Wrestling Takes Winning Trip

Although it didn't have to battle the elements of winter in Hawaii and California, the Harvard wrestling team got plenty of opportunity to battle opponents on the mats. Harvard competed twice during break, first at the Aloha Classic and then at Stanford. The team wrapped up the trip with mixed results, going a disappointing 2-2 at the Classic but ending with a commanding 22-12 victory over the Cardinal.

"We were looking to go 5-0," sophomore Matt Picarsic said. "It shows where we need to make improvements and is good preparation for February."

The team came out strong at the beginning of the tournament, easily pounding Portland State 36-10. Senior tri-captain Dustin DeNunzio (141 pounds) pinned his opponent within 52 seconds, junior Tom Kiler (157 pounds) within 4:32, Joey Killar (165 pounds) in 6:54, and freshman Dawid Rechul (197 pounds) got a pin at 6:54. Senior tri-captain Joel Friedman (149 pounds) easily dismantled his opponent 17-1, and Picarsic posted a 14-1 win at 133 pounds. Freshman Brandon Rhoades also turned in a solid performance with a 4-2 victory at 125 pounds.

However, the Crimson did not fair as well against BYU or Purdue. The team was certainly hurt by the absence of junior tri-captain and NCAA qualifier Fran Volpe, who was out on injury. Harvard lost 22-9, a score that does not reflect several heartbreaking matches that didn't go their way. Picarsic lost a hard-fought 3-1 overtime battle. Killar was defeated 3-2 by Rangi Smart, ranked no. 2 in the nation. Shining spots in the match included a decisive 11-6 victory by Soltis and a pair of 9-3 wins posted by DeNunzio and Friedman.

"Against BYU, there were some close matches," Friedman said. "It was a tough one to swallow."

The grapplers also faced difficulties against a top-ranked Purdue team, losing that match 23-13. Despite victories by DeNunzio, Friedman, Picarsic and Killar--who would go on to win their next matches as well--the team was unable to overtake the Boilermakers.

"We are a little banged up," DeNunzio said. "In full force, I think we could have beaten those teams."

The Crimson regrouped for its final match, thoroughly beating Air Force, 26-16. Rechul rounded out a great tournament showing with a 14-6 win. The wrestlers then headed to Stanford, where the capped off the trip with an impressive 26-16 victory on Jan. 6.

At 197 pounds, sophomore Brad Soltis' 18-9 victory set the pace for the Crimson, starting a streak in which Harvard won five of six matched and take a 19-6 lead. Sophomore Kevin El-Hayek posted a 6-5 victory at 125 pounds. At 141 pounds, DeNunzio proved the highlight of the match with a pin in just 1:08. Friedman grappled his way to a 7-5 win while Killar overtook his opponent 3-2.

The trip marked a dividing point in the season. The team does not wrestle again until the last weekend in January when it faces Army and Lehigh. Ivy meets will begin early February, when the Crimson travels to face top rivals Princeton and Penn. They plan to continue training hard despite the break and to use this trip's experience as a springboard for Ivy competition.

"We got to wrestle tough teams we wouldn't see otherwise," said Picarsic. "It is a way to evaluate where we are at in the season."

As of Jan. 5, the team ranks fourth in the conference in the EIWA standings with DeNunzio ranked first in the 141-pound class.

"Right now we are beating teams we are supposed to be beating but losing to teams that are expected to beat us," Friedman said. "[It is] time to start stepping it up."