Off The Mat: Julian Ramirez '25 And His Evolution

ITHACA, N.Y – Cornell University wrestler Julian Ramirez had just fallen short of his goals for a second straight season last March when he began to look inward. He wanted to unearth what led to a pair of exits in the Round of 12 at the NCAA Championships — last year as the No. 4 seed at 165 pounds.

For Ramirez, it has never been about natural ability. The junior has compiled 62 victories over two-plus seasons with the Big Red and owns his share of impressive ones. In his first collegiate dual, he defeated defending national champion Shane Griffith. He won his first EIWA title last season. 

But Ramirez felt there should have been more — he's striving to challenge for NCAA championships — and needed to find the missing piece. In dissecting his first two collegiate seasons, he discovered he needed to improve mentally to reach the next level. He has continued to focus on that aspect of his performance. 

“A lot of it had to do with how my mindset was prior to the match,” Ramirez said. “I realized that when I am going in with a mindset of just trusting everything I can do and being ready to wrestle hard for seven minutes, it’s a lot harder to beat me. No matter how good you are. As awful as it sounds to lose in the Round of 12 year after year, I think it’s helped me grow a lot. It’s definitely propelled me to my last two years and being able to maximize my potential.” 

Ramirez’s evolution has been on display through almost three months of the 2023-24 season. Off to the best start of his collegiate career, he sports a 13-1 record (6-0 in duals) and has ascended to the top of the rankings in the 165-pound weight class. InterMat has him at No. 2, and he debuted at No. 3 in the first set of coaches’ rankings, which the NCAA Divison I Wrestling Committee uses in determining seeds for the NCAA Championships.

There have been plenty of highlights, none better than his run to the finals at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite in December. To get there, Ramirez took down Iowa State’s David Carr, a three-time All-American and 2021 national champion, in the semifinals. He has beaten six wrestlers who earned spots in the first coaches’ rankings, including Carr, who’s No. 2. It’s the type of consistency he envisioned as he changed his process in the spring and summer. 

“Yes, things have been working,” Ramirez said. “But that doesn’t mean (I can be satisfied). I need to continue to be diligent about everything I am doing. If that’s ever not happening, then I will start to underperform. That’s not acceptable. A big part of where I’ve grown over the last few years is forgetting about everyone else and being a little bit more selfish about what I want. I don’t want to underperform."

Being around greatness has helped Ramirez sharpen his mentality and understand what it takes to win big consistently. He’s leaned on four-time national champion Yianni Diakomihalis, among others. 

“We’ve been friends for years. He relates to me and understands me a lot,” Ramirez said. “He’s good at letting me know where I need to improve. Doing everything right (is what I have learned from Yianni). If you believe you’re doing everything right to win a national title, that confidence goes a long way.”

Ramirez has a massive chance to validate his progress again this weekend. When Cornell hosts Missouri on Sunday at Newman Arena, he will face three-time All-American and two-time national champion Keegan O’Toole, who’s ranked No. 1 at 165 pounds. 

O’Toole, 74-3 during his career, will be the third top-five wrestler Ramirez goes up against this season. He went 1-1 in his first two opportunities, and both matches were wire-to-wire battles. He beat Carr in the final minute, while he lost to Izzak Olejnik (Oklahoma State) in the Cliff Keen finals 4-2. It was tied with just more than a minute remaining. 

“I am really looking forward to this match against Keegan. He’s one of my favorite wrestlers in the NCAA,” Ramirez said. “I like to watch him wrestle. I think we’re going to go in there and battle for seven minutes, and to each their own.” 

That’s the approach Ramirez has embraced this season. 

“I think this is my first opportunity to really put myself on the map and say, ‘I am this good,’” Ramirez said. “I am tired of people saying, ‘Oh, he wrestled well for a match.’ No, I am going to wrestle well the entire season. I want to prove that this weekend one way or another.”