But perhaps the real story is the coaching staff. Over the past three years Harvard has amassed one of the most impressive group of coaches in the Ivy League, if not in the nation.

Granit Taropin joined the Crimson this year as an assistant coach. Taropin is internationally known for his success as a Soviet National Coach and for training grappling greats such as the Beloglasov twins, Sergie and Anatoly, who won Olympic gold in Moscow and Seoul respectively.

Assistant Coach Andrew McNerney was the last All-American produced by Harvard. McNerney finished fourth at NCAAs in 1983 to become only the fifth Crimson grappler to be selected as an All-American.

Harvard has also recently added U.S. Olympic champion Kendall Cross to the coaching staff. The Atlanta gold medalist's presence in the locker room as an assistant coach says a lot about the integrity of the Crimson program.

Head coach Jay Weiss has been the mind behind the recruiting success of Harvard in recent years. The Crimson's '95 recruiting class was ranked 14th in the nation by Centermat, while the '96 class was ranked 15th. Weiss' incoming recruits will no doubt again be part of a solid freshman class.

The Crimson will also have some returning blood to supplement the new recruits. Junior Dustin DeNunzio will rejoin the Crimson after a season of intensive training. DeNunzio, the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 1995, was a freestyle University All-American in his year away from Harvard.

"[DeNunzio's] definitely going to raise some eyebrows next year," Friedman said.

Harvard wrestling is definitely a program on its way up, even if its climb is shrouded in anonymity on campus.