Three Grapplers Go Unbeaten as Crimson Drops Pair

When Harvard wrestling envisioned its home opener at the start of the year, it couldn’t have asked for more energy and enthusiasm from the crowd. Unfortunately for the Crimson (2-8-1), the lineup it pictured barely resembled the one on the mat during Saturday’s dual matches against Boston University (3-8-1) and Army (5-3) at the MAC.

With six starters sidelined due to injury or skin issues, Harvard once again struggled as a team despite a number of standout performances. Although three grapplers went undefeated on the weekend, the Crimson fell, 35-15, to the Terriers in the afternoon, before losing to Army, 35-11, in the nightcap.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with some guys,” co-captain Louis Caputo said. “But in other matches we need to be a little mentally tougher. These guys are our size, our age, and we shouldn’t be getting manhandled.”

ARMY 35, HARVARD 11

Although Caputo emphasized the similarity between the competitors, the reality for a depleted Crimson roster meant that a number of grapplers moved out of their weight class, leading to mismatches up and down the lineup. In addition to forfeiting the heavyweight match, Harvard trotted out rookies Chad Eason (125 lbs.) and Spencer Friedman (141) for the 133-lb. and 149-lb. bouts, as well as junior Fermin Mendez (133) for the 141. All three suffered falls in an 18-point swing that gave the Knights a commanding lead.

“[The size discrepancy] is huge,” Harvard coach Jay Weiss said. “It makes a big difference.”

“[Our smaller wrestlers] are going out against guys that have another 10 pounds of muscle on them,” Caputo added. “It takes a lot to step on the mat against teams like Army, sending out tanks like that.”

But while the majority of the team struggled against a talented Knights squad, Caputo (184), co-captain J.P. O’Connor (157), and rookie Steven Keith (125) held their ground.

Keith (13-5) had perhaps the most impressive showing of the day, as he capped an undefeated weekend with a 12-2 major decision over Lance Penhale, a stalwart in the EIWA.

“[Penhale] is third or fourth in our conference, and [Keith] just majored him,” Weiss said. “He’s coming along and doing a nice job. We knew that was a big match for us.”

It looked as if Keith had a tough bout in store, as Penhale caught the young grappler’s leg and tripped him for an early takedown. But after a number of battles in which neither player could score, Keith blocked Penhale’s leg on a restart, giving the Crimson wrestler leverage for a reversal. Drawing on his momentum, Keith easily escaped again to start the second frame, en route to 11 unanswered points and a definitive win.

“I thought I wrestled pretty well,” Keith said. Obviously there’s always stuff you can do better, and I’ll look to work on that in the wrestling room, but overall, I was pretty happy with my performance.”

O’Connor and Caputo cruised to equally dominant victories. O’Connor (18-0) was never threatened, as he built a 6-0 lead with two takedowns and a reversal. Besides allowing an escape to attempt a final takedown, the Harvard captain enjoyed a mistake-free 8-1 major decision.

Caputo (11-2)—in his only competition of the day—simply overpowered Collin Whitmeyer. The 184-lb. grappler earned the last win of the evening for the Crimson, notching an 8-1 decision.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY 35, HARVARD 15

Roster shifts plagued the Crimson in its afternoon competition as well, as junior Jackson Salovaara (157) joined the list of grapplers competing above their weight class.

“Guys went out there and battled, and that’s all they could do,” O’Connor said.

Unfortunately for Harvard, Boston University was not interested in consolation points. The Terriers sealed the inaugural Charles Cup—a trophy dedicated this year to the rivalry between the only two Division I wrestling programs in Massachusetts—with the same three falls between 133 and 149 pounds.

Despite excellent showings from Keith and O’Connor, as well as a forfeit at 184 pounds, Harvard simply could not keep pace. Salovaara—competing in just his second bout of the season—also fell to his opponent in the 174-lb. class, but rather than show disappointment, Weiss noted the importance of giving inexperienced grapplers more time on the mat.

“We had guys wrestling that needed an opportunity to wrestle,” the coach said. “Are they ready? Maybe not, but I enjoy watching those guys, [who] put in the time every single day, go out and compete.”

Although the final result did not favor the Crimson, Keith once again stormed out of the gate to open the dual meet, taking down Ryan Dowd early and often. The rookie earned six points in the first frame without relinquishing his top position, demonstrating his ability to dominate riding time.

“That [skill] is what he came in with,” Weiss said. “[Keith] is real good on top, very hard to counter.”

After notching two more takedowns in the final frame, the young grappler solidified an 11-1 major decision to post another victory in a strong rookie campaign.

But O’Connor had the strongest bout of the afternoon, as the top-ranked grappler asserted himself with a technical fall. BU’s Andrew Swank scored his only two points when O’Connor consented to let him escape, only to take down the Terrier once more. The 18-2 win marked the biggest offensive output of the day for Harvard.

“Earlier in the season I was having a little problem scoring points, so it was nice to run the score up on somebody and get my offense going,” O’Connor said. “My confidence is high, but I’m [still] getting it to where it needs to be to make a push for a national title.”

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