Crimson No Match for Ranked Opponents

Facing three squads in the top 25, the Harvard wrestling team knew its slate would be a daunting one. But with two forfeits due to injury at the Journeyman/Brute Northeast Duals on Saturday, the Crimson found the challenge insurmountable.

Despite a few grind-out efforts, including an undefeated performance from junior co-captain Louis Caputo, Harvard (0-3) fell by lopsided margins to No. 21 Old Dominion, No. 24 Virginia, and No. 5 Missouri in Troy, N.Y.

“We wrestled against some [teams] ranked very high,” junior co-captain J.P. O’Connor said. “But it’s nice to face that kind of competition and be in that atmosphere, because ultimately that’s where we want to be as a program.”

Perhaps the Crimson can even the playing field when it fills the holes in its lineup. Senior Andrew Flanagan (165 lbs.) was a late scratch, joining sophomore Corey Jantzen (141) and rookie Zack Pope (125) as the third starter held out of the tournament.

With the 125 and 141 positions empty, Harvard began all three matches with a 12-0 deficit, keeping the squad from posing a serious threat.

“We took our lumps,” Caputo said. “It was definitely a week of learning what we need to improve. We still have some holes, but I was very happy with the guys who stepped up to fill in.”

NO. 5 MISSOURI 43, HARVARD 7

Freshman Walter Peppelman (149) improved to 6-2 with a 4-0 decision over the Tigers’ Brandon West, and No. 4 Caputo (184) stayed perfect with a major decision, but the rest of the Crimson lineup faltered in the evening session.

Two forfeits and a technical fall by rookie Johnny Motley left Harvard with a 17-0 deficit and gave Missouri (7-0) ample breathing room. The Tigers relied on stellar efforts from three top-10 grapplers, including a 3-2 upset from No. 7 Mike Chandler over No. 4 O’Connor (157). With an escape in the third period Chandler dealt the Crimson All-American (7-1) his first loss of the season.

“Obviously [Chandler] is a good wrestler and I respect him,” O’Connor said. “You have to put [the loss] in the past. I didn’t wrestle how I wanted to, but it will help me to improve so this doesn’t happen again.”

NO. 24 VIRGINIA 36, HARVARD 11

In the Crimson’s closest contest of the day, the Harvard grapplers earned three victories in eight bouts, but the team suffered from two falls and a major decision to put the match out of reach. Caputo dominated the Cavaliers’ Joe DeGaravila with a 15-0 technical fall, while Peppelman and O’Connor earned back-to-back decisions to round out the Crimson scoring.

Peppelman logged a particularly gritty performance, outlasting Kellon Balum for a 9-8 victory and the first win of the day for a Harvard rookie.

Although these victories pulled the Crimson within 27-11, the Cavaliers (4-4) did not let up, claiming the final two bouts. Junior Andrew Knapp (285) dropped a 3-1 decision, while senior Patrick Ziemnick (174) endured a technical fall defeat by No. 15 Chris Henrich in his only action of the day.

NO. 20 OLD DOMINION 38, HARVARD 9

With three competitors ranked No. 11 or better, the Monarchs (1-4) put the Crimson in a 17-0 hole early on in the competition.

First-year grappler Spencer DeSena (285) showed a spark in his third collegiate bout, dropping a hard-fought 2-0 decision to Monarch Roy Dragon, but three fellow rookies suffered difficult losses.

Peppelman endured his only defeat of the day in a 5-3 overtime decision against Old Dominion, while Murphy and Panzano faced a fall and major decision to give the Monarchs their first victory of the season.

Sophomore Michael Sadler (157) began a difficult day in place of Flanagan with a technical fall loss against Chris Brown. Sadler endured tremendous competition at every stage of the tournament, as Brown went on to defeat Missouri’s Nick Marable, the nation’s No. 1 grappler—and Sadler’s opponent in the evening.

Despite a fierce effort from Old Dominion, Harvard salvaged positives from the opening session, as O’Connor and Caputo continued to lead by example on the mat, posting the Crimson’s only victories in the competition en route to 7-1 and 8-0 records in a dominant early-season showing.

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