Darian Cruz defeated NC State's Sean Fausz in the NCAA quarterfinals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.comBETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Less than a week after claiming Lehigh wrestling's 28th individual NCAA championship, junior Darian Cruz has been named the EIWA Wrestler of the Year, following a vote of the league's head coaches. Cruz won his final 21 bouts in the 2016-17 season, culminating with a 5-0 run through the 125 pound bracket at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis.
As the No. 4 seed at 125, Cruz won his first three bouts at NCAAs to earn his second career All-America honor. In the semifinals, Cruz scored two takedowns, one in the final 10 seconds of regulation and one in overtime, to knock off previously unbeaten Thomas Gilman of Iowa 4-2, in sudden victory. In last Saturday's NCAA finals, the Allentown product and Bethlehem Catholic graduate avenged his most recent loss, racking up three takedowns in a 6-3 decision over fellow Lehigh Valley native Ethan Lizak of Parkland.
Cruz finished his junior campaign with a 31-2 record that included six falls and 15 bonus point wins. He won his second consecutive individual EIWA title and also finished third at the Southern Scuffle in early January. Cruz enters his senior season with a 90-18 career record, 13 falls and 43 bonus point wins.
Twenty-two Lehigh wrestlers have now won a total of 28 NCAA Championships. With Cruz's title and sophomore Scott Parker's eighth place finish at 133, Lehigh wrestlers have now won 147 All-America medals.
Cruz is the fourth Lehigh grappler to earn EIWA Wrestler of the Year honors, joining Dave Esposito (2001), Rob Rohn (2002) and the Mountain Hawks' most recent national champion Zach Rey (2011). He was the only NCAA Champion from the EIWA and one of two finalists from the EIWA. The EIWA Wrestler of the Year award was instituted in 1998.
The EIWA's other major postseason award, the Freshman of the Year award, went to Princeton All-American Matthew Kolodzik.
Lehigh finished 12th at the NCAA Championships. Since the 2010-11 season, Lehigh has now produced two national champions, seven NCAA finalists and 19 All-Americans.
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