Team of the Year: Weiss Leads Wresling to First Ivy and EIWA Titles

There is more than one way to measure success. It can be measured by outcome. It can be measured by effort. And it can be measured by vision. For this year's Harvard wrestling team, it doesn't matter. With its historic accomplishments, tremendous work ethic and fierce determination, this team embodies success.

This season, the team not only continued the tradition of excellence that has become a hallmark of Coach Jay Weiss' program, but also redefined that tradition to include Harvard's first Ivy League and EIWA titles. And it is for these memorable feats as well as the passionate, inspiring effort displayed all season long, that The Crimson names the 2000-2001 Harvard wrestling team as its Team of the Year.

"Our program took an enormous step this season by going into unknown territory," said co-captain Francis Volpe. "Starting during preseason workouts in September and continuing throughout the year, every member of our team made huge sacrifices and battled through injuries to accomplish what no other Harvard team has ever done before."

Indeed, the exponential rise of the Crimson under Weiss' direction has been marked by a passion to continually enter new territory, to not only meet existing standards but to surpass them. And this year's team has been no exception. Led by senior co-captains Volpe and Matthew Picarsic, this squad embraced the challenge of a difficult schedule and used it to propel them to two championship titles.

"The team set its own goals and expectations," said Coach Weiss. "That is something I have really enjoyed as a coach. We [the coaching staff] just devised a program to get them there."

It all started with an auspicious season opener at the East Stroudsburg in mid-November. The Crimson boasted many terrific performances, including seven top-five finishes. At 125-pounds, junior Kevin El-Hayek took fifth. Matt Picarsic (133-pounds) grappled to second place while his younger brother Nick (144-pounds) finished a solid fourth. Freshman standout Jesse Jantzen (149-pounds) set the tone for his incredible rookie season, securing second and garnering the most falls in the tournament-3 in 2:48. Junior heavyweight Dawid Rechul captured second, while seniors Adam Truitt (174-pounds) and Volpe (184-pounds) finished third and fourth, respectively.

The team then traveled to Las Vegas at the beginning of December for the Cliff-Keen Invitational, where it faced some of the best wrestling programs in the nation. The tournament was highlighted by Volpe's outstanding wrestling and his strong seventh-place finish.

However, not satisfied with their overall Vegas performance, the team headed to the Lone Star Duals in early January with a mission. And by proving a formidable foe to three schools ranked in the top eight, the Crimson definitely asserted its place among the wrestling elite. Though they fell to Iowa State, Oklahoma and Nebraska (ranked fourth, sixth and eighth, respectively), Harvard aggressively grappled these powerhouses-even forcing Nebraska to win the last bout in order to take the meet.

"You should have seen the coaches from Nebraska when the announcer said over the loudspeaker that coming down to the last match Harvard could still upset Nebraska," said Picarsic. "That trip made our guys realize that as a team we could beat these top ten programs."

Especially exciting was sophomore Patrick O'Donnell's poignant victory at 165-pounds over Iowa State's Joe Heskett, the No. 1 ranked wrestler who had been undefeated prior to O'Donnell's Herculean feat. Coming from behind and forcing overtime for the huge win, O'Donnell asserted himself as wrestler to be both respected and feared.

At the end of January, the team began its dual meet season. Despite tough losses against Lehigh and Penn, Harvard went on to win seven consecutive meets by a combined score of 241-45 and an impressive 24 pins. Included in this streak was a decisive 28-13 win over Cornell-the first Crimson victory over the Big Red in seventeen years. This huge win put Harvard in the driver's seat for a share of the Ivy-League title. A solid victory over Brown then sealed this claim to the title, making this the Ivy champions of Harvard wrestling. Harvard holds the title with both Penn and Cornell, by virtue of the dual meet season results-Harvard beat Cornell and Cornell beat Penn, but Penn beat Harvard.

But the firsts were far from over for this driven, talented squad. In an incredible showing that epitomized the passion of this team, the Crimson completely dominated EIWAs, the most important tournament of the season.

"The EIWA tournament is what we prepare and try to peak for," Weiss said. "Our training was great, injuries were at a minimum and everyone really pulled together for a common goal."

In a true team effort, the team captured its first EIWA championship, ahead of Penn and Lehigh, respectively. The elder Picarsic and Rechul led the way by winning individual titles at 133-lbs and heavyweight. This was only the second season in Crimson history for two grapplers to place first at EIWAs. Picarsic, who has placed all four years at the tournament, capped off a remarkable career with his best finish yet.

For his phenomenal performance--in which he pinned all four opponents-Rechul earned Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament, the first heavyweight to do so since 1940. He also garnered the Most Falls in the Least Time, four in 19:39.

Yet it was the determined wrestling of the rest of the team that gained the Crimson enough points to capture the title. Despite some early losses, the Crimson stormed back during the consolation rounds, ending up with eight top five finishes altogether.

"We won so many huge matches in the wrestlebacks that we had virtually assured the team title by the start of the finals," said Picarsic. "I think that's what really defines our team this year-how much the team goals mattered to each individual, even in what is primarily an individual sport."

At 125-lbs, El-Hayek wrestled to a strong 3rd place finish, setting the tone for what promises to be an exciting senior year.

"It really was an unbelievable feeling to leave EIWAs knowing that we had accomplished our goals," said El-Hayek. "I am excited to make this a tradition rather than an exception. Harvard Wrestling can only improve from this point on."

Jantzen (149-pounds) continued in his unprecedented rookie campaign, securing second after falling to a repeat All-American in the finals. Odom (157-pounds) turned in a tremendous effort, battling for third place honors. It was an effort that reflected his season long dedication and perseverance. Although hampered by torn cartilage in his shoulder, Odom chose to have surgery in the off-season so he could continue to wrestle. His contribution to the line-up played a major role in helping the Crimson win the Ivy and EIWA titles and earned him the team Unsung Hero Award.

At 165-pounds, O'Donnell grappled to a strong fourth-place finish. Volpe (184-pounds) shut out his first two opponents before falling to the eventual winner of the weight class. He then stormed back through the consolation rounds to take third. Sophomore Reggie Lee also had a great showing, bouncing back in the wrestlebacks to claim fifth in the 197-pound weight class.

With their standout performances, Picarsic, Rechul and Jantzen guaranteed themselves a trip to Nationals-automatically given to the two top finishers in each class. The impressive wrestling of Odom, O'Donnell and Volpe in highly competitive weight classes earned them wildcards births. Such marked the first season in the program's history for the team to claim six NCAA qualifiers.

At Nationals, the six faced an extremely difficult draw that placed them up against the top-ranked wrestlers in early rounds. The highlight of the tournament came from Rechul, whose strong wrestling earned him a top twelve finish. Rechul came within one round of earning All-American accolades, but fell to the eventual fifth-place winner.

Yet the story of Harvard's accomplishments does not end there. Matt Picarsic, Jantzen, O'Donnell, Volpe and Rechul were all named to the All-Ivy First Team. El-Hayek and Odom were named to the Second Team, and Lee was given Honorable Mention. Jantzen was also honored as Ivy Co-Rookie of the Year. Senior Danielle Hobeika, who has trained with the team since freshman year, finished seventh in the Women's Division at the U.S. National Championship. This terrific performance earned her a bid to the World Team Trials in late June.

For the tremendous success of the program, Coach Weiss was chosen as EIWA Coach of the Year, an honor he also received in 1998.

"Our achievements would not have been possible without the great coaching staff we are so fortunate to have, starting with Coach Weiss at the core," said Volpe. "His motto is to bring great people into our program. If you have great people the rest will take care of itself. He is right."

And there is certainly no doubt that Weiss has brought "great people" into the program-athletes who excel not only on the mats but off them as well. The team was recognized with the EIWA Sportmanship Award and also boasted the fourth highest cumulative GPA in Division I Wrestling. Matt Picarsic was distinguished with a spot on the Academic All-American Second Team, while both Volpe and El-Hayek received Honorable Mention accolades.

Moreover, Coach Weiss has brought together an excellent coaching staff, one that has been a key factor in Harvard's recent ascent. Joining him are veteran team of assistant coaches that includes former Soviet National Coach Granit Taropin and former Harvard All-Americans Dustin DeNunzio '99 and Andy McNerney '83.

While there still remains much to look forward to, the team will greatly miss this year's graduating seniors-Picarsic, Volpe, Truitt, Hobeika and David Dinin. Their exemplary leadership and relentless pursuit of excellence will remain a legacy for many seasons to come.

"These seniors definitely left their mark on the program, bringing the team its first Ivy and EIWA titles," said Coach Weiss. "They put the team's goals ahead of their own, and inspired us all with their passion and dedication."

Yet, with a phenomenal group of returning wrestlers and a great recruiting class, next year's squad will undoubtedly continue to raise the bar of Harvard wrestling. In addition to the new leadership of seasoned veterans Rechul and El-Hayek, the team will draw from the enormous depth of its junior class and the promise of younger wrestlers such as Jantzen, P.J. Jones and Brandon Kaufmann.

"We made leaps in where we ended up this season and more leaps are due for next year," said Rechul. "This team has way too much talent and passion to be taking steps."

Judging by this remarkable season, no one can argue with that.