Four of Harvard’s most successful wrestlers last season competed in the University Nationals hosted by Northwestern University last weekend, driven by the zeal to improve their skills on the mat even in the off-season.

Looking to use this opportunity as a springboard going into next season, junior tri-captains Bode Ogunwole and Max Meltzer, junior Robbie Preston, and sophomore Bobby Latessa all competed in the tournament, which served as the qualifying event for the World University Championships, where wrestlers face some of the world’s best competition. Finalists in the tournament also qualified for the Senior World Team trials in Sioux City, Iowa.

“It’s a freestyle tournament,” Preston said. “Not all of the kids from college participate in it, but the ones who want to get better usually do.”

Preston, who wrestled at 132.25 lbs., placed fourth in his weight class even though he lost his first match of the tournament and had to wrestle in the consolation bracket the rest of the way.

Ogunwole, wrestling at 264.5 lbs., finished with a 4-2 record and finished seventh. Meltzer (145.5 lbs.) finished 5-2, and in fifth place. Latessa (163 lbs.) also finished 5-2, but did not place.

After a season in which the Crimson finished third in the Ivy League behind undefeated Cornell (5-0) and Penn (4-1), Harvard wrestlers are looking to reach a higher level of competition for next season. Outstanding individual performances for the Crimson last year clearly demonstrated the potential of its starting lineup.

Ogunwole finished the year with a record of 32-8 and placed sixth in the NCAA Championships. Preston finished with a record of 21-7, and Meltzer, after coming back from an injury that kept him out of the first half of the season, finished 16-5.

The University Nationals brought together collegiate, former collegiate and high school wrestlers, and is an important event for Olympic hopefuls.

“The winner of this tournament gets to represent the United States in Mongolia,” Coach Jay Weiss said. “Some of the guys are better at freestyle than others, but if they want to train, it’s always a good thing. Wrestling in the off-season always helps, and when there’s a little change, people get better that way.”

“It’s a different style of wrestling from the regular college [style],” Preston said. “It’s the Olympic style and it’s hard to explain without it sounding too complicated.”

Basically, in addition to scoring differences, there are scoring opportunities in the Olympic style—such as pushing an opponent out of bounds—which do not count in college tournaments. The individual matches are decided by best of three contested periods.

Preston, who lost on a technical fall in his first match, went on to win three matches by technical fall and three matches by decision in the consolation rounds. He also had a win due to an injury default. In the third place match, Preston lost after being pinned in the third period after suffering a concussion.

Meltzer, after receiving a bye in the first round, won four straight matches to get into the semifinals before losing in a decision to Andy Simmons of the Michigan Wrestling Club, 2-6, 2-0, 0-5. In his first consolation match, Meltzer was pinned in 1:03 in the final period, but then won the fifth place match in a decision.

Ogunwole won his first two matches by decision and by pin, but lost in the quarterfinals. In the consolation matches, Ogunwole won by decision over Bubba Gritter of the A-TEAM, 1-0, 4-0, before losing to Ed Prendergast of the Naval Academy Wrestling Club. In his last match of the tournament, Ogunwole secured seventh place in a decision win, 2-0, 1-0.

Latessa won four straight matches to enter the quarterfinals, but lost to Matt Gentry of the Sunkist Kids in a decision, and then lost in his first consolation match 0-5, 0-1.

“[Participation in the University Nationals] is encouraged by the coaches,” Preston said. “But it’s also an individual decision. Everyone that came out dedicated themselves to getting better. There’s no one on this team that’s satisfied with the way the season went. It’ll be a good stepping-stone for next year.”





—Staff writer Tony Qian can be reached at tonyqian@fas.harvard.edu.