Penn Adds Darian Cruz to Coaching Staff

2024 Olympian Darian Cruz is on the move as he was announced as a new assistant coach for the University of Pennsylvania today. Cruz recently represented Puerto Rico at the Olympic Games and advanced to the 57 kg bronze medal match before losing to India’s Aman Sehrawat, 13-5. 

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲!

We are excited to announce the addition of Olympian Darian Cruz to our coaching staff

https://t.co/Q71TrXGXAS#TheMovement x #FightOnPenn pic.twitter.com/1VPd8UvB9k

— Penn Wrestling (@PennWrestling) September 5, 2024

Cruz qualified for the Olympic Games after getting to the finals of the Pan-American Olympic Qualifier. In the semifinals, Cruz downed the American representative Zane Richards. Richards had defeated Cruz 8-2 in late-2023 at the Pan-American Games. 

The move isn’t too far away from Cruz’s current home - which also happens to be his hometown. A high school star at Bethlehem Catholic, Cruz wrestled collegiately at Lehigh and has previously trained out of the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club. 

At Lehigh, Cruz earned All-American honors on three occasions, highlighted by a national championship in 2017 at 125 lbs. At that tournament, Cruz shocked top-seeded Thomas Gilman (Iowa) in the semifinals, before defeating fellow Pennsylvania District XI native Ethan Lizak (Minnesota) for the title. Cruz also won an EIWA championship in each of his final three years with the Mountain Hawks. 

The Penn was looking for new staff members after Mark Hall retired from competition and moved to Oklahoma to work as the Sooners Director of Operations. Former associate head coach Bryan Pearsall also left for Oklahoma, but to take a job as the recruiting coordinator for David Taylor at Oklahoma State. Penn also added Matt Valenti and Doug Zapf of their staff this offseason. 

Cruz’s addition should bolster the University of Pennsylvania’s lightweights. The Quakers have a pair of returning national qualifiers slated to handle the two lightest weights with Max Gallagher at 125 and Ryan Miller at 133 lbs.