2018 All-American Ben Darmstadt (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie)Welcome to a new recurring feature from InterMat as we lead into the 2021-22 collegiate season. We are about 50 days away from the start of the new season, so what better way to ring in the new year than to use that time to count down the top-50 current collegiate wrestlers. Each day a new wrestler will be released.
These rankings have been compiled by members of the InterMat staff and used a combination of collegiate achievements, with 2021 accomplishments carrying more weight than past years, along with win-loss records and notable wins. While we are counting down the top-50 wrestlers based primarily on collegiate accomplishments, it is impossible to totally ignore achievements in the international settings, so they did factor in slightly, too.
Before getting to the next wrestler on the list, look at the wrestlers previously profiled:
#50 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
Next is...
#49 - Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)
Weight: 197 lbs
Year: Senior
Career Record: 62-10
Hometown: Elyria, Ohio
College Accomplishments: 2018 NCAA 6th Place; 2020 NWCA 1st Team All-American; 2x EIWA Champion
2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #6 at 197 lbs
Even though he's only competed in one collegiate season since 2018-19, Ben Darmstadt has still done plenty to warrant his inclusion here amongst the top-50 in the nation. Like many Cornell wrestlers, Darmstadt took a greyshirt year to get acclimated to DI wrestling and gave plenty of hints that he could follow in the footsteps of Steve Bosak, Gabe Dean, and Cam Simaz as elite upperweights for the Big Red.
During his year of unattached competition, Darmstadt split matches with Cornell's starter at 197 lbs, Ben Honis. He only dropped four of 22 bouts on the year, two of which came to Cornell teammates and another was via injury default. Though he wasn't always competing against top-level competition, Darmstadt did earn bonus points in over half of his matches and came away with five falls.
The 2017-18 season saw Darmstadt claim the starting role for Cornell and he did so with authority. In his first official outing for Cornell, in mid-November, he fell via major decision to Penn's Frank Mattiace. That loss would be his only until the NCAA Tournament in March. He would get revenge on Mattiace twice during the season with major decision wins in their Ivy League dual meet and in the EIWA finals.
During Darmstadt's 31-match winning streak, he claimed titles at the New York State Intercollegiate Championship and the Cleveland State Open. His fantastic run led to the number two seed at the 2018 NCAA Championships. In his home state, Darmstadt advanced to the NCAA semifinals before getting pinned by Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) and sliding to sixth place. When it was all said and done, Darmstadt had established a Cornell freshman pin record with 18 and was unblemished in dual competition.
The following year, Darmstadt did not compete at all due to injury.
In 2019-20, Darmstadt started at 184 lbs and had some uneven results, compared to the dominance of his freshman year. Within the first month of the season, Ben suffered a pair of losses to tough freshmen Louie DePrez (Binghamton) and Trent Hidlay (NC State). At the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, he was pinned twice and settled for seventh place.
Once Darmstadt reemerged, at the South Beach Duals, he was back at 197 lbs. At his customary weight, Darmstadt won 11 of 13 matches, and one of those losses came via injury default. He managed to come away with his second conference crown, in as many tries, while competing in a deep EIWA weight class that saw six others qualify for nationals.
A strong conference finish allowed Darmstadt to receive the fourth seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships. Of course, due to Covid, that tournament did not occur. He was slated to do battle on a top-half of the bracket that included #1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State), #5 Jacob Warner (Iowa), #8 Patrick Brucki (Princeton), and #9 Kordell Norfleet (Arizona State). Because of his high seed, Darmstadt was noted as a first-team All-American by the NWCA.
Through two years of competition, Darmstadt has amassed a 62-10 record (49-6 at 197) and 32 falls. He is 27-2 in dual meets.
Strengths: In a weight class that is typically filled with brawlers, Darmstadt is long and unorthodox. His combination of length, hips, and flexibility make him an excellent scrambler. There aren't many 197lbers that can come out on top of flurries with him. From the mat is where Ben really does his damage. He's a great leg rider and can get near-fall points from a variety of situations. Also, he is one of the wrestlers that made the “assassin†pinning combination popular.
2021-22 Outlook: It sounds strange to say for someone listed in the top-50, but Darmstadt could be in a bit of a fight for his starting role in the upcoming season. Cornell has Jacob Cardenas, who excelled in 2019-20, during his greyshirt season. At 24-4, with wins over three NCAA qualifiers, Cardenas should push the veteran, a bit. Darmstadt returns to a 197 lb weight class that is absolutely stacked. Aside from him, nine other past All-Americans are expected to compete at the weight. Both national finalists, along with 2019 runner-up and former teammate Max Dean (Penn State), are among the favorites. If healthy, Darmstadt will be a matchup nightmare for anyone at this weight, save for Dean's familiarity, and could win a title on his best day.
Ben Darmstadt in the 2018 NCAA Quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
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