There is more than one way to measure success. It can be measured by outcome. It can be measured by effort. And it can be measured by vision. For this year's Harvard wrestling team, it doesn't matter. With its historic accomplishments, tremendous work ethic and fierce determination, this team embodies success.

This season, the team not only continued the tradition of excellence that has become a hallmark of Coach Jay Weiss' program, but also redefined that tradition to include Harvard's first Ivy League and EIWA titles. And it is for these memorable feats as well as the passionate, inspiring effort displayed all season long, that The Crimson names the 2000-2001 Harvard wrestling team as its Team of the Year.

"Our program took an enormous step this season by going into unknown territory," said co-captain Francis Volpe. "Starting during preseason workouts in September and continuing throughout the year, every member of our team made huge sacrifices and battled through injuries to accomplish what no other Harvard team has ever done before."

Indeed, the exponential rise of the Crimson under Weiss' direction has been marked by a passion to continually enter new territory, to not only meet existing standards but to surpass them. And this year's team has been no exception. Led by senior co-captains Volpe and Matthew Picarsic, this squad embraced the challenge of a difficult schedule and used it to propel them to two championship titles.

"The team set its own goals and expectations," said Coach Weiss. "That is something I have really enjoyed as a coach. We [the coaching staff] just devised a program to get them there."

It all started with an auspicious season opener at the East Stroudsburg in mid-November. The Crimson boasted many terrific performances, including seven top-five finishes. At 125-pounds, junior Kevin El-Hayek took fifth. Matt Picarsic (133-pounds) grappled to second place while his younger brother Nick (144-pounds) finished a solid fourth. Freshman standout Jesse Jantzen (149-pounds) set the tone for his incredible rookie season, securing second and garnering the most falls in the tournament-3 in 2:48. Junior heavyweight Dawid Rechul captured second, while seniors Adam Truitt (174-pounds) and Volpe (184-pounds) finished third and fourth, respectively.

The team then traveled to Las Vegas at the beginning of December for the Cliff-Keen Invitational, where it faced some of the best wrestling programs in the nation. The tournament was highlighted by Volpe's outstanding wrestling and his strong seventh-place finish.

However, not satisfied with their overall Vegas performance, the team headed to the Lone Star Duals in early January with a mission. And by proving a formidable foe to three schools ranked in the top eight, the Crimson definitely asserted its place among the wrestling elite. Though they fell to Iowa State, Oklahoma and Nebraska (ranked fourth, sixth and eighth, respectively), Harvard aggressively grappled these powerhouses-even forcing Nebraska to win the last bout in order to take the meet.