The Crimson was more competitive in New York, winning three bouts and dropping two others by slim margins, but the Lions (8-10-1, 2-3) emerged victorious after a strong showing in the smaller weight classes. Kyle Gilchrist (125) handed freshman Steven Keith a rare loss, edging the rookie, 4-3. Columbia followed with a fall and technical fall in the next two bouts, putting Harvard on its heels. But the Crimson responded and nearly salvaged the match with consecutive wins from rookie Paul Liguori (149) and O’Connor. Liguori built a 7-2 lead early on and held on for the 9-8 decision. O’Connor, meanwhile, had little trouble dispatching the Lions’ Jake O’Hara with a fall in 2:52.

With the team score at 14-9, Harvard had legitimate hopes of a comeback.

“The match against Columbia was a typical one,” Weiss said. “It could have gone either way.”

But, in the end, it was not the Crimson’s day, as the Lions rattled off four wins in the remaining five bouts, conceding only a forfeit to Caputo. Other than sophomore heavyweight Spencer Desena, who came up short in a 6-3 decision, none of the contests were closer than 10 points.

Yet following the difficulties of league competition, Weiss showed excitement for the transition to individual work, as his co-captains lead the charge into the postseason.

“Now that guys are done [with team matches] they can make a big jump,” the coach said. “Right now is an exciting time for Harvard wrestling. We have two shots at a national title.”

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