Lee took over from Bob Pickett last year and was encouraged by what he saw.

Tough Schedule

"I thought we were really on the way last year." Lee recalled this week, "And for that reason we arranged the toughest schedule we've had here at Harvard. in terms of the teams we met and the number of teams."

An unexpected and tragic blow came with the news of the death of junior John Imrie in an aquatic accident last August.

At the wrestling banquet Monday night. Lee remembered Imrie as "the guts of the team. . . the kind of guy that inspires everyone else with his effort."

Some team members feel that Imrie. who would have wrestled at 177. was the Crimson's most talented performer as well.

Masfortune continued to stalk the mat men when heavyweight Tom Tripp, a junior. decided not to wrestle this season. and instead devote more time to his studies and other activities.

"We could have had some serious morale problems." Lee said. "But you have to hand it to the kids for the way they pulled together."

The Crimson opened the year with wins ??? and Brown. but it was not until January 31 that they were able to add a third victory.

While wrestling is a team sport. there is an inordinate amount of stress placed on individuals. Conditioning, so important to a team success. is directly in line with the amount of time spent in the practice room by each wrestler.

Early this year despite excellent condition. Harvard could not overcome with wins in the mid-and heavyweights what ??? in the lightweights. It is a ??? the team-and to Lee and assistant coach Bob Feher-that the mat men could maintain their spirit.

"With very few exceptions. the kids pushed ? pretty hard. "Lee said. "It was a long season in more ways than one, but most of them came in every Sunday to practice. This is why it's so hard to stomach a loss to a team like Penn that is not in shape."

While one or two different positions may be stressed next season, the wrestling strategy will remain basically the same. "I think the program we developed this year is better than any before it," Lee said. "And of course, it was that much said. "And of course, it was that much better, because we had two coaches instead of one."

During his first season, Lee handled the entire wrestling program by himself, but the addition of Fehrs, an assistant coach at Pittsburgh for two years and a three-time NCAA runner-up at Michigan, has distributed responsibilities more evenly.

Fehrs guided the Yardling wrestlers to a 10-3 season, its best in several years, and Lee conjectured Monday night that he is "the best assistant coach in America today."

"I can't believe that we can't turn this thing around next year," Lee said last week in reference to the 5-10-1 dual record. "I see daylight ahead, and if the recruiting goes well, we're going to have a rough team in a couple of years."