SEASON RECAP: Ogunwole Guides Team Through Injury-Filled Season

The Harvard wrestling team, led by junior tri-captains Bode Ogunwole and Max Meltzer and classmate Robbie Preston, finished third in the Ivy League this season behind Cornell and Penn.

The Crimson’s starting lineup posted outstanding individual numbers, with Ogunwole leading the way by finishing 32-8, placing first in the heavyweight class in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) Championships and sixth in the NCAAs.

In a season that saw numerous injuries hamper Harvard’s chances for a run at the Ivy title, the Crimson (5-8-1, 2-2-1) nevertheless did not give in to even the best opponents. Sidelined by a leg injury for the first half of the season, Meltzer (141 lbs.) came back strong and finished the season 16-5. Preston (133 lbs.) also suffered a leg injury that kept him out of the lineup for over a month, but he still finished 21-7.

Harvard wrestled the entire season without a contestant at 125 lbs., which meant many automatic forfeits in dual meets.

“Everything we do is geared toward the end of the year,” coach Jay Weiss said. “We were struggling with injuries the entire year, and I was really impressed with how the guys fought the whole time. We went into matches that we really could not win because of the forfeits we had to make.”

The Crimson also benefitted from the rise of some young talents, which included freshmen Louis Caputo (184 lbs.) and Andrew Flanagan (157 lbs.). Flanagan finished first in the EIWAs, and was one of the five Harvard wrestlers—along with Caputo—to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Flanagan, Ogunwole, and Meltzer all made the All-Ivy first team, while Preston and Caputo made the second team.

“It was one of the strongest finishes we’ve ever had,” Weiss said. “With five NCAA qualifiers and four players making it into the EIWA finals, that was phenomenal. Bode placing sixth at the NCAAs was quite an accomplishment. And the other four guys were really close. Just getting that experience will be very important, and having all of the guys return is really exciting.”

But despite the impressive results, “there’s no one on this team that’s satisfied with the way the season went,” Preston said.

“If we stay healthy next year, we can have the best year in the history of Harvard wrestling,” Weiss said. “We’ll probably start the year with four guys at the top eight in the county: that is, Preston, Meltzer, Flanagan, and Bode. I think they can accomplish anything they want.”

—Staff writer Tony D. Qian can be reached at tonyqian@fas.harvard.edu.