Frayer Takes Fifth at Olympic Trials

Last time they wrestled with a lot on the line—during the U.S. National tournament last month—the Harvard wrestling team’s assistant coach Jared Frayer dominated Eric Larkin, winning two matches, including one by a pin. But during the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on Saturday, it was Larkin who got the upper edge, beating Frayer in the semifinals of the challenge bracket to end Frayer’s hopes of making the Olympic team.

No. 2 Frayer (66 kg.) ended up finishing in fifth place and went 2-2 on the weekend.

It was the best finish for any of the Harvard affiliates in the Olympic trials. No. 11 Dawid Rechul ’02 (96 kg.) went 2-2 on the weekend, but upset No. 6 Chad Lamer in the first round. No. 8 Danielle Hobeika ’01 (55 kg.) lost the only two matches she wrestled in.

All three wrestlers were competing in the freestyle portion of the challenge tournament. The winner of this tourney at each weight bracket then wrestled the champion from the U.S. Nationals in a best-of-three match series to determine who would represent the United States at the 2004 Olympics.

JARED FRAYER

After winning by technical fall over No. 7 Jeff Ratliff in the first round, Frayer faced Larkin who had taken his first match in the same manner. Frayer has faced Larkin several times since leaving college, and he noted his lack of aggressiveness in the beginning as a reason for his performance this time around. Larkin scored three one-point takedowns in the first period to go up 3-0.

“I wanted to make more leg attacks, and more flurries,” Frayer said. “I was a bit too passive in the beginning of the match and it hurt me in the end.”

Frayer came back in the second period and picked up two more points, but ended up losing the match 3-2.

After being knocked into the consolation rounds, Frayer lost to No. 4 Doug Schwab, 4-1, ending what turned out to be his last match of the weekend. His next opponent for the fifth-place match, Bill Zadick, had been disqualified from the tournament after getting in a fight with No. 1 Chris Bono during in the previous round’s match.

Though Frayer was planning on retiring from competitive wrestling if he made the Olympic team, he said that he is now unsure about what he wants to do with his career, and could be pushed either way.

“I’m going to take some time off, and enjoy the summer a little bit, and make a decision in the near future,” Frayer said. “I know how close I am to [Kelly’s] position, so maybe in four years I’ll be where he is.”

No. 5 Jared Lawrence won the challenge bracket but lost to Jamill Kelly in the Championship finals in three matches, 4-1 (OT), 1-2 (OT), 5-1. In the U.S. Nationals Frayer had beaten Lawrence, 9-3, but had lost to Kelly, 5-3.

RECHUL AND HOBEIKA

Though Rechul may not have gone as far as Frayer, he still had a successful weekend, after upsetting Lamer and beating No. 12 Carlos Eason in the consolations.

“It was a good tournament, he wrestled some tough competition,” Frayer said. “He’s young, and he has a bright future ahead of him.”

Rechul ended up leaving the tournament after falling to No. 8 Dominic Black 5-0 in the next round. Daniel Cormier, the Nationals champion, beat No. 2 Tim Hartung in two matches, to qualify for the Olympic team.

Hobeika did not fair as well as the other Crimson wrestlers. Up 6-3 near the end of her first match against No. 10 Grace Magnussen, ended up losing after Magnussen picked up four quick points to win the match 7-6.

Hobeika then lost to No. 7 Tina Pihl in the consolation rounds, 10-8. Magnussen dropped her second round match to No. 1 Tela O’Donnell, who ended up beating Tina George after winning the challenge tournament to qualify for the Olympic team--in the next round, 7-6.

“Obviously I’m disappointed with it because no one wants to go 0-2 in a tournament,” Hobeika said.

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