After having to wrestle up a weight class, junior P.J. Jones faced the No. 1 and No. 4 wrestlers in the nation, Josh Lambrecht and Scott Barker, respectively. Jones lost both matches, the first by pin in 2:16 and the second 7-3.

Despite the excuses it could have employed, the squad felt that it could have put forth a better effort in Dallas.

“We’re pretty disappointed, even though we we’re facing some of the top teams in the country,” Jantzen said. “Going in we expected that we would give Oklahoma a better match. We also thought we could have beaten Northwestern and Missouri. Overall I think the team is pretty disappointed.”

Senior Pat O’Donnell (174 lbs.) nearly defeated Missouri’s Matt Turner, but fell 3-1 in double overtime. O’Donnell was close to scoring the crucial points in the sudden death period but lost when Turner scored back points.

“It definitely hurt the team, because he was close to turning it around and winning that match,” Jantzen said.

The losses have put a bitter taste in the Crimson wrestlers’ mouths as they head into the exam period.

The team is next in action on Jan. 24, when it faces its first EIWA opponent, Army (3-2). The following day, Harvard travels to Lehigh (4-3), a perennial league powerhouse.

The Mountain Hawks placed sixth at the Midlands Tournament, their strongest showing ever.

“We’re going to have to stay focused on our conference opponents now,” Jantzen said.

—Crimson staff writer Evan R. Johnson can be reached at erjohns@fas.harvard.edu.