Harvard Splits Duals as Star Grapplers Shine

After months of anticipation in a rollercoaster season, the Crimson opened Ivy League competition by continuing its up-and-down trend.

Harvard wrestling (2-8, 1-3 EIWA) traveled to Penn and Princeton on Saturday, bringing mixed results as it split the dual contests. After a morning 35-12 defeat at the hands of the Quakers, the Crimson rebounded to overtake the Tigers, 32-9, in the afternoon.

“We wrestled okay against Penn and a lot better against Princeton,” Harvard coach Jay Weiss explained. “We had more intensity [in doing] some of the things we worked on during the week.”

Despite the inconsistent weekend performance, the Crimson’s stars continued to dominate as junior co-captains No. 4 J.P. O’Connor (157 lbs.) and No. 10 Louis Caputo (184) earned two wins apiece in addition to an undefeated effort from freshman Walter Peppelman (149). Harvard also ushered new grapplers into the win column, with rookie Sean Murphy (197) and sophomore Andy Olsen (174) enjoying their first victories of the year against Princeton.

The squad showed excitement after notching its first Ivy win, but Caputo suggested that the Crimson have a long way to go.

“We’ve taken our licks in past duals, so it was good to get that win,” he said. “We’re going to build off of this. We’ve definitely got a few more wins in us, so it will be exciting to go from here.”

Harvard will look to make similar strides in terms of health, as Caputo and Olsen made encouraging returns to the mat Saturday, but No. 3 Corey Jantzen (141) remains sidelined by injury. The sophomore standout has not competed since Jan. 3.

With a slew of grapplers who are constrained to the bench or held to limited action as they recover, the Crimson has struggled to demonstrate its full potential.

As the season progresses, though, Weiss maintains that his squad will close the gap on programs like Penn.

“Everything’s gearing up for the end of the year, and when we get Jantzen back that’s huge,” he said. “Our tournament team is better than our dual team, and I’m excited about going to NCAAs with three guys in the top ten.”

HARVARD 32, PRINCETON 9

The Crimson dominated its slate of bouts against the Tigers (2-13, 1-5), dropping only one of the seven contests. Harvard transitioned quickly from Philadelphia to Princeton, N.J., showing vast improvement at Dillon Gymnasium in the afternoon. O’Connor (21-2) and Caputo (21-4) logged shutouts to cap undefeated days, while Peppelman (9-7) and Knapp (4-6) ground out impressive victories to put the match out of reach.

Perhaps the most thrilling efforts, though, came from two grapplers who have struggled to find success. Olsen (1-1) competed for the first time in nearly a year and a half, and delivered in the afternoon session. After shaking off a morning defeat, the Crimson grappler cruised to a major decision, dismantling Princeton’s Michael Erdman, 10-0.

“Andy wrestled really well,” Caputo said. “Considering it was his first time back, I thought he did great.”

But Olsen was not the only Harvard competitor to claim his first victory, as Murphy posted a rousing 7-5 overtime win with a last-second takedown. After trailing the Tiger’s Zachary Morse for much of the bout, Murphy (1-12) battled to a late tie before overcoming his junior opponent in the extra frame.

“Sean Murphy got a huge win tonight,” Weiss said. “He’s been coming along hard and with that come-from-behind win I couldn’t have been happier.”

Jantzen and senior Tommy Picarsic (5-2) also earned forfeit victories.

PENN 35, HARVARD 12

The Crimson began the day in dubious fashion, falling hard to the Quakers (10-5, 5-1) at the Palestra.

Caputo earned six points for Harvard, as his opponent suffered disqualification while trailing 5-1.

Peppelman and O’Connor rounded out the scoring with 8-4 and 4-1 decisions respectively.

O’Connor’s narrow win over No. 18 Matt Dragon not only sparked an impressive day for the junior grappler, but also served as a reminder that he remains one of the nation’s top competitors. O’Connor was the only Crimson wrestler to defeat a ranked opponent on the weekend.

Despite the stellar performances of both captains and Peppelman, the rookie’s classmates did not fare as well. Harvard’s other four freshmen—Murphy, Johnny Motley (1-8), Bryan Panzano (0-7), and Spencer DeSena (2-8)—suffered two technical falls, a fall, and a loss as the match shifted in favor of Penn.

Olsen and Picarsic also dropped decisions,

—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.