HOLDING ON: Princeton University wrestler Holden Garcia, right, battles Richie Grungo of Lehigh last Sunday at 174 pounds. Sophomore Garcia posted an 8-4 win over Grungo to provide a highlight as Princeton fell 30-9 to the Mountain Hawks. Princeton, now 2-5 in duals, starts Ivy League action by hosting Columbia on January 23 and then wrestles at Rider on January 25 in a non-conference matchup. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Justin Feil
Holden Garcia is anticipating the Princeton University wrestling team’s next match as much as anyone on the squad.
It’s not just that the Tiger sophomore has a little momentum on his side. It’s also that for the first time, he’ll be in the starting lineup in an Ivy League match for the Tigers when they kick off their league campaign by hosting Columbia on January 23.
“I’m excited,” said Garcia. “This is my first league season as a Tiger in the starting lineup. So that’s pretty exciting. And I know that there’s a couple of good guys at 174 for the Ivies so I’ll see them a couple of times and hopefully get some good wins and keep the momentum rolling.”
Garcia came to Princeton from Phillipsburg, but wrestled across the Delaware River at Notre Dame-Green Pond (Pa.). He ended his freshman campaign for the Tigers in 2023-24 with a 7-5 record at 165 pounds as he went 4-2 at the Princeton Open, 1-2 at the Midlands Championships, and 2-1 at the Franklin & Marshall Open before an injury forced him to take a gap year last season. He was cleared medically almost a year ago and worked out after that with the New Jersey Regional Training Center (RTC) team at Princeton.
“That was nice,” said Garcia. “I got to compete a couple of times. I got pretty close with Reece Humphrey, our RTC coach, Yahya Thomas, Quincy Monday — I trained with those guys. And that was great as well, a great experience being able to be with those guys.”
Garcia tried to take advantage of his unique opportunity. He didn’t want to fall behind due to the injury, and he used his time with the RTC group to stay sharp and gear up to take a step forward in his second college season.
“It was great for me mentally just to come back from the injury and be able to compete all the time and I think it helped me develop,” said Garcia. “It helped me kind of find my style again. For a little bit I was kind of a little lost maybe, but I think it really helped me find my style and develop my skills. Especially on my feet, Reece and those RTC guys really helped me develop on my feet and get stuff going there.”
Garcia lived with some teammates last year so that helped him stay somewhat connected to Princeton, but he looked forward to a return to school and the mats for the Tigers. He’s come on strong since the New Year with a win against Hofstra, a second-place finish at the F&M Open and then one of Princeton’s three wins in a 30-9 loss to No. 20 Lehigh on Sunday.
“It’s definitely nice to get some wins, maybe a little bit of momentum going my way,” said Garcia. “But every day is a new day, every match is a new match. So really just staying with that mentality and trying to do the right things every day that helps me progress forward. It’s not my goal. It’s somewhat of a goal to go undefeated in the Ivy season. But it’s not my end goal. My end goal is to make it to nationals, become that All-American, become that national champion.”
Garcia came in with those high expectations. Like most freshmen, it was a learning experience the first season but he never strayed from the drive to compete on a national level. He worked last year on shoring up some areas that are showing up this season.
“I’d say I’m a little more offensive,” said Garcia. “I’d hope to think that I’m better in the hand fight a little bit. It’s been a struggle for me after getting into college. So hopefully making people tired in the hand fight, a little more crisp on my attacks, getting finishes a little easier, and really just getting guys moving. And then also on bottom, I got ridden out quite a few times freshman year, and it’s something I’m still working on for sure, but I definitely think I’ve developed a little bit there as well.”
The work is far from over. He’s worked with Princeton head coach Joe Dubuque and assistants Cody Brewer, Anthony Ashnault, and Ryan Wolfe to progress toward his goals. They’ve had the opportunity to further his skills this year with his return to the team. They’ve been the driving force behind his improvements this year.
“I think coach Dubuque, coach Ashnault, coach Brewer, and coach Wolfe, they’ve all helped me tremendously, especially mentally just pushing me to keep on grinding regardless of what happens in a match or what happens in a practice,” said Garcia. “Just staying on me, telling me to stay consistent. I think they’ve been really helpful in that process and I feel like I’ve seen some improvement and I hope it stays that way.”
Garcia had to dig deep for his win Sunday. He trailed Lehigh’s Richie Grungo, 4-0, at 174 pounds as the second period wound down, but got a reverse to cut the deficit to 4-3. He felt positive about his chances going into the final period after that move.
“I knew momentum was kind of on my side after getting that takedown last second in the second,” said Garcia. “And then I knew I could go down and hopefully get a quick escape. And that’s what ended up happening and I kind of just worked from there. So pretty positive mentality going into the third.”
Garcia scored five more points to pull out an 8-4 win. It was a reward for his even keel attitude that keyed his approach all match.
“Just staying consistent, keeping on the same game plan that I had going in, just wearing on him, getting on his head, and just taking it second by second,” said Garcia. “Sometimes giving up points early maybe just opens up opportunities to let it fly later in the match. That’s kind of how I wanted to look at it. And I think it helped me open up a little bit maybe mentally and physically going out and getting that takedown the second period then.”
Princeton also got wins against Lehigh from 11th-ranked Eligh Rivera at 149 pounds and Rocco Camillaci at 157. It was a tough opponent for the Tigers, who will be tested in the Ivy season. They are 2-5 overall, but know where their focus needs to be.
“I think just being confident, kind of leaving this one in the past,” said Garcia. “I think we had some guys that wrestled tough, so just continuing to wrestle tough and solid, being consistent, is going to be a big thing coming into the Ivies. So just being consistent, doing the things that all the coaches show in the room, and just coming into practice every day, like I want to be there and excited mentality, and then come match day, it kind of just handles itself.”
Garcia is looking forward to his first Ivy match in the Princeton starting lineup. It will be another chance to continue to develop. Being in the starting lineup has given him gain more experience in a variety of scenarios.
“It’s kind of nice to know that I have that spot, at least for now for this year,” said Garcia. “Anything can happen, guys get hurt, people move weights and stuff but as of right now it’s kind of just nice to think that I’m the guy at ’74 and that’s kind of kind of exciting. I get all these opportunities to travel and wrestle in these cool dual meets and see the home environment and feel the home environment in Jadwin. So it’s pretty cool, but everything stays the same kind of. Nothing really changed from when I wasn’t a starter last year. The goal is still the same just to develop into the best person and best wrestler that I can be at the end of the day.”
Garcia continues to improve with each match. He’s been a welcome addition back to Princeton. His return has filled a spot in the lineup and he’s finding his groove just as the Tigers kick off the Ivy season.