Page 28

  WVISCONSIN WINTER sports
       teams continued the winning
  habit set earlier in the year by the
  Badger Big Ten football champions.
  Six teams posted a composite record
  of 49 wins against 33 losses for an
  overall winning record.
  But, even though it was a winning
  winter, some of the Badger teams
  collected their share of lumps. The
  basketball team, second in the Big
  Ten race last year, had its troubles
  all season long. It never did manage
  to get up a sufficient head of steam
  to mount an extended winning
  streak, even though it did finish the
  year with a 14-10 record, and a 7-7
  record in conference play which was
  good for sixth place in the standings.
  Throughout the season, the Badg-
  ers were on again, off again. Obvi-
  ously, there was little consistency in
  their week to week performance: a
  mediocre showing could be followed
  by a night when everything clicked.
  After a lackluster television showing
  against Ohio State, the Badgers came
  back and beat conference co-cham-
  pion Illinois; then, following a loss
  to Illinois in their second meeting,
  Wisconsin turned   around   and
  throttled a fine Indiana team. That
  was the way it went all season-up
  and down-with no apparent pattern
  to the periodic let downs, or the mo-
  ments of brilliance. For Coach John
  Erickson, it was a frustrating year.
  His players-predominantly a sea-
soned junior and senior crew-gave
it all they had, but often found them--
selves on the short end of the score.
  At the end of the season, sen'or
forward Ken Siebel, Rock Falls, Ill.,
was named the Badgers' most valu-
able player for the third consecutive
year by his teammates, and was also
named co-captain of the 1962-63
team along with senior forward Tom
Gwyn, Milwaukee. In 71 games dur-
ing his three year career at Wiscon-
sin, Siebel scored a total of 1,084
points which puts him third in all-
time Badger scoring behind Dick
Cable (1,180) and Don Rehfeldt
(1,169), both of whom played four
years.
  In addition to Gwyn and Siebel,
the Badger basketball team will lose
seniors Lon Ostrom, Silvis, Ill.; Don
Patterson, Pekin, Ill.; Pat Richter,
28
Winter Sports Teams
Continue to Post Wins
Madison; and Bob Wittig, Green
Bay.
   The indoor track team experienced
 some exasperating moments at the
 end of its season. Last year, the
 Badger trackmen were the surprise
 of the conference when they raced
 past Michigan for the Big Ten in-
 door title. This year, the Badgers
 continued their winning precedent
 through four consecutive dual meets.
 But, by the time the conference meet
 was held in Madison, early season
 injuries had taken a conspicuous toll
 and influenced the Badgers' chances
 for a repeat of last year's champion-
 ship performance. On the sideline
 for the meet were: Larry Howard,
 last year's indoor hurdles champion;
 Gene Dix, another point-getting hur-
 dler; and Elzie Higginbottam, out-
 standing quarter miler, and anchor
 man for the mile relay. Nevertheless,
 the Badgers remained a threat
 throughout the meet and finished be-
 hind Michigan and Iowa who were
 declared co-champions.
 Inspired and record setting per-
 formances by the Badgers' Bill
 Smith, who was still on the mend
 with a broken jaw suffered in the
 Rose Bowl game, Elmars Ezerins,
 Don Hendrickson, and Bill Holden,
 made up a great deal of the ground
 lost through injuries. Smith captured
 the 70-yard low hurdles title in a
 record-tying performance of 7.8 sec-
 onds, Hendrickson and Ezerins fin-
 ished one-two in the shot put, and
 sophomore Holden shattered the Big
 Ten high jump record with a leap of
6'10".
  In other winter sports action, 'Vis-
consin teams generally improved
over their past showings. The gym-
nastics team had its best season ever
as it won ten of twelve dual meets
and finished fifth in the Big Ten
meet. Jim Hopper shared the title in
the still rings competition to remain
undefeated in that event, and fin-
ished fifth in the overall meet com-
petition. Wisconsin entered the meet
without the services of Fred Roeth-
lisberger, a sophomore from Menom-
onee Falls, who has been described
by 'Coach George Bauer as "the best
gymnast ever to compete for Wis-
consin." Also outstanding during the
season was Pete Bauer on the tramp-
oline.
   George Martin's wrestlers also fin-
 ished fifth in the Big Ten meet after
 posting a 5-7 dual meet record. Only
 Badger in the Big Ten finals was de-
 fending heavyweight champion
 Roger Pillath who lost his title to
 Jack Barden of Michigan.
   Coach John Hickman's Wisconsin
swimmers, forced to use the Armory
"bathtub" all season because the new
pool was not ready, concluded their
season with a 7-7 dual meet record
and a seventh place finish in the Big
Ten.
  The fencers, under Coach Archie
Simonsen, came on strong towards
the end of a winning season and fin-
ished in a tie for second with Illi-
nois in the Big Ten meet at East
Lansing as host Michigan State won
its first title in the sport. Jerry
Wiviott (foil), Wayne Hanson (sa-
bre), Stan Brain (sabre), and Bill
Gee (epee), all contributed to the
Badgers' final point total.
Bill Holden breaking Big Ten indoor high jump record.