Harvard co-captain J.P. O’Connor came to the 28th Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational looking for revenge.

He returns to Cambridge as the fifth tournament champion in Harvard history.

“He has a tremendous desire,” Crimson coach Jay Weiss said. “He pulls matches out because he’s a competitor, and you can’t teach that.”

Earning major decisions in his first three matches, the 157-pounder pulled out last-second 5-4 victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals against Jesse Dong of Virginia Tech and Chase Pami of Cal Poly. For the senior, the victory against Pami—ranked No. 2 in the country—was particularly rewarding.

O’Connor had beaten Pami twice in the regular season last year, including in Las Vegas, but the Cal Poly wrestler won on the big stage in March, knocking O’Connor out of the national tournament and denying him the chance to earn All-American status for a third year in a row.

“I’ve been waiting a little less than a year to get a little revenge,” O’Connor said.

The co-captain faced off against Boise State’s Adam Hall in the final, defeating him in a 2-1 tiebreaker.

“In the final, I didn’t wrestle as well as I wanted to,” the senior said. “I was a little timid. But I got my hand raised. I’ve been in the finals three times before. It’s nice to finally get a win.”

O’Connor came into the tournament ranked third in the country, and his coach expects him to move to the No. 2 ranking after his performance this weekend.

For the co-captain, the victory is part of a campaign to win the National Championship this coming March.

“I consider myself the best in my weight class,” he said. “I want to win the National Title. I’m incredibly confident this year.”

The senior hasn’t been beaten yet this season.

“I’m really proud of him,” sophomore Walter Peppelman said. “I couldn’t ask for a better workout partner.”

Peppelman made some waves of his own with a sixth-place finish in the 149-pound division.

“He’s incredibly tough,” O’Connor said. “He goes out with a certain determination, a fire in his eyes that maybe I didn’t see last year. I couldn’t be [prouder] of the way he wrestled.”