Injury, Inexperience Limit Harvard Success

The storyline for Harvard wrestling was familiar all season: injury after injury devastated the Crimson, leaving the squad with an uphill climb.

While the season may have been marred by torn ligaments and strained muscles, the true story proved to be the resilience of the Harvard grapplers. Losing eight of 10 starters strongly contributed to a 2-10-1 record (1-4 Ivy), but head coach Jay Weiss kept team spirits high.

“[Coach Weiss] never gave up hope,” sophomore All-American J.P. O’Connor said. “He was always positive, and if he had any doubts, he certainly didn’t let us know about them.”

Considering that junior Louis Caputo and senior Robbie Preston—the squad’s two captains—­headed a seemingly endless list of sidelined grapplers, Weiss maintained a remarkably optimistic outlook.

“It’s frustrating, but you can’t worry about the injuries,” Weiss said during the season. “I haven’t changed a beat of what I’ve said to the guys.”

Unfortunately for Harvard, the enthusiasm did not generate much team success in the face of such unprecedented adversity.

Yet the Crimson did boast numerous bright spots throughout the winter season.

O’Connor, who began the year ranked fifth in the country at 149 lbs., dominated his sophomore campaign, going 13-0 in dual meets and rising to No. 2 in the national rankings.

Although O’Connor suffered a torn ACL at the NCAA Championships and settled for sixth in the tournament, his effort earned the 20-year old his second consecutive All-American distinction.

Adding to his impressive resume on the mat, O’Connor will also assume the role of co-captain with Caputo next year.

Another cause for optimism was the developing performance of freshman Corey Jantzen.

Despite a knee injury that cost the 141 lb. competitor much of his rookie season, Jantzen rebounded to take fourth at EIWA’s and qualify for NCAAs.

The freshman continued his strong efforts into the offseason, winning the FILA Junior National competition to earn a spot at the World Team Trials.

These recent efforts by the rookie have generated tremendous excitement within the program.

“Even going to nationals doesn’t show the progress that [Jantzen] has made,” Weiss said of the rookie after the NCAA Chamionships. “He’s wrestled totally differently from the beginning of the season.”

Jantzen and O’Connor represent only a fraction of the talented and youthful lineup poised to return in the winter.

While seniors Preston, Matt Button, and Bobby Latessa will be sorely missed, O’Connor expressed the hunger of the squad to be competitive once again for the Ivy League crown.

“We have another great recruiting class,” O’Connor said.

“With some new faces and new energy, we’ll be looking forward to next year.”

If the Crimson can limit its injuries and post a consistent starting lineup, the grapplers can look to turn stellar individual achievements into tremendous team success.

—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.