The road for the Crimson doesn't get any easier, however, as it faces off today in a quad-meet against UMass-Lowell, B.U. and Cornell.

While the Crimson soundly defeated UMass-Lowell last season, the River Hawks are stronger this year and figure to give the Crimson a better account of itself.

Cornell shut out the Crimson 40-0 last season, and its team has six starters who were ranked in the top six of their respective weight classes in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) pre-season poll.

Vitagliano, however, is confident Harvard can avoid another blanking.

"We'll be able to win a couple of matches in the lower weight classes," Vitagliano said.

The B.U. squad also figures to be more than the Crimson can handle. The Terriers feature the number-one ranked wrestler in the nation at 158 pounds. While the outlook for today's meet is grim, the squad had taken considerable strides in establishing a strong nucleus of young wrestlers.

"We're really setting the tone for a couple of years down the line," Weiss said.

Hopefully for the Crimson, it'll be worth the wait.