close win.