The Top of Their Class

If you looked carefully last Fall, you might have seen Barry Bausano--one of the toughest wrestlers in recent Harvard history--down on the football field.

But, he wasn't playing linebacker

In fact, he wasn't playing anything at all.

He way cheerleading.

Then again, for Bausano, it seems as though anything is possible.

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Tri-captain Barry Bausano, one of the three Harvard wrestlers to make it to the NCAA National Tournament this year exudes a quiet confidence that is typical of successful athletes, and despite facing some of the toughest competition in the nation, he is not unnerved, probably because his opponents usually have more to worry about than he does.

Depite the impressive credentials he has compiled over his four year Harvard wrestling career, his final season ended on a disappointing note, as he failed to advance in the this week's NCAA National Tournament in Oklahoma City.

Bausano, however, in an interview before the tournament had a realistic view of his chances, stating that it would have been a "minor miracle" to place in his 167-1b weight class.

Bausano, however, has nothing to be down about, as his four year collegiate won-loss ratio reads like a Celtics season record; be is 72-12, and his achievement neither begin, nor end, with college.

In high school Bausano won his league title three times, his district twice, a not his region twice. He came in fourth in his home state, Michigan, once, won the junior freestyle tournament of Michigan, came in second in the nation in the junior freestyle tournament of Michigan, came second in the nation in the junior freestyle category, and was the alternate on the United States junior world freestyle team.

In more recent years he has been named to the All-Ivy team three times, and won three matches in the regional Olympic trials last year before being knocked out.

Although some of the top wrestling schools, such as Northwestern 'and Michigan recruited Bausano heavily when he was a senior in high school he decided that there is life there is life after the mat and he made Harvard his choice.

"Success in wresting can be a very ephemeral thing One injury can ruin a career." Bausano says, and although he concentrates intensely on his wrestling the economics concentrator keeps other opportunities in minds as well.

"I'm doing a lot of interviewing with investment banks right now." Bausano says, but also adds. "I want to come back to wresting if it works out," referring to wrestling clubs situated in many major U.S. cities.

In addition to his school work and his wrestling Bausano has found time to lead Harvard's cheers in the fall, and was the head cheerleader this Autumn.

"I've been doing it since sophomore year and it is a great time," Bausano says.

None of Bausano's extra-wrestling involvement would have been possible at one of the wrestling factories of the midwest, where three practices a day are not unheard of Bausano credits his coach Johnny Lee with this flexibility. "He has a great understanding of what it takes to be an Ivy League wrester."

College scouts were not the only one to notice Bausano as a high school phenom, a Russia, wrestler coach who had defected from the USSR also recognized potential in Bausane.

"He defected from Russia when I was in my sophomore year in high school, and he ended up in Michigan. He was part of their national coaching staff and was a wrestler himself. He noticed me a the ate tournament, and I won a few close matches ten tout to a fourth place finish as a sophomore) and he decided he wanted to work with me."

This amazing twist to Bausano's successful, but up to that point normal wrestling career proved providential a the Russian drilled Bausano in the techniques which now form the core of his repertoire.