Jantzen Earns Bid to World Team Trials

You'd have trouble finding an athlete more passionate about his sport. And you'd be even more hard pressed to find another one who has achieved so much in so little time.

Indeed, the extraordinary accomplishments of Harvard wrestler Jesse Jantzen have been nothing short of spectacular. And fortunately for the Crimson, he is only a freshman.

This past weekend served as only the latest example of Jantzen's domination, as he took third at the US Freestyle National Championships in Las Vegas.

Competing and defeating the nation's top collegiate and post-collegiate wrestlers, Jantzen confirmed his place among the wrestling elite and earned a place at the World Team Trials in late June. The top six finishers at the Championship in each weight class were guaranteed a spot at the Trials.

"I was just completely amazed all weekend," said Harvard Coach Jay Weiss. "It is unheard of for a freshman to finish third at this tournament. He went to the event to get matches, but it soon went well beyond just getting experience. He became a factor, proving himself to be among the best."

On the heels of his third place showing at University Nationals a few weeks ago, the freshman standout went 7-1 this past weekend in the 152-pound weight class. His dominating performance included a sweep of three outstanding Lehigh wrestlers, including All American Dave Esposito, who finished second at this year's Nationals and who defeated Jantzen in the finals of the EIWA championship.

"I had a relaxed attitude going through these tournaments because I was trying to get experience," said Jantzen. "Once I started doing well, it helped drive me to the next level."

Seeded eighth in the tournament, Jantzen immediately got down to business. He quickly and soundly defeated his first three opponents, the first two by technical falls-which involves winning by 10 or more-and the third by a pin.

Jantzen thus advanced to the quarterfinals, where he faced veteran Chris Bono, ranked No. 2 in the nation going into the tournament. Jantzen established an early 1-0 and managed to keep Bono to 1-1 after the first period. However, Bono-who would later finish second in the championship-was able to pull out the 8-1 win.

That would be Jantzen's first and last loss.

In his next match, Jantzen thoroughly defeated Lehigh's Bernholz 11-1, followed by a decisive 6-1 victory over Nebraska's DeAnda.

Then came what was possibly the highlight of the tournament, as Jantzen went up against Esposito, who has been a nemesis all season long. Coming back from a 3-0 deficit, Jantzen wore down Esposito and tied the match at four to push it to overtime. Jantzen then secured his revenge with a takedown to win the match 6-4.

The freshman capped off the tournament with an impressive 6-5 win over Ayres, another All American who recently graduated from Lehigh.

While such an incredible performance by a college freshman may have been unprecedented, it definitely was not surprising. Jantzen's tough wrestling this season earned him a second-place finish at EIWAs, a spot at Nationals, and All-Ivy Co-Rookie of the Year honors.

But even with all those accolades, his determination and high expectations of himself propelled him to continue competing in the off-season.

"I wasn't satisfied with my performance during the season, as my goal had been to win EIWAs," said Jantzen. "Since Nationals, I have been working out and training just as much as I did during the season."

It is this dedication, coupled with his tremendous talent, which makes Jantzen so unique and so successful.

"Jesse went to work out the day after Nationals," Weiss said. "He just loves to train and loves to wrestle. His work ethic has been a tremendous asset to this team."

Jantzen has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon. He will be competing in the Junior Nationals/World Team Trials in the middle of May, and then the Senior World Trials in late June.

Undoubtedly, Jantzen has been an enormous addition to this Harvard squad. His exponential rise in just one year has given Crimson wrestling much to be proud of and much to look forward to.

Also competing this past weekend at the US National Championships were senior Danielle Hobeika and Dustin DeNunzio '99. Both turned in terrific performances and will join Jantzen at the World Team Trials in June. Hobeika finished seventh in the Women's Division while DeNunzio took second in the Senior Freestyle Division at 138.75 pounds.