Helping O’Connor to make the transition is a handful of coaches and wrestlers with a wealth of international experience, including Harvard assistant coaches Muzaffar Abdurakhmanov—a three-time Uzbekistan National Champion—and Sean Harrington—who spent four years at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., after college.

O’Connor is also working with former Crimson wrestler Dustin Denunzio ’99 who served as an alternate on the national team after graduating from Harvard.

While O’Connor has learned a great deal from his mentors, he has also spent time doing some coaching himself. After flying all over the country to teach at wrestling camps last summer, O’Connor returned to Cambridge this fall to work with the Harvard wrestling team while he trains.

“To be honest with you, I’ve always loved helping other guys,” O’Connor said. “When you’re in the wrestling room, you can really feed off of each other… Also, it’s fun to be able to see how the other side of it works.”

But before O’Connor can think of settling into a coaching role, he still has some work to accomplish on his own.

“Priority number one is trying to make the Olympic team for 2012—and studying for the MCAT,” O’Connor said.

—Staff writer Martin Kessler can be reached at martin.kessler@college.harvard.edu.