Harvard Wrestling Falls to Columbia in Penultimate Dual of the Season

The Crimson wrestling team (0-7, 0-4 Ivy) fell short to host Columbia (4-7, 1-3 Ivy) Saturday, losing 32-8 in a dual that was much closer than the final tally would imply.

This was the first action for the Harvard squad since Feb. 2, when they lost back-to-back duals to Princeton and Penn. The Crimson knew it needed to clean up its performance on the mat to defeat the Lions, with both teams seeking their first league dual victories.

Despite very strong performances from Crimson freshman Logan Brzozowski and junior Jimmy Harrington, Harvard did not triumph at home.

The dual started with Columbia taking a 4-0 lead as sophomore Lion Sulayman Bah defeated Harvard sophomore and 125-pounder Isaiah Adams via major decision.

It wasn’t long, though, until Harvard stole Columbia’s lead.

In the 133 pound bout, Crimson sophomore Logan Brzozowski battled with Connor Smith of Columbia. Brzozowski got in on two early single-leg attacks. He was able to finish one of these takedowns then rode Smith out for the remainder of the first period.

In the second period, Brzozowski escaped quickly and took Smith down again to extend his lead to 7 points. After Brzozowski gave up a reversal late in the second, the remainder of the match was all Harvard.

Brzozowski dominated Smith in the third period with three additional takedowns. With the riding time point, Brzozowski went on to win the match via technical fall 21-6. This brought the team tally in Harvard’s favor 5-4.

In a post-dual interview, Brzozowski spoke about his third-period domination.

“Coaches told me before the match: just lay it on him,” Brzozowski said. “I just listened to my coaches and did what I’m told. [I] kept my head down, and kept it rolling — just keep scoring points. That’s it.”

The next match came in the 141-pound weight class, where Harvard junior Dante Frinzi would square off against Lion sophomore Lorenzo Frezza. Despite a hard-fought first period, and a stoic pinfall defense when he was caught in bad positioning, Frinzi went on to lose the match via technical fall 17-2.

The 149-pound bout featured sophomore Jaden Pepe for the Crimson. Pepe mounted a small comeback in the third period with a decisive takedown, but it was too little too late, as he would go on to fall via decision 8-3.

Other than the Brzozowski victory, Harvard’s only other individual win came in the 157-pound weight class. Crimson junior Jimmy Harrington dominated for the first two periods — and fended off enough upper-body wrestling in the third period that the match could’ve easily been mistaken for Greco-Roman style — on his way to a 4-1 victory via decision. The Crimson bench exploded after this Harrington victory — though it was the last win for Harvard on the day.

The next three matches went technical fall, major decision, and again technical fall in favor of the Lions, as Harvard seniors 165 pounder Cael Berg, 174 pounder Alex Whitworth , and 184 pounder Luke Rada all fell to their respective Columbia opponents. Columbia led to dual 26-8, thanks to bonus points earned from the technical falls and major decision.

The final two matches of the day were losses for Harvard, though they were highly competitive. In the 197-pound weight class, freshman Hudson Skove of Harvard fell just short of his comeback bid against Columbia’s Joe Curtis. A takedown in the third period left Skove behind by only 3 points, but even with legs in, Curtis was able to fend off any turn from Skove and Columbia nabbed the victory via decision 8-5.

The heavyweight bout ended similarly, with Crimson senior Jeffrey Crooks hunting for a match-tying takedown in the third period. Though he was able to get in on a leg, Ryu of Columbia fended off the attack and won the match 6-3.

In all, Columbia defeated the banged-up Crimson squad 32-8.

Harvard head coach Jay Weiss commented on his focus heading into the final dual meet of the year on Feb. 21, when Harvard will host Brown.

“I want to focus on this season first,” Weiss said. “I’m not looking ahead because I know we’re going to be better.”

“I want them to be ready to compete in our first Ivy Tournament,” he added. “I want them to understand this is what we train for. This is why when we do our training cycle. Everything is designed for us to compete at the highest level right now. That’s all I’m focused on right now. After the NCAAs, we turn the page, but right now we need them to be 100% ‘this-is-what-I-gotta-do.’”

Weiss also noted the potential his young roster possesses.

“I really wish my guys would believe in themselves half as much as I do,” he said. “I’m trying to get them to come up through that level because I think they’re good and they need to know that.”

After finishing the regular season next weekend, the Crimson will begin its postseason campaign with the inaugural Ivy League Championship on March 9 in Princeton, N.J.

– Staff Writer Jude L. Stafford can be reached at jude.stafford@thecrimson.com