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{shortcode-21cc3534b02e5a90dd1b6e61be0fe28423896a7e}s Harvard wrestling begins its 2025 season, the team’s upperclassmen have mostly taken center stage. Behind the scenes, though, the team is looking to the future — with one of its deepest and most accomplished freshmen classes in recent program history, boasting state titles and national rankings.
Head Coach Jay Weiss, now in his 32nd season, serves at the helm and is supported by assistant coaches Christian Monserrat, Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov, and Olympic medalist Bekzod Abdurakhmanov. The coaching staff hopes to build on the program’s reputation for developing high-character athletes who demonstrate discipline on and off the mat.
Under Weiss’s leadership, Harvard has produced multiple NCAA qualifiers and tallied many Ivy League upsets, including a memorable 20-18 dual meet victory over Princeton in 2023. The win over the Tigers served as a turning point for the team, as the Crimson has since added depth and built momentum. Weiss has quietly reshaped Harvard wrestling into a team capable of breaking through on the biggest stages, and recent Ivy League and tournament victories have showcased the program’s growing confidence.
This year’s six-member class brings competitive experience and drive, both of which the upperclassmen and coaching staff believe will help accelerate Harvard’s upward momentum, elevating its status in the tough world of wrestling.
Harvard’s class of 2029 punches into the Ivy League with a combined over 1,000 high school wins, eight state titles, two national rankings, and a USA Wrestling Championship under its belt. But championships alone don’t tell the full story. These freshmen come from small towns and big wrestling states, each with their own strengths and skills, and each confident about what they bring to the table for Harvard. The rookies arrived in Cambridge from around the country, all hungry for a chance to test their resolve in the new, higher level of competition that is collegiate wrestling.
The newest class of Harvard wrestling has been introduced to Division I life not with ceremony, but with intense bouts of conditioning and preparation alongside their experienced teammates. They have now completed the first few tournaments of their Crimson careers.
When freshman Robert Kucharczk talked about the transition to college wrestling, he did not only think about technique or conditioning, but also about his independence as a student-athlete on Harvard’s campus.
“Staying focused and getting in a good routine is the main thing I picked up on what’s super crucial for doing well in college compared to high school,” Kucharczk said. “Because I don’t have my mom and dad for support. I do have them, but it’s just not as close as when I’m at home.”
Kucharczk, a Virginia state champion, was hit early by Harvard’s workload. Classes, notorious problem sets, practices, and lifts all packed into days that felt too short left him feeling overwhelmed before the official season had even started. What helped, he said, was the support of the upperclassmen.
“The team captains, Jimmy, Jack, Coleman, they’re all great mentors to the entire team, but specifically Joe Cangro has been a really good mentor for me,” Kucharczk said. “Every now and then, checking in on me, asking how classes are going, how I’m adjusting to things, and that’s been really nice.”
Kucharczk came to Harvard expecting challenges. Luckily, his diligence in the classroom and on the mat has kept his confidence up for the approaching dual season.
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For freshman Wyatt Hepner, the transition to college wrestling started early. He traveled to Cambridge from his home state of Michigan over the summer and trained with teammates in the Harvard wrestling room, giving him an early feel for the team’s culture.
“Adjusting to this schedule, it’s definitely a lot of hard work,” Hepner said. “It’s also very calculated by the coaches, and learning to trust them and trust the process has been good.”
At competitions, Hepner is calm and methodical, focusing on keeping himself focused and physically ready to go out and perform for himself and for his team. He explained that coaches have emphasized going out to score some points, but also making sure to have fun.
Adding to the motivation and intensity of his teammates is freshman Robby De Haven, who arrived in Cambridge as a three-time Georgia state champion, USA Wrestling national champion, and owner of a 173-13 record — the kind of record that would put pressure on most freshmen to perform. But De Haven doesn’t seem overwhelmed. If anything, he feels energized by the chance to compete for Harvard and be a part of something bigger.
“If I can make it clear to the freshmen in the future that this team is bigger than us and our only job is to preserve it and improve it for the next generation, then that creates a cycle that won’t stop,” said De Haven about stewardship — a word he used to capture what the season and the team mean to him.
“And eventually, assuming that cycle continues and there are leaders every year, you’ll end up with something pretty special. And I think that’s the direction we’re heading,” he added.
De Haven’s transition has been physical as much as mental. Juggling shoulder injuries from his high school career and a broken foot since joining the squad at Harvard, his inability to compete alongside his teammates so far has not held him back from showing up for his team and practicing alongside them. He envisions a bright future for Harvard wrestling.
“The class of 2029 is the start of a new era for Harvard Wrestling,” De Haven said. “And that’s not done without the upperclassmen. The upperclassmen are who are molding us into what we’re going to be, but we’re a group of kids that are going to be at the top.”
Freshman Ben Smith is another wrestler who carries himself with a positive attitude and an abundance of gratitude for his team and for the opportunity to wrestle in an “H” singlet. He spent his offseason training with athletes who compete at the international level, sharpening his own skills before jumping into his collegiate career. After arriving on campus, he quickly found mentors to help ease his transition to Cambridge. Smith emphasized the sense of collective care amongst the team.
“I love all of them so much, and they’re so fun,” said Smith about his teammates and coaches at Harvard. “I know they love me too, and it feels a lot like a family.”
Also shaped by the people around him is Massachusetts standout Sid Tildsley, who’s found that the jump from four-time state champion to Division I freshman has been driven by routine and consistency.
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“I’ve wrestled my whole life,” said Tildsley about preparing for this next chapter. “My routine kind of stays the same, and you don’t really like to go away from what you’ve done your whole life.”
To Harvard wrestling, Tildsley brings local pride, technical excellence, and a competitive edge sharpened over years of postseason battles. The biggest adjustment for the Billerica, Mass., native has been learning how to warm up and compete without the cushion he had in high school, where early-round matches were not as taxing, allowing him to preserve more energy for later, bigger matchups.
“The theory is to wrestle in your warmup like it’s your first match, so then your first match is good,” said Tildsley, reflecting on how he keeps himself prepared for competition. “That’s what I try to really embrace and really go hard in my warm-up.”
His success before joining the Crimson has inspired faith in his coaching staff and teammates, and it’s possible that he may quickly rise to be a go-to guy for Harvard.
Joining him from Massachusetts is Lynnfield native Dylan Greenstein, who boasts a 134-14 high school record and is coming in ranked 16th in the nation. Joining a roster with strong New England ties, Greenstein’s presence helps anchor the team’s regional identity while adding national-level firepower as well. He rounds out the Harvard squad in the 285-lb class, with the potential to become a cornerstone of the lineup as the Crimson aims to solidify its heavyweights.
These freshmen’s early tests won’t be gentle. The Crimson face a demanding slate of opponents in the weeks to come, including the highly anticipated Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and an Ivy League dual season packed with opponents that have grown fiercer each year. For the rookies, these events are more than dates on a calendar — they’re proving grounds where reputations are built and seasons shift.
Individually, each of these freshmen brings something valuable, but together they represent the kind of class that programs don’t get every year: talented, disciplined, and fully bought into the culture that Weiss and his staff have built over more than three decades.
“You just got to get good people,” said Weiss about selecting his athletes. “Good people can make great wrestlers.”
Harvard wrestling’s freshman class isn’t just here to compete — they’re here to redefine what’s next.
