Again, however, the Crimson was foiled at the higher weight levels, losing both at 190-pounds and the heavyweight spots. The losses sealed the Crimson's fate.

"We had a chance in this one, but we're just not concretely set at the heavyweights," Griesmer said.

The day's frustrations ended with a 34-9 pasting at the hands of B.U. The match story was the same as usual--a good effort, but a lack of match experience and heavyweight depth that proved costly.

Although freshman James Butera started the match with an encouraging victory at the 118-pound spot, there was little else for the Crimson to cheer about.

Griesener "came out flat" and lost his match, and Reina and sophomore Scott Malcolm, who wrestled at 177 pounds, were pinned after controlling the majority of their bouts.

The lone bright spot was once again provided by Gerstung, who wrestled admirably in a 10-6 loss to Earl Walker, the nation's top-ranked wrestler at the 158-pound spot.

The Crimson now have only one match remaining, Saturday's contest against Ivy League power Brown, before the EIWA and NCAA tournaments in March.

And, despite its dismal record, the team remains upbeat about its progress and prospects for the future.

"Everybody is out there trying their hardest," Gerstung said. "We knew it was going to be a rebuilding year, and we feel we're actually doing a lot better individually than last year."

"We're disappointed, in that we thought coming in that we'd give a lot of teams and take them down to the wire," Griesener said. "The core of the team is returning. With more experience, we'll have more presence in closer matches."