Bright Future Awaits Young Wrestlers

Holy Mother of God

You've got to go faster than that to get to the top

Dirty old mountain

All covered in smoke, she can turn you to stone

So you better start doing it right. --Genesis

After Harvard's wrestlers suffered through a disappointing performance at the Eastern Championships at Princeton last weekend, the top probably seemed to be very far away. Indeed. But don't automatically stigmatize this year's team with the lean records of its predecessors, because its future looks very bright. Apparently, Harvard wrestling has been stagnating for about a decade, but it has finally come out of the smoke. Harvard wrestling has arrived.

Dark Shadows

At an institution where academics receives primary attention and only certain "Harvard-oriented" sports receive any attention at all, wrestling has been lurking in the shadows. Despite one of the top win-loss records on campus this year, very few students made it to a match and only a small percentage could name one wrestler on the team.

The wrestlers are a relatively quiet, unassuming bunch of guys and melt into the Harvard population as well as anyone else. However, instead of spending their time doing research or playing intramural volleyball, these same guys have begun to earn a reputation for themselves. Perhaps nobody in Harvard has heard of Jim Phills or Andy McNerney, but the wrestling world has heard of them, and has come to respect Harvard's wrestling team.

The team finished the season with a dual meet record of 17-4, a good clip above the 11-7-1 record of last year. However, the record cannot even begin to measure the improvement that this team has demonstrated in one year under the coaching of Johnny Lee. With increased ability and depth, the Crimson beat three teams (Boston University. Springfield College, and Yale) that they have not beaten since early in the '70s. Although three of the team's losses came against Ivy League opponents, it improved on its miserable 0-5 showing in the league of last year. Excluding the loss to UMass. Harvard consistently handled opponents as the team rolled to its impressive record.

Winning Ways

If Harvard seems to fold in the Ivies and in the Easterns, why is the future so bright? Why is this team so excited about next year already? Because despite a few small gaps, this team is a team of winners. Harvard's wrestlers are not grappling for a line on a resume, but for an Eastern Championship and an Ivy League title. The squad abounds with good, young wrestlers, symbolized by the election of two sophomores, co-captains Jim Phills and Paul Weiderman (on leave for the past year). Sophomores Phills, McNerney, freshman Rick Beller and Fritz Campbell finished the season with the top four individual won-lost records, emerging as the most promising underclassmen on the team.

Along with a few more sophomores and juniors, the team has great potential for next year--only the two co-captains, seniors Rick Kief and Tony Cimmarusti will graduate, while most of Harvard's tougher opponents will be suffering more significant graduation losses, based on numbers.

Melts

During matches, Coach Lee' virtually melts into the stands, but his characteristic inconspicuousness is only for matches; his constant dedication and patience behind the scenes has developed a truly first-rate team. He is already excited about next year because he finally has a team strong enough to carry him where he wants to go. Perhaps to the top of the mountain.