Wrestling competes in final duals of season

This weekend, the Columbia wrestling team will travel north to compete in its last two duals of the season against Harvard and Brown. Last weekend, the Lions beat Princeton 32-8 but lost to No. 19 Penn 19-13. Tonight, the Lions will face the Crimson at 7 p.m. in Cambridge. Harvard is 12-3 and is ranked No. 39 in the nation, with its 157-pounder Walter Peppelman—who is ranked No. 6 in the country—leading the pack. He will be a formidable opponent for Columbia’s Jake O’Hara, who is 2-1 in Ivy League action this season. Harvard dropped two matches last weekend against Hofstra (39-8) and against Brown (24-17). After Friday night’s match, the Lions will travel to Providence on Saturday to compete against Brown. The Bears, who are 1-8 this season, had their sole victory of their season against Harvard. Heavyweight Kevin Lester has led the Lions so far this season with 21 wins, is ranked No. 20 nationally in Amateur Wrestling News, and is No. 4 in the EIWA. 184-pounder Nick Mills, 157-pounder Jake O’Hara, and 165-pounder Eren Civan are all 2-1 in Ivy League duals and will be looking to improve their records in the last two matches of the regular season. Looking ahead, the Light Blue will travel to the EIWA Championships on March 5 in Lewisburg, Pa., for the post season. The action this weekend kicks off at 7 p.m. in Cambridge.