"Peter Holmes helped [inspire] us last year and it should keep up the next few years," Konovalchik says.

Konovalchik's relentless determination on the mat and in the wrestling room has pointed the younger wrestlers on the right track, enthused the veteran wrestlers and made Peckham's job a lot easier.

"Alex is one of the nice things about coaching that really makes the game worthwhile," Peckham praises.

Konovalchik more than returned the adulation for his mentor.

"Coach Peckham is a great motivator," Konovalchik says. "After almost every practice, he'd take five minutes and give a story or an inspirational talk so that you'd leave practice with a good feeling."

Not only did he lift the team spiritually, but this former Olympic coach also improved the technique of the team.

"What coach helped me in was my set-up for singles and doubles and that helped me get the take-down to get the lead," Konovalchik says.

George Michael's inspirational message--"You just gotta have faith"--found its way into Konovalchik's style under Peckham's tutelage.

Konovalchik learned to have faith in his ability to take his opponent down and cling to a lead for a win. He realized he could wrestle aggressively without giving up points, and could usually come back from behind with a take-down or an escape.

"I don't pin a lot of people," Konovalchik confesses. "I could beat a good wrestler, 3-2, and a not-so-good wrestler, 3-0, just because my style is very low scoring."

The continuous guidance of his parents has also helped Konovalchik throughout his wrestling career.

"My parents were very, very supportive," Konovalchik says. "They might have missed two, maybe three matches in all four years of wrestling. That's just been great."

But Konovalchik credits the team itself for supporting him both as a wrestler and as a friend.

"This is the best team I've been on in my four years at Harvard," Konovalchik says. "It's a tight-knit team. We push each other to work harder and that enhanced the team's performance."

And he credits Peckham for the cohesiveness of the squad.