To be an All-American Division I wrestler, an athlete must place in the top eight of the country. As an incoming freshman, Darian Cruz ’18 feared his All-American dreams might not be realized.
“My freshman year, I had no top-20 wins. I had as many losses in the first month of the season as I did my entire high school career. I was a big recruit coming out of high school, but a lot of people didn't have me picked to really do anything at the NCAA tournament at the end of the year.”
As a freshman starter for the team with ambitions to graduate in four years, Cruz struggled to adjust to the demands of a collegiate athletic schedule while also meeting his academic goals. “I got my butt kicked a bunch,” he remembers.
He credits the support system at Lehigh with guiding him through it all. “It just goes to show the type of people that are here and how they believe in your dreams. It’s why I have the mentality that I do.”
Coaches Pat Santoro, Brad Dillon ’04, and John Hughes persistently reminded Cruz of his abilities, helping to keep him driven despite the challenges he was facing. “They knew that the type of season I was having was kind of rough, but every day they would preach, ‘You're going to be an All-American this year. You have to believe in yourself.’ And every day and every competition we had, whether it was win or lose, they made sure to keep [that message]. Fast forward to the end of the year, I ended up beating four guys that were top ranked when I hadn't had a single top-20 win all year. I ended up getting seventh place as a true freshman. That hadn’t been done here at Lehigh since 1980.”
Larger Lessons
Experience has taught Cruz that success isn’t a vertical line.
“One thing that I learned [at Lehigh] is that everyone encourages you to struggle well. It’s a phrase I learned young, and I think that rings true.” Cruz says it was a lesson he has learned beyond wrestling wins and losses.
“Academically, I wasn't the highest on the index. I remember calling my parents crying a whole bunch not knowing if I was going to pass, but they encouraged me to lean on my resources.”
Cruz acknowledges the coaches, professors, and administrators who contributed to his evolution at Lehigh. “They really challenge you in all areas of life: academically, athletically, socially. They taught me how to hold myself accountable and that people around here are going to hold you accountable. It's not personal; they just care for you. I think that's one thing you see in all areas of the university.”
Ready to Compete
As a child, Cruz always had competing in the Olympics in the back of his mind.
“I was trained by Bobby Weaver [’83]. I remember seeing that Olympic medal at a young age and it was just an idea. Being young, you kind of can't comprehend what all that really means.”
Reality kicked in for him at the Olympic Trials in Acapulco, Mexico, in March 2024. Wrestling for Puerto Rico, Cruz beat Zane Richards from the United States to qualify for Paris 2024.
“After I won my qualifying match, I remember I was so excited. I compared it a lot to winning a national title for Lehigh out in Saint Louis,” Cruz says. “Only 16 [wrestlers] in the world every four years qualify for the Olympic Games.”
“Right there and then was when I was like, ‘Holy crap. We're going to be in the Olympics.’ I think that's when it became reality for me, and it's always been a dream growing up.”
No Regrets
Cruz had the honor of competing for the bronze medal in Paris, finishing fifth.
“It was electric there. I had about 50 of my family and friends and teammates out there supporting me, which was unbelievable. Obviously, the competitor in me is going to be a little bit upset about falling short, not being able to bring home that bronze medal. But I'm beyond honored and grateful to have been given the opportunity to represent so much more than myself — God, and the university, and the community that I'm from.”
He says he has no regrets, except that he aims to be calmer next time around. “Easier said than done,” he admits.
“I was genuinely just so excited to go out there and compete on the biggest stage for my sport [...] I remembered thinking to myself, ‘Man, I can barely feel my legs because of all the adrenaline pumping, and I'm so anxious and nervous.” But he says he left it all on the mat and is proud to be able to say that he got a pin in the first round of the Olympic Games.
Fall-Down Practice
A career in wrestling has built Cruz’s resiliency. “I love how tough you have to be. I joke about it that wrestling practice is just fall-down practice. You're literally practicing falling down and getting up every day for multiple hours, and it's not even a thought to quit.”
He also says it's a humbling sport that keeps the rest of his life in perspective.
“At the end of the day, as nervous as you get, this is just a game, right? This is just a sport.” Nonetheless, it's a sport he loves as much now as he did as a kid training under Weaver.
“I love it because of all the lessons it teaches you. And that's secondary to just how freeing and fun I still believe it is. I think I'll be done competing when I stop enjoying that aspect of it.”
Beyond Bethlehem
While he awaits the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics in Los Angeles, Cruz will pair the lessons he’s learned at Lehigh with the experience he’s had in competition as part of the coaching staff at the University of Pennsylvania. The Bethlehem native and his family are nervous about making a home outside Bethlehem, but he’s excited about the opportunity to grow as a mentor and honor the legacies of his coaches.
When he visited Lehigh as a recruit, Cruz and his parents were affected by the words of Santoro. “One of the biggest recruiting points he had for me and my parents was, ‘We're going to develop your son to be a great man. A great husband, a great leader, and we happen to know a thing or two about the sport of wrestling, so that's just the bonus.”
“I'm excited to extend the Santoro roots — spread my wings a little bit and be on my own and see how it can impact the development of young athletes coming out of high school. Seeing how I can impact and make a change in that area is something that really excites me.”
ol. Seeing how I can impact and make a change in that area is something that really excites me.”
In This Image: Upon his return from Paris 2024, Cruz sat for 8 hours to have the memory tattooed on his shoulder. The image of the Eiffel Tower was taken from a photo he took while he was there. He paired the image with two strong Taino symbols, beloved in Puerto Rican culture: the coqui frog and the sun god.
In This Image: A display in Grace Hall commemorates Cruz’s road to Paris, including the Puerto Rican flag, his shoes, and his singlet that bears the same symbols Cruz chose for his Olympic tattoo.
In This Image: Lehigh still feels like home to Cruz, who has spent the last year training for the Olympics at Grace Hall. He can’t walk around campus without seeing familiar, smiling faces.
In This Image: Cruz is grateful to have represented his grandparents’ country at the Olympic Games in Paris. He recalls visiting often as a child and is proud to have represented the country for kids who share his culture.
In This Image: Cruz stands in the Lehigh Hall of Champions beside the photo recognizing his 2017 NCAA Championship win.
In This Image: Cruz valued the support that followed him to Paris: “It was electric there. I had about 50 of my family and friends and teammates out there supporting me, which was unbelievable.”
In This Image: Cruz admires the mural in Grace Hall recognizing the wrestling talent that has represented Lehigh through the years, including his older brother, Randy ’17. He credits his father with sharing his love of the sport and providing great support when his boys showed promise at an early age.
In This Image: Cruz stands beside a Lehigh singlet framed in Grace Hall. He walks through the building each time in awe of the tradition of talent that has graced the building.
In This Image: Cruz admires art that hangs in Grace Hall depicting his former coach and fellow Olympian, Bobby Weaver ’83. Weaver won a gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
