Injuries and Big Ten Fell Crimson

It has become apparent that in the world of college wrestling, the Big Ten spells trouble.

Iowa, Ohio State, and Penn State claimed the top three spots last weekend at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., leading a Big Ten group that overwhelmed the field with 10 teams in the top 17.

Sending only two grapplers to the tournament, the Harvard squad had little interest in the team competition. But freshman Corey Jantzen (141 lbs) and sophomore J.P. O’Connor (149) felt the sting of the dominant conference, both falling to Big Ten opponents.

O’Connor, ranked third in the tournament and harboring legitimate hopes of a national championship, breezed through the early rounds. Following a bye, the EIWA runner-up earned a major decision over Chattanooga’s Joseph Knox.

Unfortunately, O’Connor’s second match brought the type of devastating injury that plagued the Crimson’s season. Despite shutting out his third round opponent, Daryl Cocozzo of Edinboro, 5-0, the Harvard All-American suffered severe knee damage.

“We did everything we could with medical care,” O’Connor said. “We’re waiting on MRI results, but it sounds like a torn MCL.”

The Crimson standout weathered the tear admirably, but he clearly struggled for the rest of the tournament. O’Connor faced fellow sophomore Bubba Jenkins from Penn State in the fourth round and dropped a very close 5-3 decision to the sixth-ranked grappler. The loss sent O’Connor into the wrestleback bracket, ending his dreams of a national title.

The Harvard sophomore managed two more wins in the consolation draw, including a 3-2 victory over second-ranked Dustin Schlatter, but fell in the semis to No. 4 Jordan Burroughs. These efforts earned O’Connor a spot in the fifth-place bout, but after a grueling tournament, the All-American refused to jeopardize his knee further and took a medical forfeit, ending his season with a sixth-place finish.

“[O’Connor’s] will is incredible,” Harvard coach Jay Weiss said. “He could barely walk…and he beat a former national champion [Schlatter]. It was very inspirational, that’s for sure.”

Reflecting on the tournament, the sophomore also kept things in perspective.

“I had a goal of [winning a championship] and things didn’t pan out that way,

O’Connor said. “But obviously you can’t complain about [being named an] All-American.”

For his part, Jantzen faced a difficult road from the opening bout, taking on seventh-ranked Kyle Ruschell of Wisconsin. The rookie fought admirably against his redshirt sophomore foe, but Ruschell gained the upper hand, recording a fall at 6:01. Still, Weiss had tremendous praise for the rookie.

“[Jantzen] really outwrestled the guy,” Weiss said. “I wouldn’t even say he made a mistake. They just got caught up and he got pinned. It shows that he’s right there with any of those guys.”

This early loss did not make Jantzen’s draw any easier, though, as his first wrestleback matchup brought Chattanooga’s 10th-seeded Cody Cleveland. The eventual eighth-place finisher and All-American overcame the upstart freshman with a 3-0 decision, marking the end of a short but valuable tournament for Janzten.

“Even going to nationals doesn’t [fully] show the progress he’s made,” Weiss observed. “He’s wrestled totally differently these last two weeks from the beginning of the season. It’s really exciting.”

While Jantzen did not share his coach’s optimism about the tournament, he pointed to an opportunity for improvement.

“Now that the tournament’s over I’m going to take a little break to heal my knee,” said the freshman, who also suffered a leg injury earlier this season. “Then I want to get back to work in the offseason, get bigger and stronger.”

Certainly, all of the Harvard grapplers will look to shed the injury bug and start fresh next season. If the young team can maintain its health, the Crimson will look to send more wrestlers to St. Louis and improve on its 33rd place overall finish.