For often-overlooked NCAA champion Darian Cruz, it’s not about wins and losses
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by Gary R. Blockus, Special to TheMat.com
Darian Cruz of Lehigh in the 2017 NCAA Championships finals. Cruz seeks a second NCAA title as a senior. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.
Darian Cruz made a strange admission, but anyone who has followed his path to becoming the 125-pound NCAA Division I wresting champion knows how honest the senior from Lehigh really is.
He didn’t really care about making the 2017 NCAA finals.
The Allentown, Pennsylvania native said he was just happy making the semifinals against Iowa’s Thomas Gilman and becoming an All-American for the second time.
“The thing I really remember,” he said of the 4-2 win in sudden victory, “is I was getting ridden out in the second period, and I really didn’t care. I didn’t really want to win the match, if that makes sense. I was content with being in the semifinals of the NCAAs, but then there was one point where he got hit for locked hands, and it went to review.
“I walked over to my coaches, and I remember saying, ‘He’s not as strong as I thought he was.’ And then I said, ‘I’m going to get back out there and beat him.’ ”
Cruz couldn’t escape in the second, but scored a late takedown in the third, and then another at the start of overtime, to earn a berth in the finals.
“After that match, I was screaming at the top of my lungs, but the crowd was so loud I couldn’t even hear my own voice. It was awesome!”
Cruz earned a 6-3 win over longtime friend/rival Ethan Lizak of Minnesota, whom he wrestled against during elementary school competitions, for the national title.
Win or lose, the sun was always going to rise the next day for Cruz, a philosophy he’s taken again this season.
“I’m not putting an emphasis on wins and losses. Every match, whether it’s big or not, I’m just going out there to have fun, score points and do what I can to excite the crowd. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
The biggest thing he learned, he said, is that you can only put so much weight on winning a match.
“Win or lose, your parents are still going to love you, your coaches are still going to love you, so it’s all about not putting so much pressure on yourself. You’ll have a lot more fun when you do that,” he said.
This season, things have gone well. He wrapped up the dual meet season 22-0 heading into the EIWA Championships March 3-4 at Hofstra University and is shooting for his third straight EIWA title. And then it’s on to the NCAAs.
Despite the unbeaten record, Cruz did have one “exhibition” loss at the beginning of the season during the NWCA All-Star Classic in Princeton, losing 8-5 to Oklahoma State’s Nick Piccininni when the Cowboy wrestler countered a Cruz cradle attempt with a reverse and tilt for a six-point move.
Cruz called it a wakeup call and a good moment to see where he was physically and mentally at the time. And the world didn’t end.
That unofficial loss dropped him as low as fifth in one ranking. Cruz is now ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches Ranking. However, across the board, most of the other college rankings have Cruz at No. 2 behind Nick Suriano of Rutgers.
Cruz wasn’t worried about the rankings. Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro and his staff had Cruz focus on getting better with the goal of becoming a two-time NCAA champion.
“Coach Pat said something really important,” Cruz said. “He said, ‘The day you won the national title, your life changed forever. It will never be the same. No one can ever take it away from you.’
“That has taken the weight off my shoulders,” Cruz said. “It has helped me keep it cool and light this season. God forbid I get hurt today and never wrestle again, but I’ll still be a national champ.”
What’s also been different for Cruz this season is that his older brother Randy graduated.
Santoro said that while that brotherly presence is gone, it’s helped Darian evolve. Cruz has been working out with freshmen Nick Farro, Luke Resnick and Matt Parker, the brother of 133-pounder Scott Parker. Cruz said that seeing the Parkers interact gives him the same feeling he had when his own brother was on the team.
“Darian’s taken more of a leadership role and done a really good job working with the underclassmen,” Santoro said. “He’s really stepped up and he’s become a really good teacher. If he ever wanted to get involved in coaching, he’s going to be a phenomenal coach. He understands the game. He figures things out. He’s pretty creative.”
Once nationals wrap up, he has his sights squarely set on Tokyo 2020. He backed off freestyle to focus on collegiate wrestling, and begrudgingly took part in the World Team Trials to get his feet wet.
Santoro called Cruz almost immediately after Gilman took the silver medal at the world championships in Paris.
“Coach Pat called me and told me, “You have to train to be the best in the world. Imagine what level you can be at. You beat Gilman at the NCAA tournament. You’re capable of doing more.’”
Darian Cruz made a strange admission, but anyone who has followed his path to becoming the 125-pound NCAA Division I wresting champion knows how honest the senior from Lehigh really is.
He didn’t really care about making the 2017 NCAA finals.
The Allentown, Pennsylvania native said he was just happy making the semifinals against Iowa’s Thomas Gilman and becoming an All-American for the second time.
“The thing I really remember,” he said of the 4-2 win in sudden victory, “is I was getting ridden out in the second period, and I really didn’t care. I didn’t really want to win the match, if that makes sense. I was content with being in the semifinals of the NCAAs, but then there was one point where he got hit for locked hands, and it went to review.
“I walked over to my coaches, and I remember saying, ‘He’s not as strong as I thought he was.’ And then I said, ‘I’m going to get back out there and beat him.’ ”
Cruz couldn’t escape in the second, but scored a late takedown in the third, and then another at the start of overtime, to earn a berth in the finals.
“After that match, I was screaming at the top of my lungs, but the crowd was so loud I couldn’t even hear my own voice. It was awesome!”
Cruz earned a 6-3 win over longtime friend/rival Ethan Lizak of Minnesota, whom he wrestled against during elementary school competitions, for the national title.
Win or lose, the sun was always going to rise the next day for Cruz, a philosophy he’s taken again this season.
“I’m not putting an emphasis on wins and losses. Every match, whether it’s big or not, I’m just going out there to have fun, score points and do what I can to excite the crowd. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
The biggest thing he learned, he said, is that you can only put so much weight on winning a match.
“Win or lose, your parents are still going to love you, your coaches are still going to love you, so it’s all about not putting so much pressure on yourself. You’ll have a lot more fun when you do that,” he said.
This season, things have gone well. He wrapped up the dual meet season 22-0 heading into the EIWA Championships March 3-4 at Hofstra University and is shooting for his third straight EIWA title. And then it’s on to the NCAAs.
Despite the unbeaten record, Cruz did have one “exhibition” loss at the beginning of the season during the NWCA All-Star Classic in Princeton, losing 8-5 to Oklahoma State’s Nick Piccininni when the Cowboy wrestler countered a Cruz cradle attempt with a reverse and tilt for a six-point move.
Cruz called it a wakeup call and a good moment to see where he was physically and mentally at the time. And the world didn’t end.
That unofficial loss dropped him as low as fifth in one ranking. Cruz is now ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division I Wrestling Coaches Ranking. However, across the board, most of the other college rankings have Cruz at No. 2 behind Nick Suriano of Rutgers.
Cruz wasn’t worried about the rankings. Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro and his staff had Cruz focus on getting better with the goal of becoming a two-time NCAA champion.
“Coach Pat said something really important,” Cruz said. “He said, ‘The day you won the national title, your life changed forever. It will never be the same. No one can ever take it away from you.’
“That has taken the weight off my shoulders,” Cruz said. “It has helped me keep it cool and light this season. God forbid I get hurt today and never wrestle again, but I’ll still be a national champ.”
What’s also been different for Cruz this season is that his older brother Randy graduated.
Santoro said that while that brotherly presence is gone, it’s helped Darian evolve. Cruz has been working out with freshmen Nick Farro, Luke Resnick and Matt Parker, the brother of 133-pounder Scott Parker. Cruz said that seeing the Parkers interact gives him the same feeling he had when his own brother was on the team.
“Darian’s taken more of a leadership role and done a really good job working with the underclassmen,” Santoro said. “He’s really stepped up and he’s become a really good teacher. If he ever wanted to get involved in coaching, he’s going to be a phenomenal coach. He understands the game. He figures things out. He’s pretty creative.”
Once nationals wrap up, he has his sights squarely set on Tokyo 2020. He backed off freestyle to focus on collegiate wrestling, and begrudgingly took part in the World Team Trials to get his feet wet.
Santoro called Cruz almost immediately after Gilman took the silver medal at the world championships in Paris.
“Coach Pat called me and told me, “You have to train to be the best in the world. Imagine what level you can be at. You beat Gilman at the NCAA tournament. You’re capable of doing more.’”
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