High School

Bergen Catholic (New Jersey) wrestler Nathan Braun commits to Harvard

A three-time NJ medalist and two-time state finalist, Braun finished second in the state playoffs at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall last season, losing to four-time state title winner Anthony Knox in the championship bout.

John Beisser

Saint John Vianney’s Anthony Knox, left, wrestles Bergen Catholic’s Nathan Braun in the championship XX match during finals of the NJSIAA individual wrestling state championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 8, 2025. Saint John Vianney’s Anthony Knox is awarded the 126lb state championship title and is a 4-time state champion.
Saint John Vianney’s Anthony Knox, left, wrestles Bergen Catholic’s Nathan Braun in the championship XX match during finals of the NJSIAA individual wrestling state championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Friday, March 8, 2025. Saint John Vianney’s Anthony Knox is awarded the 126lb state championship title and is a 4-time state champion. / Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bergen Catholic High School junior wrestler Nathan Braun, a 2025 District 3 and Region I champion at 126 pounds, has announced his verbal commitment to Harvard University where he will compete on the Crimson wrestling team as a freshman in 2027-28, according to jerseywrestling.com.

A three-time NJ medalist and two-time state finalist, Braun finished second in the state playoffs at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall last season, losing to four-time state title winner Anthony Knox of St. John Vianney in the championship bout. In reaching the championship match, where he dropped an 18-4 decision to Knox, Braun first had to grind out a tough 4-2 semifinal win over Anthony DiAndrea of Watchung Hills.

Braun also reached the state finals as a freshman in the 102-pound division, a season that saw him compile an overall record of 20-3. As a sophomore, Braun went 14-2, finishing in third place in the state championship at 113 pounds.

He mainly wrestled at 132 pounds during his 2024-25 junior season but dropped to 126 in the state tournament specifically to gain a shot vs. Knox in the finals. He finished his junior season with a record of 23-7.

In 2026-27, Braun will enter his senior season at Bergen Catholic with a career record of 57-12.

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John Beisser
JOHN BEISSER

A recipient of seven New Jersey Press Association Awards for writing excellence, John Beisser served as Assistant Director in the Rutgers University Athletic Communications Office from 1991-2006, where he primarily handled sports information/media relations duties for the Scarlet Knight football and men's basketball programs. In this role, he served as managing editor for nine publications that received either National or Regional citations from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). While an undergraduate at RU, Beisser was sports director of WRSU-FM and a sportswriter/columnist for The Daily Targum. From 2007-2019, Beisser served as Assistant Athletic Director/Sports Media Relations at Wagner College, where he was the recipient of the 2019 Met Basketball Writers Association "Good Guy" Award. Beisser resides in Piscataway with his wife Aileen (RC '95,) a four-year Scarlet Knight women's lacrosse letter-winner, and their daughter Riley. He began contributing to High School On SI in 2025.

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