Wrestling Drops First Two EIWA Meets

The Harvard wrestling team had yet another lackluster performance this weekend in its first conference matchups of the year, falling to Lehigh, 30-11, and Army, 19-15.

The Crimson (0-5, 0-2 EIWA) has yet to post a victory this season and has finished with mixed results in both tournaments it has entered thus far, including the prestigious Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.

Though the squad remains winless, it has faced some of the toughest competition in the country, including No. 1 Oklahoma State and No. 20 Missouri, along with No. 5 Lehigh (12-3 3-0), the top team in the EIWA.

The loss to Army (7-4, 3-1) was particularly painful for the Crimson, which entered the weekend three spots ahead of the Black Knights in the conference and wrestled an admittedly poor meet. Tied 15-15 after nine matches, Army took the meet with a major decision in the final match.

“The whole team picked it up and wrestled a lot better against Lehigh,” said senior 125-pounder David Germakian. “It was a good step up from the meet against Army on Friday night, so hopefully we can rely on that [effort] and continue with it for the rest of the season.”

Lehigh 30, Crimson 11

After dispatching Brown, 38-3, earlier in the afternoon, the Mountain Hawks still had enough energy left to beat a rested Harvard squad and extend their win streak to eight.

Though Lehigh won eight of 10 matches, only two of the victories came by a margin greater than three points, while a third came by forfeit.

After sophomore Eddie Jones (197 lbs.) failed to pass a pre-match skin test, Harvard was unable to bump up its reserve 197 pounder, junior P.J. Jones (no relation), because he was already slated to compete at 184 lbs., forcing the Crimson to forfeit the 197-lb. match.

The lone Crimson wins were both decided in the first period, with the second coming at the hands of ever-reliable junior co-captain Jesse Jantzen, ranked third in the nation at 149 lbs. Jantzen recorded a technical fall over Aaron King, 20-3, to remain unbeaten in team contests.

Germakian—the only other Crimson wrestler undefeated on the weekend—provided the other Harvard win and the biggest upset of the afternoon. Despite being ranked two spots lower in the EIWA than his opponent, Mario Stuart, Germakian pinned the Lehigh senior in just 51 seconds.

But as big as Germakian’s win was, heavyweight Jonas Corl nearly pulled off an even greater upset. The sophomore led late in his match against No. 4 Joe Sahl before Sahl got the better of him to win, 5-2.

“I know Jonas had that guy beat right until the end,” said Harvard coach Jay Weiss.

Army 19, Crimson 15

Though Harvard entered the final three matches trailing 15-8, victories from Germakian and freshman 133-pounder Max Meltzer tied the contest and put the Crimson in position to grab its first W of the year.

Unfortunately, the final match pitted a Harvard freshman—Mike Baria—against No. 15 Phillip Simpson, who won in a major decision, 11-0.

Though the Crimson lost the meet, there were a few bright spots.

Harvard got off on the right foot when Jantzen scored a technical fall (18-3) over Anthony Dunkin in 1:28 to put the team up 5-0.

Following two consecutive Lehigh decisions that gave the Mountain Hawks a one-point lead, senior Pat O’Donnell (174 lbs.) put the Crimson back on top, 8-5, by defeating Luke Calvert, 4-2.

Three Mountain Hawk victories later, the Crimson was down again, 15-8, setting the stage for its final comeback.

Though Harvard finished the weekend empty-handed, it will look for revenge when it hosts East Stroudsburg (11-2, 3-1) and Hofstra (9-3) on Saturday.

Harvard will face the Warriors—currently unranked in the conference—at 10 a.m. before wrestling the Pride at 4 p.m. Hofstra is currently on a three-match win streak.

—Staff writer Evan R. Johnson can be reached at erjohns@fas.harvard.edu.