Harvard Wrestling Tested by Top Competition in Las Vegas

The highly regarded 2025 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational yielded mixed results for Harvard wrestling this weekend, led by captain Jimmy Harrington’s gritty drive to an eighth-place finish at 157 pounds. The tournament exposed areas that the Crimson will need to shore up before heading into Ivy League competition.

Head Coach Jay Weiss mentioned that the tournament is a central focus of Harvard’s preseason training, measuring where the program stands against the nation's best. While the Crimson did not put multiple wrestlers on the podium, Weiss emphasized that many of the team’s matches were razor-thin against elite opponents.

“We had a lot of matches that were closely contested against highly-ranked guys, and we didn’t get the win,” he said. “But we’re getting there. We have to wrestle at that high level of competition and know that we can compete at that level.”

Harrington once again set the tone for Harvard, advancing deep into the 157-pound bracket before ultimately finishing eighth. The captain opened his campaign with promise, taking a dominant win in the round of 32 over Oklahoma’s Layton Schneider with a 10-2 major decision. He then edged out Northwestern’s Gunnar Myers 9-5 in the round of 16 before taking a tough loss to Iowa State’s Vinny Zerban in the quarterfinals. Finally, he managed a rebounding 2-0 win over Cal Poly’s Jagger French to secure eighth place and send him into the placing consolation rounds.

Weiss revealed that Harrington was not fully healthy heading into the tournament, having banged up his shoulder during warmups on Friday morning, and that he saw the effects of that injury on his matches throughout the first day. Harrington was medically withdrawn by his coach before the final rounds, a decision Weiss said was about protecting the team’s long-term goals.

“The next morning, it was my call,” Weiss said. “He couldn’t even warm up the second day, and he was going to go, but I just told him I needed him to heal up good for the second semester.”

Weiss mentioned that with several weeks without competition coming up in the team’s schedule, timing is working in Harrington’s favor and bodes well for the program’s hopes. The team is relying on the NCAA qualifier’s ability to consistently bring home wins for the team, especially in the dual season.

Beyond Harrington, two Harvard wrestlers reached Friday’s evening session but were unable to maintain momentum throughout the weekend. Senior 141-pounder Dante Frinzi logged two wins in the consolation bracket to continue advancing, while junior 165-pounder Joseph Cangro also recorded a consolation victory to stay alive for the day. While neither ultimately landed on the podium, their coach highlighted their competitiveness and ability to keep up with highly skilled opponents.

“We’ve gotten progressively better, which is a good thing,” Weiss said. “I think the bigger thing is that we’re knocking on the door now.”

A unique subplot of the weekend came from former Crimson wrestler Diego Sotelo, who now competes for Michigan. Weiss discussed his close relationship with his former athlete and their communication throughout the tournament, at which Sotelo took seventh place at 125 pounds and placed second overall with his team.

With junior captain Jack Crook returning to the line-up at 149 pounds and the expected addition of junior captain Coleman Nogle at 133 pounds for future competitions, Harvard now shifts its focus to its final upcoming tournament and a tough dual season in which it will need more athletes to rise to the occasion.

“When we switch to duals, that’s a big switch, and you’ve got team camaraderie, and that’s a different thing,” Weiss said. “That’s going to be interesting. I’m looking forward to it because we’ll have a strong team.”

The Crimson will compete next at the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29 and 30, hoping to make a mark before launching its dual season in January.