Monrovia鈥檚 Dalton finishes high school wrestling career with another impressive state finish
MONROVIA, Ind. (BVM) — Ben Dalton came into a very storied and successful high school wrestling program at Monrovia. Four years later, he leaves with numerous program records, and some impressive state finishes under his belt.
Even prior to his spectacular high school career, Dalton was destined to shine on the mat. While his dad and uncle were former wrestlers, his older brother also competed which is the main person he always looked up to when he was younger.
鈥淲atching my brother wrestle and going up to the Indiana state finals every year was awesome,鈥� Dalton said.
Dalton considers himself a scramble-and-score type wrestler, and enjoys the individual aspect of the sport.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one-on-one and whatever you put into it is what you鈥檙e going to get out,鈥� Dalton said. 鈥淚 go into practice everyday and try to get better everyday. You just have to be willing to work hard if you want to be successful.鈥�
Getting better everyday is exactly what Dalton has done throughout his wrestling career. He won several Indiana State Wrestling Association matches and tournaments during his youth, and officially fell in love with the sport by seventh grade as he continued to realize his natural talent.
Dalton would go on to win state championships in both his seventh and eighth grade years. Competing with Team Indiana, he also had the chance to wrestle nationally against top opponents from across the country.
Coming into a storied Monrovia wrestling program, Dalton had lofty expectations for himself.
鈥淚 had a high goal,鈥� Dalton said. 鈥淚 wanted to be a four-time state champion. I had just come off a really good middle school career and thought I could get the job done my freshman year.鈥�
Dalton would start his freshman season out with perfection, winning every match he competed in during the regular season. After winning sectionals, Dalton would eventually suffer a one-point defeat in regionals. He would still have a chance to compete at semistate, but a loss there sent him short of his ultimate goal.
鈥淎fter that loss I was so upset,鈥� Dalton said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even make it to state and I had beat several kids that made it. I never wanted to feel that feeling again. It motivated me to work even harder and just start focusing a lot on my technique.鈥�
Despite the tough ending, Dalton still went an impressive 38-2 in his first high school season, also winning the Mooresville Holiday Classic tournament.聽
Determined to get further as a sophomore, Dalton would do just that after moving up to the 113-pound weight class. Again going undefeated in the regular season and winning the Holiday Classic, the Monrovia wrestler suffered his first loss of the season in sectionals.
鈥淟osing that match was an eye-opener for me and it made me push myself a lot more,鈥� Dalton explained.
Although he would endure another loss at regionals, Dalton still placed third. And unlike the previous year, he took care of business at semistate to advance to the state finals.
鈥淚t was big for me, I finally punched that ticket to state,鈥� Dalton said. 鈥淚 felt like a lot of weight came off my back.鈥�
Dalton went on to win his first two matches at state, and ended up placing third overall in his weight class.
Going into his junior year, Dalton was recovering from a broken hand that he suffered over the offseason, limiting his competition during the summer. He moved up to compete in the 126-pound weight class, and despite less reps in the offseason, Dalton had a near identical performance as the year before.
Once again winning the Holiday Classic and going undefeated in regular season matches, Dalton made it back to state, this time placing seventh.聽
The stage was set for Dalton to come into his senior season and maybe finally bring home a coveted state title. But in a year unlike any other, he knew that was going to be more of a challenge.
鈥淢y senior year was hectic,鈥� Dalton said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if we were going to have a season to be honest. But that wasn鈥檛 the main focus, we were really gunning for a state title.鈥�
Dalton capped his regular season career undefeated this winter, and also won his fourth-straight individual conference title. In addition, he helped the Bulldogs to a fourth-consecutive team conference championship as well as a team state appearance.
鈥淚t was great being able to wrestle with the team there,鈥� Dalton said. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 do as well as we wanted but it was just a great group of guys and it was awesome to be a part of that team.鈥�
Moving up another weight class once again to 132 pounds, Dalton faced some tough draws throughout the latter stages of the postseason, culminating in a fifth-place finish at state.
Although Dalton would finish his career coming up just shy of a state championship, he still made quite the impact on the Monrovia wrestling program. The 18-year-old broke the all-time dual meet wins record for the Bulldogs, and more impressively the all-time overall wins record.
While the marks are impressive, Dalton鈥檚 mindset is still all about winning.
鈥淣one of those records really mattered to me, the goal was to win over the records,鈥� Dalton said. 鈥淚 would trade all those records for a state title any day.聽
鈥淏ut I鈥檝e been blessed to wrestle at Monrovia the last four years. The community of Monrovia and the whole school have been so supportive. It鈥檚 been great and I couldn鈥檛 have asked for much better.鈥�
With his career finished and legacy set at Monrovia, Dalton will now look towards a potential college wrestling career. With the high school season just concluding, the senior plans to take a few weeks before making a decision.
鈥淚 want to go somewhere that fits with me,鈥� Dalton said. 鈥淚鈥檓 still getting better and still trying to become the best, that鈥檚 just in my mindset. I want to go wherever I feel like I can achieve the most and we can achieve the most as a team.鈥�
No matter where his future takes him, Dalton knows wrestling will always be a part of his life.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been my life for a really long time and I鈥檝e really fallen in love with the sport,鈥� Dalton said. 鈥淚鈥檒l always be involved with the sport of wrestling because I love it too much.鈥�
