There are few things as emotionally draining in sports as a narrowly missed chance to upset a favored rival. Just ask the Kentucky football team, which lost to then-No. 25 LSU 33-30 on a last-second Hail Mary pass in 2002, or even the Virginia men's basketball team, which lost to then-No. 5 North Carolina 74-75 Feb. 12.
The Virginia wrestling team suffered one such heartbreaking loss to No. 22 Maryland when it fell 16-15 Feb. 24. A team point in wrestling can be determined by something as simple a single misstep or a slipped grip. The team had no choice but to move forward from the close loss and look forward to the ACC Tournament, the Cavaliers' last opportunity to compete as a team, two weeks later.
As the buzzer sounded at the end of the 197-pound finals, Cavalier ears listened in disbelief as the announcer read the updated team scores. In first and second place: Maryland 86.5, Virginia 84.5. Another close loss to the Terrapins. Another upset that was just a few split-second decisions, a few seconds, a few inches from success and capping the 2007-08 season with a storybook ending.
Surely everyone must view this result, which prevented Virginia from winning its first ACC Championship in more than three decades, as a disappointment, right?
Not Virginia wrestling coach Steve Garland.
"I think we made a statement," Garland said. "Virginia wrestling ... can compete with anyone."
A closer look at the tournament results suggests that, while the final score may suggest failure, Virginia's effort was a focused, consistent and impressive effort.
Despite five of Virginia's 10 competing wrestlers losing in the first two rounds, every single wrestler placed in the top four.
"I don't know if it's ever happened [to Virginia wrestling] before," Garland said. "All 10 weights placed. Every guy who lost [the first round], not only did they come back and win third, they avenged earlier-season losses."
Of those 10, nine placed in the top three, four placed in the top two and two wrestlers took home the championship in their weight class.
Junior headline-grabber Rocco Caponi, who wrestles at 184 pounds and was named ACC Wrestler of the Week twice this season, took advantage of his top seed to cruise to victory.
Sophomore Ross Gitomer, wrestling at 125 pounds, upset higher-seeded wrestlers in consecutive matches to earn a title despite his status as an underdog.
"If anyone deserves a win ... it's that guy," Garland said. "I cried after he won, I'm not joking."
Gitomer, who stands at 5-foot-3, had an off-and-on season, but noted that this is a strong ending to the season.
"My hard work has finally paid off," Gitomer said. "It feels good."
The core of Virginia's impressive performance, however, came from the five wrestlers who overcame losses and battled their way to the top of the consolation brackets.
Junior Drew DiPasquale, who wrestled at 157 pounds, is one of these wrestlers. After losing in the second round, the fourth-seeded wrestler won two matches in a row to finish the tournament in third. Adding significance to DiPasquale's performance, the tournament would be the last match of his career.
"Amazing," Garland described DiPasquale's performance. "We're so proud of him. How can you not be?"
DiPasquale, though disappointed that he hadn't won the championship, acknowledged the satisfaction of going out with a tough performance.
"It was good for me to end my career with a win," DiPasquale said. "That's really all I can say about it. It's bittersweet, you know?"
He was quick to add, though, that he tried to treat the match as he did any of his past matches.
"I was trying as much as I could to not think about that," DiPasquale said.
That thought was something that bound the Virginia team together. It's the factor that allowed the wrestlers to bounce back even after losing early in the tournament, that kept the team focused even as Maryland closed in on and snatched the lead with just a few rounds left -- and Garland made sure each Cavalier brings to it the mat every round of every bout of every meet.
This mindset is perhaps best described by poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson: "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
Gitomer in particular embraced this mindset both on the mat and off.
"You've got to win it to go to nationals, [but] I ... didn't think about that as much as I thought about just keeping things simple," Gitomer said. "You know, attack, attack, attack, and things are going to happen for me."
The consistently improving team is young -- it graduates only two wrestlers -- and approaches each opportunity with optimism and confidence.
Some team members showed an excitement about the coming years.
The team's improvement "is indescribable," DiPasquale said. "The coaching staff has brought this program to a completely different level. I'm excited to come back even next year and watch the progression ... I'm excited for Virginia wrestling's future."
Though the team has no more matches, the season is not finished yet. Caponi and Gitomer, along with freshman Chris Henrich, who narrowly lost the 174-pound ACC Championship bout but received an at-large bid, have spots in the NCAA Tournament.
Regardless of how these wrestlers perform, Virginia wrestling has used excellent coaching, consistent effort and perseverance to establish itself as a team to be reckoned with.
"Only good things are going to happen to us in the future," Gitomer said.
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