Harrington Battles Back to Reach NCAA Championships for Second Straight Year

Tri-captain No. 7 Jimmy Harrington will be Harvard wrestling’s lone representative at the 2026 NCAA Championships after earning an automatic qualifying berth with a fourth-place finish at the Ivy League Championships on Sunday at Columbia University’s Levien Gymnasium.

Harvard (6-6, 2-3 Ivy) finished last as a team with 70 points, well behind tournament champion Cornell (10-7, 4-1), which collected 132.5 points over the day. Second through fifth place were claimed by Columbia (11-3, 5-0), Penn (7-4, 2-3), Princeton (4-11, 2-3), and Brown (5-9, 0-5), respectively. This year marked the second consecutive Ivy League Tournament team title for the Big Red, led by four individual champions. This victory also came as an upset against the Lions, who boast the 2026 Ivy League Champion title.

Harrington, the Crimson’s most decorated wrestler this season, navigated an obstacle-laden path through the 157-pound bracket to secure his second trip to the NCAA Championships. The senior opened with a narrow 5-4 decision over junior Rocco Camillaci of Princeton before falling 4-0 to No. 6 junior Jude Swisher of Penn, who would go on to win the individual title and the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler honor.

“Obviously, the goal was to win the tournament, " Harrington said. “But after falling short, I knew I just had to continue to give my best attitude and effort and get the next best thing.”

That mindset carried him through the consolation bracket. Harrington defeated junior Ethan Mojena of Brown 4-1 to clinch his NCAA berth before falling 4-0 to No. 12 senior Kai Owen of Columbia in the third-place match and finishing in fourth place.

“I tried my best to treat it as any other match and not make the moment bigger than it had to be,” Harrington said, “It was gratifying but just another step of the larger goal at the end of the day.”

Harvard head coach Jay Weiss, who has led the Crimson for 32 seasons, said he wasn’t surprised to see his captain respond.

“Jimmy, he’s grown so much in the past four years,” Weiss said. “He went from competing in one competition as a freshman to a two-time NCAA qualifier and a top-20 wrestler, and he could basically compete with anybody. He’s grown in his leadership skills, his work ethic, and his coachability. It’s been a lot of fun watching his progression.”

At 157 pounds, the Ivy League received four NCAA allocations — the most of any weight class — meaning that Harvard’s Harrington, Columbia’s Owen, Penn’s Swisher, and Cornell junior Meyer Shapiro all earned spots at the 2026 NCAA Championships on March 19-21 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

While Harrington was the only Crimson wrestler to make it to the national stage, several of his teammates made an impact in their respective consolation brackets. Harvard junior Matt Walsh placed fourth at 184 pounds, beating both sophomore Xavier Giles of Princeton and Connor O’Donnell of Brown before falling to Penn’s Liam Carlin by injury default in the third-place match. Crimson junior tri-captain No. 33 Jack Crook concluded his season going 2-2 at 149 pounds, coming up with a dominant 17-4 major decision over Columbia senior No. 22 Richard Fedalen in the quarterfinals, then finishing off his day with a second 12-7 decision win over Fedalen to seize fifth-place.

Harvard sophomore No. 19 Logan Brzozowski, junior tri-captain Coleman Nogle, and senior Dante Frinzi also each claimed fifth-place finishes in their respective weight classes, all via fall. Brzozowski pinned Brown freshman Chase Yasutake in 1:49 at 125 pounds, Nogle picked up a fall over Brown freshman Douglas Shipers in 1:14 at 133 pounds, and Frinzi upset Brown freshman No. 32 Khimari Manns with a 37-second fall at 141 pounds to close his day with a statement win.

“These guys know that anytime you’re competing, you’ve got to give your best,” Weiss said. “They all had some tough losses that could’ve gone their way, and they came back and took fifth. We talk about that all the time. You’ve got to wrestle back and have pride.”

Crimson sophomore Hudson Skove and junior Daniel Bittner, competing at 197 pounds and 285 pounds, respectively, also placed fifth with decision wins in their consolation finals, while junior Joe Cangro reached the semifinals at 165 pounds before ultimately finishing sixth.

As a team, Weiss acknowledged that the Harvard squad left points on the table.

“We’ve definitely got to win these close bouts,” Weiss said. “We lost a lot of close bouts that I felt could’ve gone either way in a number of weight classes. That could’ve put us in a different position. It could’ve put our guys in a position to get to nationals.”

Harrington’s NCAA qualification caps a standout senior campaign in which he led the team with 19 wins and earned both Honorable Mention All-Ivy and Academic All-Ivy honors. When asked how he balances competing at this level while keeping up academically at Harvard, he credited time management and perspective.

“Balancing school and a strenuous wrestling schedule can be difficult,” Harrington said. “Being smart about how I manage my time, and practicing gratitude for all the cool stuff I get to do, whether on the academic side of things or wrestling, have been the key to success for me.”

Now, with his college career down to one final tournament, Harrington is focused on going out on his own terms.

“I think when I look back on my time as a Harvard wrestler, I want to be able to say I had a strong positive impact on the program and those around me,” Harrington said. “Going out and accomplishing my goals at the national tournament would mean the world to me, but when I think of legacy, being a great teammate and captain comes to mind first.”

Heading into Cleveland, Harrington said he plans to carry forward the excitement and wonder of last year’s debut, but with sharper confidence.

“Last year at the NCAA tournament, I felt so happy to be there that I didn’t feel nervous at all,” Harrington said. “That was a great headspace to compete in, and I hope to do the same this year, except bring a stronger sense of belief in myself and that I can beat anyone.”

Weiss echoed the seniors’ optimism.

“I like where Jimmy’s at for NCAAs,” the coach said. “His mindset was very good going into Ivies, his conditioning was great, his body held up. He’s in a totally different mindset this year than he was last year, and going to NCAAs is a big deal and gives you so much experience. He has that now, and I’m excited to see how that plays out.”

Crimson fans can catch the last action of this season by following Jimmy Harrington at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships. Coverage will air on ESPN+, ESPNU, ESPN2, and ESPN.

—Staff writer Rani J. Amin can be reached at [email protected].