The Bears’ (5-9, 0-5 Ivy) composure and consistency were on full display during their 22-18 Senior Day victory over Sacred Heart University (3-9, 0-4 EIWA) on Saturday. But the next day, they struggled to make up for an early trail and fell 26-16 to Harvard (6-6, 2-3 Ivy) after Crimson wrestlers outmatched them in the lighter weight classes.
Brown will look to keep their performances polished for the Ivy League Championships in March, with the team positioned for a shot at winning the league title in the higher weight classes.
Associate Head Coach Ty Walz told The Herald that the Bears knew the match against Harvard would be “tough,” given their strong lighter weight lineup.
But at Sacred Heart, “it was a fun one because we got to have our whole team be involved,” Walz said. “Everybody kind of played a part in making sure that that one was successful.”
On Saturday, the Pioneers started off with two pins at 125 and 133 pounds — but Khimari Manns ’29, ranked No. 32 according to NCAA’s Feb. 12 Ratings Percentage Index, gave the Bears their first paw raise at 141 pounds with a 4-1 decision victory against Sacred Heart’s John Hildebrandt. Despite frantic scrambles and shots, neither wrestler put together a takedown in the first two periods. Finally, in the third period, Manns came around to score a body-lock takedown and an escape from bottom to clinch the bout, adding to his promising first-year season.
“I wrestled the whole match completely,” Manns told The Herald. “I put seven minutes together, and that’s something that’s been hard for me this whole year.”
Up next at 149 pounds, No. 29 Austin McBurney ’26 brought the Bears a 7-3 decision win. Capitalizing on an ill-fated slide-by attempt, McBurney got his first takedown of the match. In the final seconds of the final period, McBurney scrambled on top after a lateral-drop attempt from Sacred Heart’s Dakota Asuncion went awry.
The Bears came back at 165 pounds as Max Norman ’29 shut out his bout with a 15-2 major decision. Using clubbing collar ties, Norman dominated with attacks from the front headlock across all three periods, widening the gap even more in the final period. He cleanly followed through on his tried and true game plan: “defending my legs, and then kind of wearing on the guy and getting to my snap offense.”
Drew Clearie ’26 at 174 pounds got his Senior Night win in overtime after hard-fought takedown attempts from both sides, leaving the score 1-1 at the end of the third period. Clearie maintained composure with fans’ eyes glued to the mat as the bout entered sudden victory overtime. A darting single-leg takedown after several convincing fakes contributed to Clearie’s 4-1 victory.
Bruno’s top-ranked wrestlers, No. 15 Andrew Reall ’28 and No. 14 Alex Semenenko ’26, cleaned out the final two weight classes with a decision and a pin in the second period, respectively. Semenenko pinned his opponent with a seemingly effortless footsweep, getting chest to chest for the clean finish.
Against Harvard on Sunday, the Bears got pinned in the first two bouts — and ultimately, Bruno failed to make up the point difference.
First-year starters Manns and Norman kept their hot streak with wins against Harvard. Manns found himself with a side bodylock several times during his bout with Harvard’s Dante Frinzi, and the Bear ultimately threw his opponent to his back in the final period. After putting together a single-leg takedown, Manns won the bout 9-2.
Norman lost a scramble early against his Harvard opponent in the first period, but the Bear stayed in the fight, finishing a single leg and escape point in the second period and racking up ride time in the third period to win the bout 5-3.
Nico Romero ’27 was forced to step up as an alternate a weight class above his own when the Bears did not have a starter at 174 pounds, but he ultimately faltered by technical fall.
The Bears’ “already thin roster continues to face the obstacles that division-one wrestling throws its way,” Walz said, adding that Clearie — who wrestles at 174 — withstood a minor injury following Saturday’s matchup with Sacred Heart. Clearie expects to fully recover by the Ivy League Championships, according to Clearie and Walz.
Reall dominated his bout — so much so that he let his opponent escape to create time for more takedown points needed to lock up a technical fall win. Semenenko won by technical fall as well, pouncing on Harvard’s failed shots and cutting around to the back to take down Crimson wrestler Daniel Bittner over and over again.
With ambitions of winning an Ivy Championship for the first time in the current coaching staff’s tenure, the Bears are now looking to remain rested and healthy.
Semenenko — a senior who is looking to make it to Ohio for NCAA nationals for the first time in his collegiate career — came just one match from qualifying the last two years. As his final opportunity approaches, “my time has to come now” he said.
“I like wrestling with pressure on me,” he said. “It makes me want to wrestle harder, compete harder and compete for my team.”
Walz emphasized that the weekend’s duels were a bridge to post-season championships — a higher priority for the team that Walz holds high hopes for.
“Nobody remembers how we wrestled Nebraska at the beginning of the year (or) how our duel against Hofstra went two weeks ago,” Walz said.
“It’s a preparation for Ivies,” he added. “It’s a preparation for the NCAA championships.”
Chiupong Huang is a senior staff writer covering sports.
