COMEBACK ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Back from Injury, Caputo Doesn't Miss a Beat

Returning from injury has a predictable path—you rehabilitate, take it easy in early contests to shake off rust, and in time hope to return to form. No one has high expectations coming out of the gate. That is, unless you are Louis Caputo.

The junior co-captain of the Harvard wrestling team stormed back from a knee injury that robbed him of a 2007-08 season, refusing to miss a beat after an entire year on the sidelines.

Rather than appear tentative in his return to the mat, Caputo simply dominated his opponents, winning five straight matches to claim the Binghamton Brute Open title at 184 lbs, earning a top-10 ranking that would remain all season.

But the junior was just getting started. Caputo led the Crimson in wins with a 34-8 record—the fifth-most victories in Harvard history. The standout also notched his 103rd career victory, vaulting him to fourth all-time with his senior season still ahead.

“Louis has worked so hard,” junior co-captain J.P. O’Connor said. “Taking a semester off is really tough, but for him to be able to come back and jump right in at the same level and an even higher level…it’s a testament to the type of kid Louis is.”

And that type of competitor is a champion.

In a sport that heavily emphasizes the year’s final tournaments, Caputo saved his best efforts for last, placing third at the EIWA Championships before excelling at NCAAs. The national championships took place in Caputo’s home state of Missouri, and the junior delivered in front of friends and family, shocking sixth-seeded Joshua Patterson of Binghamton with a 6-3 decision to reach the quarterfinals. Caputo eventually took an eighth-place finish to earn All-American honors for the second time.

“I was very, very pleased with myself,” Caputo said. “Making it to nationals and competing well is not a given thing. No matter where you’re ranked, a lot of guys get upset, so to go and win All-American, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to the season.”

Although Caputo finished seventh as a sophomore, Harvard coach Jay Weiss saw Caputo’s return to All-American status—a feat that only four other Crimson grapplers have accomplished—as a tremendous step forward from his second-year campaign.

“[Caputo] wrestled so well, just putting everything together,” Weiss said. “He has a lot more confidence in his ability, and he wrestled the best he ever has in a national tournament.”

Beyond the overwhelming skill that led Caputo to his comeback, Weiss emphasized the grappler’s competitive desire.

“I know [Caputo] is a better wrestler now, just from how he reacted in his last match,” Weiss said, referring to the co-captain’s loss in the seventh-place bout. “Most people think, ‘Win or lose, I’m an All-American,’ but when Louis lost, he was devastated. He’s a competitor…and just his reaction will propel him.”

Motivated by a strong will to succeed, Caputo struggled with the decision to take a semester off for healing, but the all-star did not waste the time, working tirelessly to hit the ground running this past winter. Caputo credited work with the Crimson’s assistant coaches for getting him up to speed after the grappler was forced to sit for the summer.

“I felt like I was working with a different body, a little less mobility,” Caputo said. “But this coach whipped me into shape. [When I competed again], it felt like it had been a while, but everything seemed to fall into place.”

Indeed, after his run at the Brute Invitational, it would take two months for Caputo to lose a dual match. The co-captain opened the year 11-0 on the way to wins against No. 5 Missouri, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 2 Cornell, and a championship at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

Although it appeared that Caputo could not compete better than he did from day one, an epiphany awaited the grappler at NCAAs. After a season of fairly conservative play, Caputo found his offensive game against Patterson, prompting an enthusiastic reaction from his coach.

“It’s hard to wrestle Louis, because he’s stronger than five bulls,” Weiss praised. “It’s one thing to have a defensive style, but [Caputo] has so much offense in him…But not until the national championship did he really open up the offense.”

With the evolution of an offensive style to accompany his imposing demeanor, Caputo will look for even more success in his final season. The standout trails Jesse Jantzen ’04—Harvard’s winningest wrestler—by only 29 career victories. With one more semester, Caputo could celebrate more than just a healthy return to the mat. He could leave as the one of the best Crimson grapplers to ever step on it.

—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.