When an NCAA referee last held aloft the arm of a Harvard wrestler, it was the fond, final farewell in the prolific career of Crimson standout Jesse Jantzen ’04, crowning him national champion at 149 pounds and Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament.

The senior’s departure signals a new dawn in Harvard wrestling, as a talented group of underclassmen led by sophomore heavyweight contender Bode Ogunwole look to prove themselves in the post-Jantzen era. With several holes to fill in the team’s starting lineup, the first weeks of the winter season hold in the store all the promise and uncertainty of a rebuilding effort.

“When you lose a national champion, obviously we’re going to feel that loss,” head coach Jay Weiss said. “But, on the flip side, Jesse raised the bar for this program.”

Jantzen continues to set an example for the team, joining the staff as an assistant coach.

“It’s great being able to work with him in practice,” junior captain Mike Baria said.

In addition to the legendary Jantzen, who went 38-1 in his triumphant senior season, and finished third nationally the two years prior, the 2004-2005 squad loses 197-pounder Reggie Lee, who graduated, and junior Max Meltzer, who is taking the year off.

The 141-pound Meltzer recently qualified for an eight-person U.S. team that will be competing in the Maccabiah Games in Israel this summer. That makes Ogunwole the lone remaining national qualifier from the four-person Crimson contingent that traveled to the NCAAs last March, and forces him to shoulder the bulk of the expectation for this year’s team.

Ranked 11th nationally in the heavyweight class, Ogunwole is coming off of an encouraging freshman year, in which he showed dramatic signs of improvement as he added experience. He managed to pick up steam as the season went on, culminating in a run to the final 12 at the NCAAs that left him just one point short of the quarterfinals and All-American status. On a team skewed towards its freshmen and sophomores, Ogunwole should provide, along with Baria, leadership to the novices.

“Leadership, that’s a good word,” Weiss said. “I want people to step up and carry a young team.”

Last year, Harvard finished with the 22nd rank in the nation, and wound up with a seventh-place finish in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA). This was largely based on the outstanding achievements of a few; the team as a whole struggled to a 1-14 record in dual meets on the season.

Weiss, however, thinks the disparity between the team’s paltry record and its ultimate ranking and success is more indicative of the way the coaches and wrestlers approach the four-month season.

“We want to wrestle our best in March,” Weiss said. “The record may not be there. But that’s how we train. It’s the process.”

After Saturday’s season-opening meet, the Cortland Invitational in New York, which featured several freshmen in their first collegiate action, Weiss is pleased with their development.

“We have a young team, which is exciting. Everything we do we’re getting better,” Weiss said. “A tournament you wrestle in [is the equivalent of] two weeks of practice time.”

In search of mat time, the team will participate in the East Stroudsburg Invitational this Saturday, before venturing to Las Vegas for a big meet two weeks after that.

The freshman group includes 149-pounder Dominic DeNunzio, younger brother of Crimson assistant coach and former star Dustin DeNunzio; Matthew Button (157); and Jonathan Butler (174)—all grapplers Weiss expects to contribute down the line.

“I’m very pleased with our young guys,” Weiss said. “We’re building something very strong that’s going to be here for a couple of years.”

Harvard will also receive a major boost from returning sophomore Robbie Preston, who missed last season while suffering from concussions, and the skill and tenacity he injects into the group at the 125-pound level.

“He’s healthy and ready to go,” Baria said. “He’ll be a really big addition for us.”

But Weiss acknowledges a slow and difficult road inevitably lies ahead for the green group.

“They have to hang in there and not get discouraged,” he said. “Because it will be discouraging. But I think we’ll be a hell of different team come February.”

Until then, the team will work towards improving itself, setting its starting lineup and ushering in the new nucleus of wrestlers that will each strive to replicate Jantzen’s epic title.