Alex Konovalchik makes transition look like a breeze, especially compared to President Bush.

For four consecutive winters, Konovalchik has jumped off the football fields and onto the wrestling mats, has shifted from tackling opponents to taking them down and has emerged from being a stronghold on the football team to a power on the wrestling team.

"Alex had a couple of early season defeats coming off the football thing," Harvard wrestling Coach Jim Peckham says. "But he always came through for us and made our scores respectable."

Poised Tigers

Konovalchik feels responsible for setting a standard for the team--as a Tri-Captain, a hard-worker and a winner.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself as an upperclassman to win," Konovalchik says. "The team looks for me to come through with a victory."

Responsibility is a two-way street though, and Konovalchik derides himself for a loss just as much as he prides himself on a win.

WPI-ed

In an early match against Worchester Polytechnic Institute, Konovalchik took his man down and was winning when he got pinned in the second period.

"My win would have sealed the victory," Konovalchik maintains. "It was a match I should have won, and I could have won. I made a mistake and got caught and it cost us the match."

Besides demanding the most from himself in matches, he also makes every practice look like a work-a-thon.

"Alex is really one of our hardest workers," Peckham says. "He keeps his chin up and he never complains. He gives you 100 percent all of the time. He would probably run head-on into a brick wall if you asked him to."

Model Protestant

Konovalchik modelled his Protestant work ethic after last year's captain, Peter Holmes.

"Peter put himself through double-work sessions," Konovalchik says. "So this year through the entire month of February, I would stay after and work out or take a run in the morning with any team members that wanted to."