Co-captain J.P. O’Connor devastated opponents at the Journeyman/Brute Northeast duals this weekend. The Oxford, N.Y.-native dropped his first-round opponent No. 4 Cyler Sanderson, 8-2, to move to 8-0 on the season and claim the No. 4 national ranking.

If the fall season is meant for practice, Harvard is getting plenty of it, going toe-to-toe with some of the nation’s best teams. Unfortunately for Crimson wrestling, it knows that top-tier competition comes with a price.

Harvard (1-2) returned to Binghamton, N.Y. and took down Sacred Heart, but fell in lopsided contests to No. 17 Penn State and Northern Iowa in the Journeyman/Brute Northeast duals yesterday. Although, the Crimson took its lumps in both defeats, Harvard coach Jay Weiss highlighted the learning aspect of challenging dual matches.

“Going up against guys like Penn State and Northern Iowa is good for us,” Weiss said. “There are things we need to work on, some glaring problems that we need to fix as a team, but we got better today, and we just need to keep plugging.”

In addition to welcoming tough bouts, Crimson grapplers also expressed excitement for the team’s potential in the dual season.

“I would say [dual format] is a strength [for us],” sophomore Walter Peppelman said. “Anytime the team comes together, working towards a common goal, how could it not be a strength?”

HARVARD 27, SACRED HEART 14

The Crimson earned its first win of the season in the squad’s final match of the day. After both teams had battled through two earlier contests, it appeared that Harvard had a bit more left in the tank to come away with a team victory. The Crimson overcame the Pioneers despite missing a number of wrestlers due to injury or ineligibility.

A failed skin test, torn knee ligament, and semester off from school sidelined three grapplers, but a frustrated Weiss also hailed the setbacks as an opportunity to give the squad’s young grapplers a look.

“Our dual team will look completely different next semester,” Weiss said, “but on the other side, we’ve got four or five freshmen in the lineup, which is great.”

Rookies Tony Buxton (141) and Steven Keith (125) were the only newcomers to come up with wins against the Pioneers, but Keith’s win by forfeit and Buxton and Peppelman’s back-to-back falls gave the Crimson a crucial 18-point boost. Peppelman (149) needed only six seconds to topple his opponent.

Along with strong performances from the squad’s youth, co-captain J.P. O’Connor (157) remained a stalwart for Harvard, extending his undefeated season with his third decision of the day. O’Connor just squeaked by the Pioneers’ Anthony Priore 6-5 but moved into fourth place all-time on the Crimson wins list after an 8-0 start to the year.

Sophomores Bryan Panzano (174) and Spencer DeSena (285) also notched wins in the contest.

NORTHERN IOWA 26, HARVARD 10

The Crimson led through five bouts but couldn’t come up with a win in the higher weights, as Harvard fell to the Panthers for its second loss of the day.

Despite big wins from Keith and O’Connor, as well as a major decision from Peppelman, Harvard dropped the 165 through heavyweight match-ups to turn a 10-9 edge into a lopsided loss.

After a disappointing end to the match, Weiss noted that the team would benefit from a bit of rest.

“We’re at the tail end of a big push [in training],” Weiss said. “[This week] we’ll take a little break…do a lot more film study, and come back fresh from it.”

NO. 17 PENN STATE 36, HARVARD 6

The Crimson found itself overwhelmed in its first match of the day, but No. 3 O’Connor boasted the most noteworthy bout. The Harvard co-captain produced a rare bright spot in the Crimson’s morning session, dominating what was billed as a close match-up between top-10 grapplers. Taking on No. 4 Cyler Sanderson, O’Connor cruised to an 8-2 decision.

“We were looking forward to that match…and it wasn’t even a close match,” Weiss said. “That [win] was huge. It just shows that J.P. is wrestling at the top of his game.”

Panzano also posted a strong effort—topping Michael Lorenzo in a tight 1-0 contest—but the rest of Harvard’s grapplers came up short against the Nittany Lions. Penn State earned three falls, one technical fall, and a major decision to put the match out of reach.

—Staff writer Max N. Brondfield can be reached at mbrondf@fas.harvard.edu.