"I wasn't used to wrestling so much. It is hard to train for competition without actually competing," Killar said.

Killar began his quest with a 3-0 victory over Northwestern's Drew Pariano in the first round. In the second round, he shutdown Ivy foe Rick Springman with ease, handing him a 5-2 loss.

In the quarterfinals, Killar faced more of a challenge, as he was matched with Kirk White of Boise State. In a heated, high-scoring battle White was able to pull out a 12-11 victory on his way to eventually winning the national title.

The loss placed Killar in the fourth round of the wrestlebacks, where he defeated Sean Morgan of Oregon 3-1. Killar then posted a 6-4 victory over Edinboro's Mark Samples in the quarterfinals.

Although he would lose the next two matches to Arizona State's Steven Blackford and Wisconsin's Don Pritzlasff, respectively, Killar's strong wrestling had already secured him the coveted All-American honor.

"Joey wrestled well and lost to some very tough guys," DeNunzio said.

"Every match is a hard match so there isn't any break," Killar said. "I am disappointed with the way I wrestled the last day but that gives me something to work on for next year."

Sophomore Brad Soltis-in the 197-pound division--was the third Harvard wrestler to earn a berth to Nationals after an outstanding second place finish at EIWAs.

Soltis was tested right away as he faced Oregon's No. 11 seed Chael Sonnen in the first round. After being pinned by Sonnen, Soltis put up a strong showing against Mike French of Cal Poly but was unable to garner the victory.

However, with a phenomenal season to build from and the experience of a national tournament under his belt, there is no doubt that Soltis will be someone to watch out for in the coming years.

"Brad can use this to propel him for the next two years," Weiss said. "He walked away learning a lot."

"It was his first time out there and a good learning experience," DeNunzio said. "There is never an easy match. Brad will be back, and will be a force to be reckoned with."

Fortunately for Harvard, Killar and Soltis return next season to wreak more havoc and to lead the Crimson on its path of continued success.

Harvard, however, will suffer two irreplaceable losses as starters DeNunzio and Joel Friedman will graduate this spring. The duo has been the backbone of the team on its rise on the regional as well as national level.

"It's going to be hard to lose them. They mean a lot to the program," Weiss said. "They set many examples of work ethic and dedication that will be instilled for many years to come. They are great leaders."

Indeed, although their presence will surely be missed, the example they have set both on and off the mats is something that the team will continue to rally around.

"It's been an unbelievable four years," DeNunzio said. "The coaches are great and the program will only keep on getting better."

After a season of many exciting team and individual accomplishments, there is no doubt that the only direction Harvard wrestling will be going in is up.

"The team was dealt a lot of adversity this year," Weiss said. "We focused from the get-go on March. They way they responded--finishing third at EIWAs and 20th at Nationals--is a credit to the whole team, not just the guys at Nationals. They excelled at the end."

Such excellence has come to be a trademark of these Harvard athletes, and the future looks as bright as ever for the Crimson.