Gajdzik Leads the Way For Wrestling in Binghamton Open

The Harvard wrestling team, veterans and rookies alike, kicked off its season at the Binghamton Open on Sunday.

Junior Nick Gajdzik led the Crimson with a second-place finish in the heavyweight bracket. Junior Jeff Ott, co-captain Todd Preston, and Senior Devon Gobbo also made it to the semifinals in their respective weight classes to round out a strong performance by the Harvard squad.

“As a team we did really well,” Preston said. “I was very proud of the way everyone fought. From the first weight class at 125 all the way up to heavyweight, everyone wrestled tough.”

Gajdzik, returning to the collegiate mat for the first time since fall 2013, proved he hadn’t missed a beat with an impressive showing to introduce his return. After a bye in the first round, Gajdzik quickly pinned Princeton’s Cole Lampman at 1:29 in the second round.

In the quarterfinals, the Rochester, Mich. Native earned a 6-2 decision over Army’s Trevor Smith. Riding on his momentum, Gajdzik pulled out a quick 3-1 victory over Ivy rival Mike Markulec of Princeton to earn him a spot in the finals. He ultimately fell to Hofstra’s Mike Hughes in a 6-0 decision.

“Three or four other guys were in the semifinals that lost close bouts to tough guys,” coach Jay Weiss said. “It gives us something to work on. I’m pleased, but I’m more excited because I know this is not where we are going to be come March. We’re going to make some strides.”

Ott had three consecutive decisions against FLWC-Prep, Rutgers, and Navy wrestlers, but fell to Cornell’s Nahshon Garret who went on to win the 133-pound weight bracket.

At 141 pounds, co-captain Todd Preston opened the tournament with three victories, setting the pace and earning another Crimson sixth place. Preston dropped the semifinal match to Navy’s Jared Prince in a close 6-5 decision.

Senior Devon Gobbo continued the trend, picking up three decisions, including a 6-2 victory over Cornell’s Dillon Artigliere, but ultimately fell in the semifinals in a close 7-6 decision against Penn State’s Geno Morelli who finished second place in the 165-pound weight bracket.

Senior Nicholas Stager also contributed to the solid Harvard showing, reaching the quarterfinals in the 157-pound division.

“Even if we were losing, if people weren’t getting up, they were still attacking, they were still fighting their opponent and never giving up, and I think there’s a lot to be said for that,” Preston said. “That’s something we have honestly been preaching in practice and to be able to go out and execute yesterday was phenomenal.”

Freshmen Samuel Goldman had a strong start to his Harvard athletic career registering his first two collegiate wins at 133. Classmate Ryan Friedman also notched his first collegiate win in the same division.

“Our freshmen really stepped up,” Preston said. “The college level is so much different from high school that it’s just a completely different level, and when you have freshmen stepping up on their first tournament that’s just awesome to see and a great indicator for where the rest of the season is going to go.”