Elyria’s Darmstadt advances in NCAA

The Ben Darmstadt train is gaining steam, and it appears it’s not slowing down.

The Cornell 197-pounder put on a dominant display on the mat in his secondround match against Matt Williams of Cal State Bakersfield March 15. The Elyria graduate defeated Williams, 15-4, and used a third-period cradle to break the match open.

Now, Darmstadt is onto the quarterfinal round at the NCAA Division I Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena. He’s 33-1 this season as a redshirt freshman and seeded No. 2.

“I’ve never wanted to just hold onto a lead,” said Darmstadt after his second-round match. “I’m always looking to score points. That’s something I’ve done my whole life, and out here is no different. We wanted the pin, but couldn’t get it.”

Wrestling in his hometown in front of family and friends made the secondround victory that much sweeter for Darmstadt.

“It’s been awesome,” he said. “It’s been sweet being in my home environment, and having so many people come out to support me.”

Darmstadt’s tournament opener wasn’t as dominant as his first. He improved to 32-1 this season with a 3-0 win against West Virginia’s Jacob Smith. The two mostly fought for position during two scoreless periods.

Darmstadt used an escape and a reversal to get his three points in the last period to secure his victory.