Episode 72 of the USA Wrestling Bonus Points podcast features 2017 NCAA champion Darian Cruz of Lehigh University.
Cruz won the 125-pound title at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships held in St. Louis, Mo., March 16-18.
Throuhgout his three-day journey in St. Louis, Cruz defeated Dylan Peters of Northern Iowa, Shakur Laney of Ohio, Sean Fausz of North Carolina State, Thomas Gilman of Iowa and Ethan Lizak of Minnesota to become the 22nd individual to win a NCAA title for Lehigh.
Cruz downed the top seed Gilman 4-2 in the semifinals courtesy of a takedown in sudden victory. He secured a 6-3 win over Lizak in the championship match.
At the conclusion of his junior campaign for the Mountain Hawks, Cruz owns two NCAA All-American honors and two EIWA conference championships. He finished with a 31-2 record this season.
Topics of discussion include his NCAA title run, what it means to accomplish this feat for Lehigh, turning towards a title defense and much more.
Follow USA Wrestling Bonus Points Ep. 72 guest Darian Cruz on Twitter at @toicruz23 and follow show host Richard Immel on Twitter at @Richard_Immel.
Listen to previous episodes of the show on the USA Wrestling Bonus Points Archives or by subscribing on your favorite podcast listening application.
