Harvard Sputters In Match With BU

Harvard wrestling isn’t looking for excuses, just wins.

The Crimson grapplers dropped a frustrating match against crosstown rival Boston Univesity at Case Gymnasium Saturday night, falling 40-8 in their fifth straight dual loss.

Harvard (1-8, 0-2 EIWA) has continued to struggle in the absence of junior co-captain Louis Caputo (184 lbs.) and sophomore Corey Jantzen (141), but head coach Jay Weiss has no interest in self-pity.

“I don’t care who’s in or out, the occasion has to be met,” Weiss said. “I’m not one to look at the score, I’m more concerned with the effort, but we didn’t compete hard.”

Junior co-captain J.P. O’Connor echoed his coach’s assessment, making a note of the need for improvement.

“It was tough outing,” he said. “Everything that could have gone wrong did, and we just wrestled poorly. We’re going to try to put [the BU match] behind us very quickly.”

The Crimson did pick up two wins, but suffered four falls and a major decision in a lopsided defeat to a Terrier team that tied Harvard 21-21 a year ago. Although numerous pins undermined the short-handed squad, senior Tommy Picarsic (133) and O’Connor (157) continued their strong leadership efforts, earning all eight Harvard points with a 6-5 decision and a technical fall respectively.

While Picarsic (4-2) has now recorded back-to-back victories twice this season, No. 4 O’Connor has enjoyed sustained brilliance, posting a 16-1 drubbing of Ben Mandelbraut for his 19th win of the year and eighth in a row.

“J.P is wrestling really well right now,” Weiss explained. “He’s been strong and he’s making adjustments to the adjustments [opponents] are making on him.”

Rather than dwell on his stellar performance, though, O’Connor quickly deflected praise to Picarsic, who has been a rare fixture in the lineup this year.

“Tommy has been plagued by injuries himself in the past, but he’s really stepped up [this season],” O’Connor explained. “He’s wrestled very well against a lot of good opponents. He’s come in and given us a bit of a spark at the bottom of the lineup, especially with the forfeit at 125 lbs.”

Despite these standout performances–particularly O’Connor’s use of only 4:49 to invoke the technical fall rule–the two grapplers made little impact in a lopsided defeat.

After bringing the score to 16-8, the Crimson watched the next five bouts slip away, conceding the match without much drama to an energized home squad.

While the coaching staff and players try to focus on the performance of available grapplers, the reality of replacing Caputo and Jantzen has taken its toll, depleting a roster that had received top-25 votes early on in the season during healthier times.

Senior Patrick Ziemnik (174), sophomore Michael Sadler (165), and freshman Johnny Motley (133) all shifted up a weight class against the Terriers, creating mismatches throughout the lineup. While Sadler and Motley endured falls against heavier opponents, Ziemnik (0-4) earned accolades from his coach with a strong showing at 184.

The veteran grappler matched BU’s Dan Kennedy point-for-point, trailing by a single score with moments remaining in the third period. The Harvard senior allowed his opponent to escape, hoping for a takedown in the final seconds, but he could not upend the redshirt freshman.

Nonetheless, the 6-4 decision marked the best effort made by a losing Crimson wrestler and brought much-needed intensity to a lackluster match.

“Patrick has been one of our top leaders, not as much in wins as in what he brings to the table,” Weiss said. “It’s not about the record, but about how he competes.”

For a team that has lacked its characteristic intensity for consecutive weeks, such performances from veterans suggest Harvard’s potential, but they cannot carry the squad.

Weiss expressed a need for some of the younger grapplers to embrace an increased role.

“Some younger guys are getting valuable experience and I think they’re ready,” he said. “[Everyone] is doing a great job in training, but it needs to translate to the mat.

“We’ll see who steps up after this [loss].”

With Ivy League play opening against Princeton and Penn next weekend, the Crimson will look to those returning from injury and those in their first year to turn in more encouraging results.

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