College wrestling: Former Elyria High state champion Ben Darmstadt back in Cleveland as assistant coach for North Carolina

CLEVELAND — Not only are this week's NCAA Division I wrestling championships an opportunity for Elyria native and University of North Carolina assistant coach Ben Darmstadt to reconnect with friends and family, it's also a chance to revisit the site of one of his greatest triumphs. In 2018, the last time the Division I championships were held in Cleveland, Darmstadt, representing Cornell, finished sixth at 197 pounds to earn All-American honors. He's back in Cleveland trying to help North Carolina's six NCAA qualifiers, including Bryce Hepner (Avon/St. Edward) achieve their All-American dreams. "I love coaching, it's a dream," Darmstadt said. "It's a blessing to still be involved in wrestling." Darmstadt was also a two-time OHSAA state champion at Elyria, winning at 182 in 2015 and 195 in 2016. It was at Elyria where he found his love of the sport. "As a real little kid, practices were hard and I'd be crying and stuff," Darmstadt said. "When I got to high school and had some success, I really fell in love with the sport." At Elyria is also where he found the coaches he's patterned himself after. "My high school coach Erik Burnett was like a second dad to me. He molded me," Darmstadt said. "There's so many little Erik Burnett-like phrases I use when I'm coaching. I owe a lot to him and to (Elyria assistant coach) Jack Gillespie and my club coach Scottie Burnett, who just won the state title at Perrysburg. They've all been awesome." Darmstadt loves the environment of the NCAA championships, even more when it's in his hometown. "It's awesome. Every time I come back to Cleveland it's amazing," Darmstadt said. "It's really cool to be in this environment, especially because this is where I earned All-American when I was in college, so it's nice to be back. There's not a better wrestling environment than the NCAA Tournament. It's even greater than the Olympics. I'm a folkstyle guy, so this is the Mecca." When he graduated from Cornell, Darmstadt, who also earned All-American honors in the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, thought his time in the wrestling room had come to end. Shortly thereafter he realized he couldn't walk away. "It's funny, when I was at Cornell, I would sit with coach (Rob) Koll after a practice or something and he'd ask if I ever thought about coaching," Darmstadt said. "I'd say, 'Nah, I went to Cornell so I could not wrestle my whole life.' But as soon as I stepped away from it I realized how much I loved it and how much it's a part of me, just as much as my right arm is. "Stepping away from wrestling was like breaking up with a girlfriend and walking away and thinking, 'I still love her.' After that I realized this will be a part of me forever." Darmstadt first started coaching with Koll at Stanford. He followed him to Chapel Hill when Koll took the UNC job three years ago. Although Darmstadt is no longer on the mat, he still has the support of the people in Elyria. "My mom and dad are coming this weekend," Darmstadt said. "I've got got aunts and uncles coming, plus my high school coaches." Once this season is over, one of Darmstadt's main jobs at North Carolina is recruiting, so he spends a lot of time back in Ohio, which produced 28 wresters who qualified for week's NCAA championships. "My goal has been to build a strong Ohio pipeline. I coach on the Ohio Team Fargo staff. I have camps in Ohio, I know almost every high school coach," Darmstadt said. "I use those resources to bring guys down to North Carolina." This year, the Tar Heels had three Ohioans on their roster. "Ohio is a hot bed. There's a lot of pride and a great wrestling community here," Darmstadt said. "When you have great wrestlers and great partners and you get your butt whooped every day in the practice room, you get better and you become one of those guys." For the North Carolina staff and wresters making their first trip to Ohio, Darmstadt had a little advice on how to get a taste of his hometown. "I told them they've got to find a good pierogi some place," Darmstadt said. "When you're in Cleveland, you need a pierogi and a Polish sausage." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.