Busy Weekend on Tap for Wrestling
Harvard will wrestle three dual meets this weekend including a pair at home in the MAC (Gil Talbot).
The Story Line
The Harvard wrestling team will compete three times this weekend
when it takes to the mat against Brown, Boston University and No.
12 Lehigh. The Crimson will first travel to Providence, R.I. on
Saturday, Feb. 11 to face the Bears at 1 p.m. before returning to
Cambridge to host BU at 7 p.m. in a battle for the Charles Cup.
Harvard will welcome the Mountain Hawks into the Malkin Athletic
Center on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 12 p.m.
Rank and File
The Crimson fell out of the Intermat tournament strength rankings
top 25 for the first time since January 18 after posting a 1-1
record last week against Penn and Princeton. Despite the drop
in the team rankings, the Crimson still have three student-athletes
featured in the individual rankings.
157-pounder Walter Peppelman moved down four spots to No. 8 after going 1-1 against the Quakers and Tigers. Peppelman posted a 5-2 decision over Penn's Troy Hernandez to run his win streak to 10 matches, but was taken out by Princeton's Daniel Kolodzik, now ranked 16th, 9-1 in the nightcap. The junior boasts an 18-4 overall record on the year with eight falls and four major decisions.
Corey Jantzen, who was out of action last weekend, moved up one spot to No. 7 at 149 lbs. The senior is 7-2 on the year since returning from injury, with two wins over opponents ranked in the top eight.
Steven Keith remained as the No. 12 grappler at 133 lbs. after picking up a pair of wins last weekend. The junior opened up with a 6-2 decision over Bryan Ortenzio of Penn, currently ranked No. 14, and earned a 10-0 major decision against Princeton's Christopher Perez. Keith is 24-6 on the year and has earned four wins over top 15 opponents.
Projected Lineups
|
Wt. |
Harvard (5-6, 2-4 EIWA) |
vs. |
Brown (6-6, 2-4 EIWA) |
|
Wt. |
Harvard (5-6, 2-4 EIWA) |
vs. |
BU (12-5, 1-4 CAA) |
|
Wt. |
Harvard (5-6, 2-4 EIWA) |
vs. |
No. 12 Lehigh (9-5, 4-1 EIWA) |
Charles Cup
Harvard and BU will battle for the Charles Cup on Saturday and
bragging rights between the only two Div. I wrestling programs in
Massachusettes. The two teams began competing for the cup in 2010
and the Terriers have laid claim to it each of the last two
years.
Mic'd Up
Jay Weiss, the David G. Bunning '88 Head Coach for Harvard
Wrestling, was wired for sound when the Crimson hosted Army in its
home opener Jan. 28.
Streaking
Senior co-captain Walter Peppelman won 10 straight
matches from Jan. 6 to Feb. 4, and won the first nine of those
bouts without allowing a single point. He opened the streak with
six consecutive first period falls and tacked on two major
decisions for good measure.
Infusion of Youth
Harvard's lineup features eight freshmen, four of which
have been fixtures in the starting lineup. 197-pounder James Fox
has burst onto the scene with an 18-10 record, and was ranked No.
27 in the second of three coaches' panel rankings released by the
NCAA. David Ng has carried the load at heavyweight all season long
to the tune of an 8-13 record, while Josh Popple has posted a 6-4
record at 174 lbs. since returning to the lineup after missing the
fall semester due to injury. Joe Barbato and Max
Mejia have split time at 125 lbs. and have combined for a 4-13
mark.
What a Start
Harvard went 3-1 to open the dual meet portion of its
schedule, marking the team's best start to a season since going 5-1
in 1995-96. The Crimson defeated Rider, 22-15, before falling at
No. 24 Rutgers, 33-12, and then posted victories at Millersville,
43-0, and Franklin & Marshall, 29-12.
At 5-6 on the year, Harvard has matched the program's highest win total since the 2002-03 season when it went 6-7-1. The Crimson's two wins in the EIWA also match the program's highest total since posting a 4-1 conference mark in 2000-01.
Shut 'Em Down
The Crimson posted a shutout at Franklin & Marshall,
dominating the Diplomats to the tune of 43-0. This was Harvard's
first shutout since defeating Boston College 31-0 on Feb. 9, 2002
at the MAC, while the team's 43 points scored were the most since a
50-0 win at home over Columbia on Feb. 9, 2001.
Twice As Nice
Harvard earned EIWA Wrestler of the Week honors in back-to-back
weeks in the form of Corey Jantzen
(Jan. 9) and Walter Peppelman (Jan. 16). Jantzen garnered his
second career wrestler of the week accolade after going 4-0 in his
return to the Crimson lineup, including a 7-4 tiebreakers decision
over then unbeaten and third-ranked Mario Mason of Rutgers.
Peppelman went 3-0 at the Lone Star Duals to earn the award for the
first time in his career with a pair of pins and a 2-0 decision
over Oklahoma's Matt Lester, currently ranked No. 15.
Free Fallin'
Senior co-captain Walter Peppelman currently ranks fourth in
Harvard history with 24 career pins, and is one shy of tying Joey
Killar '00 for third place. His 81 career wins, meanwhile, put him
five short of entering the school's all-time top 10.
On the Podium
The Crimson competed in four tournaments to being the year and put
a total of 15 grapplers on the podium. Six Crimson placed at the
Binghamton Open, led by Walter Peppelman and Steven Keith who each
took third. Peppelman earned the first tournament title of his
career as seven Harvard wrestlers placed at the Keystone Classic,
while both Keith (3rd) and freshman James Fox
(7th) stood atop the podium at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas
Invitational. Keith also took eighth at the Midlands Championships
to lead a contingent of four Crimson who competed in the
tournament.
