Wrestling Cruises to Win Over Hofstra in Home Finale

On Friday night, Harvard wrestling (8-4) stepped onto the mat to defend its home territory for the last time this season. The Crimson handled Hofstra (5-12) in commanding fashion, registering a 34-15 win over the Pride.

“We came in with a lot of momentum, a lot of positive energy, and we took it right to them,” co-captain Todd Preston said. “We knew that we had the chance to finish the season tying for most wins in Harvard wrestling history, and that was really special.”

Harvard nearly lost its footing three bouts into the meet, as Hofstra slowly closed in on the Crimson’s lead. The Pride’s near comeback was fueled by junior Frank Affronti and sophomore Cory Damiana, who notched points for Hofstra at 174 and 184, respectively. Affronti gained a decision over sophomore Josef Johnson in a tightly contested matchup, 5-4, to end the second-year’s two-bout win streak from last weekend.

“It’s always tough losing a match,” Preston said. “But, for him, if anything, it should be a confidence booster. He is right there in it with the best competitors in the country, and can wrestle with anyone. When it comes to conference time, he has a great chance of coming back in conference competition and upsetting some of these guys that beat him, and getting to nationals.”

The initial lead for the Crimson was established by sophomore Tyler Tarsi and senior Devon Gobbo. Tarsi earned a 4-0 decision against his opponent, putting Harvard on the board at the very beginning of the meet. The No. 19-ranked Gobbo matched this intensity in the following bout at 165, as he brought his opponent down by technical fall, 18-3.

“Devon is a leader on this team,” Preston said. “This year, he’s finally gotten his health back and been able to wrestle at his best, and just show out against his opponents, and it’s really exciting to see.”

Another dominating Crimson performance for the day came at the very last moment of the meet. In his last career match at home, co-captain Patrick Hogan won by major decision, 13-4, to cement the score at 34-15.

“He definitely capped of the dual meet season in style,” Gobbo said. “He had some great takedowns, and has been wrestling really well for us.”

Three bouts before Hogan’s commanding win, the Crimson almost relinquished the reins to Hofstra a second time. Freshman Nolan Hellickson, competing at 125 lbs, was down 6-0 at the very beginning of his matchup. Following this rocky start, the rookie managed to turn the tables completely, pinning his opponent for the win, and extending Harvard’s lead to 18-15.

“Turning it around like that.. it’s not an easy thing to do..” Preston said. “He has really done a great job for us this year, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what’s in store for him for the rest of the season and his career.”

Following Hellickson’s bout, senior Jeff Ott kept the trend going by notching a pin of his own against Hofstra’s Marcus Begay at 133.

“Jeff has honestly just been getting better and better with each passing week,” Preston said. “He had a really strong turn last night, and I think that’s going to be very big for him, and is going to serve as a big confidence booster going forward in this last part of the season.”

The Pride forfeited at 141, handing Preston his last victory at the Malkin Athletic Center. Next up for the Crimson is Eastern Collegiate Wrestling Association Championships in two weekends at Princeton. Preston and the rest of the Harvard seniors will have the opportunity to build off of the emotional high following their final home victory.

—Staff writer Jillian Dukes can be reached at jdukes01@college.harvard.edu.