CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard University wrestling closes the 2021 calendar year at the MatMen Open hosted by Illinois Matmen at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., from Wednesday, Dec. 29 to Thursday, Dec. 30, squaring off against over 20 other schools, including 10 ranked teams, at the event.

How to Follow

Live Video: Illinois MatMen Rokfin
Live Results: Tournaflex
Yearbook: Harvard Athletics Winter Yearbook 2021-22
Twitter: @HarvardWrestlin | #GoCrimson | #OneCrimson

What to Know

• Following the cancelation of the Midlands Championships, Harvard will feature as one of the over 20 schools at the MatMen Open in a field that features 10 ranked teams. Based on Intermat's team tournament rankings from Dec. 22, the tournament includes 10 top-25 teams – No. 3 Michigan, No. 15 Rutgers, No. 19 Wisconsin, No. 25 Purdue, No. 17 Princeton, No. 24 North Carolina, No. 13 Pittsburgh, No. 23 Northern Iowa, No. 20 Illinois, and No. 16 Cal Poly.
• Competition begins on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 11:00 a.m. ET (10:00 a.m. CT) with a first session that includes the first round of the championship brackets. Session two starts at 7:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. CT) featuring the quarterfinals alongside wrestleback competition.
• Day two begins on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 11:00 a.m. ET (10:00 a.m. CT) with a session three that includes semifinal, consolation, and seventh-place matches. The tournament concludes with session four at 6:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. CT) with first, third, and fifth-place matches.
• When Harvard at Midlands during the 2019-20 academic year, three Crimson placed at the event including then first-year Yaraslau Slavikouski who came in fourth at 285 pounds and then first-year Philip Conigliaro who finished fifth at 165 pounds.
• In the rankings from Intermat from Dec. 14, junior Yaraslau Slavikouski ranks at No. 12 at 285 pounds, sophomore Philip Conigliaro stands at No. 14 at 165 pounds, and sophomore Joshua Kim sits at No. 29 at 174 lbs.
• Sophomore Joshua Kim leads the team with nine wins on the season while both junior Beau Bayless and sophomore Philip Conigliaro have tallied eight wins apiece. First-year Nick Marcenelle paces Harvard with three falls on the season.
• At the 2021 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 3-4), junior Yaraslau Slavikouski placed second at 285 pounds, and sophomore Philip Conigliaro finished sixth at 165 pounds to lead Harvard. Conigliaro placed at CKLV for the second time in his career.
• Junior Yaraslau Slavikouski earned EIWA Wrestler of the Week honors on Dec. 8 after placing second at 285 pounds at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Slavikouski won four straight matches, including a victory over top-seeded Tate Orndorff of Ohio State in the semifinals, to reach the first-place match prior to an injury default in that contest.
• Sophomore Philip Conigliaro won the 165-pound title to lead a group of eight Harvard placers at the Keystone Classic on Nov. 21 at The Palestra. The Crimson totaled 34 wins on the day, including eight bonus-point wins with seven student-athletes placing fourth or better. Harvard tallied one champion, three third-place finishers, three fourth-place performances, and a seventh-place showing among its placers.
• At the Keystone Classic, sophomore Philip Conigliaro paced the Crimson with his 165-pound championship, finishing the day with an undefeated 4-0 mark. Harvard's third-place finishers included junior Beau Bayless at 125 pounds, sophomore Joshua Kim at 174 pounds, and sophomore Nick Marcenelle at 197 pounds. The team's fourth-place finishers included senior Lukus Stricker (149 pounds), junior Trevor Tarsi (157 pounds), and sophomore Leo Tarantino (184 pounds).
• Competing for the first time since March 7, 2020 – a span of 617 days – the Crimson posted a 36-21 overall record at the Journeymen Classic in its season opener on Nov. 14 with 13 bonus-point wins, including eight falls. Harvard tallied five pool champions and six pool runner-up finishes.
• At the Journeymen Classic, sophomore Joshua Kim took first place in pool A at 174 pounds behind a 3-0 record. First-year Kenny Herrmann came in first in pool C at 141 pounds with a 3-0 mark, and sophomore Nick Marcenelle claimed first place in pool B at 197 pounds behind a 3-0 record. At 184 pounds, first-years Dom Mata and Luke Rada won pools C and E respectively with 3-0 marks.
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At the Helm

The David G. Bunning '88 Head Coach for Harvard Wrestling and a two-time EIWA Coach of the Year, Jay Weiss has mentored two national champions, 17 EIWA champions and 19 All-Americans during his 27 years at the helm of the Crimson.

Next Up

Following the MatMen Open, Harvard opens the 2022 calendar year at the Franklin & Marshall Open (Jan. 7) before beginning its dual season with home matchups against Bucknell (Jan. 14) and Sacred Heart (Jan. 15).