In the semifinals, Young defeated Keith Smith 6-3 on a pair of takedowns and a reverse.

Harvard’s other freshmen, Meltzer and Baria, also showed promise.

In what was generally regarded as the toughest weight class, 133 pounds, Meltzer scored a couple of falls en route to a fourth place finish.

Baria’s success was an exercise in perseverance. In the first round, he found himself on his back early, pinned by Del Val College’s Barry Wise.

“I felt pretty good, but I got caught in a move in the first minute and he pinned me,” Baria said. “I was disappointed, because I knew I was better than that, but [Coach Weiss] just told me start my day over the next match.”

Baria won five consolation victories in a row to set up a rematch with Wise.

“I went out there excited because I wanted to prove to myself that he wasn’t better than me,” Baria said.

Baria dominated the rematch and was leading 7-1 when he pinned Wise in the second period. Baria lost his final match 3-2 to Chris Smith.

The team’s main goal right now is to get healthy, but with strong performances from freshmen and veterans alike, the Crimson is optimistic about its chances at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in December.

“This tournament was a great way for us to measure our team’s progress,” O’Donnell said. “For our first tournament, it was very promising.”

—Staff writer David A. Weinfeld can be reached at weinfeld@fas.harvard.edu.