Jeff Ott ‘09 wrestled his last match for the Harvard Crimson in the NCAA tournament this past March, capping an illustrious wrestling career that carried him from Fay to Belmont Hill and on to Harvard where he finished as a Team Captain. The Harvard team's strength on the mat is only bested by its academic prowess. The team boasts the highest GPA among all NCAA wrestling programs with a team GPA of 3.586 this year. Jeff has placed in the top six in his conference all four years, making the conference finals and NCAA tournament this year. He was named Academic All-American the last two years.

Looking back on his wrestling career, Jeff credits Fay and legendary Fay wrestling coaches Chips (Pliny Norcross) and Coach Leo (David Leonardis) with teaching him some valuable lessons about the sport. “ When I came to Fay, I just wanted to win and I didn’t have much grace in the way I handled myself on the mat,” recalls Jeff. “Coach Leo and Chips taught me how to carry myself. They emphasized shaking hands and being a gentleman. The single biggest lesson that I learned in my time at Fay was to carry myself with grace and to respect my competitors and the people around me.”

In his final year wrestling for Harvard, Jeff recorded the most pins for the team. After graduation, he is hoping to put his academic background in psychology and economics into practice in the consulting field. Unfortunately, his signature wrestling move, “The Ott Knot,” is one skill that he likely won’t be drawing on in the business world. The move, which his high-school wrestling coach named in his honor, would result in Jeff’s wrestling opponent trapped on his back unable to move. “I was the only one in the league that knew the move,” he recalls with a chuckle.