ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP: Frosh Sets Sights On Title

The winningest freshman in the history of the Harvard wrestling program has his eyes set on one goal—becoming a national champion.

J. P. O’Connor accumulated 37 victories in his first collegiate season, placed fifth at the NCAA Championships, and became the first freshman in program history to earn All-American honors.

Named Freshman of the Year in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA), O’Connor also earned Second-Team All-Ivy honors and was the co-Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

“I attribute a lot of my success to the guys that I work with every single day,” O’Connor said.

The freshman’s historic season also included a 13-1 record in dual meets and a second-place finish in the EIWA Championships. In the EIWA finals, O’Connor faced top seed Jordan Leen of Cornell and lost a close 2-1 match.

In the third-place bout at nationals, he lost, 5-4, to top seed Dustin Schlatter before eventually capturing fifth place in a 6-4 decision.

“J. P. lost by one point against the returning national champ, so it just goes to show where he is at this point of his career,” head coach Jay Weiss said.

“I know where I stand right now among the nation’s best,” O’Connor said. “I know where to improve, and hopefully through that, I can rise to the top.”

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