Despite gaining a 6-0 lead when the Crimson were forced to forfeit the opening weight class, 125 pounds, Columbia fell behind early and actually trailed, 10-6, after four bouts. The margin could have been larger, but first-year Nick Standish, wrestling at 141-pounds, lost by just 9-1 to Corey Jantzen, one of the nation's top-ranked high school wrestlers last season, and senior Anthony Constantino wrestled an outstanding match at 149 pounds, losing a 5-1 regular decision to second-ranked JP O'Connor.
Sophomore Matt Dunn brought Columbia into a 10-10 tie when he won a 17-7 major decision over Craig Carpenter at 157. Dunn improved his season won-loss record to 18-10. Fellow sophomore Victor Mocco then put the Lions into a lead they would not relinquish when he wrestled a textbook match in beating Michael Sadler, 11-3.
Leading by 14-10, the Lions quickly saw their lead improve to 20-10 when first-year Travis Creagan shocked Patrick Ziemnik with a fall in just 2:16. The Crimson made a strong push, thanks to sophomore Fred Rowsey, who won a 14-1 major decision over Mike Pushpak at 184 pounds.
Harvard was within hailing distance at 20-14, but the Lions' upper-weight men, Nick Sommerfeld and Lou Miller, quickly sealed the victory. Sommerfeld, one of eight seniors recognized before the match, fought a taut battle with fellow senior Bill Colgan. Sommerfeld scored only one point during the bout on a third-period escape, but amassed 1:51 of riding time for a 2-0 victory.
Miller, a sophomore who joined the team in midseason after playing football in the fall, made an early takedown stand up in a 3-1 victory at heavyweight over Andrew Knapp. That made the final score 26-14, delighting the Homecoming crowd that had braved a major snowstorm to see the match.
"It's always great to win on Homecoming," noted Brendan Buckley, the Andrew F. Barth Head Coach of Wrestling. "We got a big lift from Victor Mocco, Travis Creagan, and Lou Miller. This is Victor's first year as a starter, and the first time that Travis and Lou have wrestled on a college level. They looked great."
Columbia will complete its dual-meet season with another key Ivy League match tomorrow (Saturday, February 23) when the Lions host the Brown Bears in University Gym. The match begins at 2 p.m.
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