Freshman Jason De Lierre, junior intercollegiate No. 22 Asher Hochberg and freshman Mihir Sheth took four games to win in the sixth, seventh and eight positions, respectively.

“Sometimes, you worry when a guy has a lapse,” Whitman said. “But then, when he gets his act together, sometimes it makes you feel better about it because rolling over someone doesn’t prove to me or to anyone who’s watching that you know how to gather your thoughts and start all over again.”

The combination of the rust Harvard accumulated over its nearly two-month layoff for winter break, reading period and finals and its surprise at Dartmouth’s strength made the match somewhat tougher than it otherwise might have been.

“They’re much improved from last year—as are we,” Whitman said. “I think that we were surprised by how much they’ve improved.”

“[Right after the break is] always a tough time for us,” Bajwa said. “I can never really judge it. Every season, this is our worst week.”

Still, the Crimson never became too concerned.

“In general, these guys aren’t as skilled as we are, so the challenge is to keep your focus through a match like this,” Whitman said.

The match also served as a tune-up before Harvard’s showdown with five-time defending intercollegiate champion Trinity in Hartford tomorrow.

“An efficient match today means a focused match on Saturday,” Whitman said.

—Staff writer Alan G. Ginsberg can be reached at aginsber@fas.harvard.edu.