Ben Hammes making huge strides for Gilbert wrestling program
Ben Hammes knows he has some big shoes to fill in the wrestling room at Gilbert.
Hammes is following in the footsteps of current Iowa State Cyclone Fernando Villaescusa, who became Gilbert's first state finalist last year when he placed second in Class 2A at 182 pounds.
Hammes, a junior, stepped into Villaescusa's spot at 182 after wrestling at 160 and 170 as a sophomore.
“He was our school’s first state finalist," Hammes said. "I want to keep that legacy going at 182.”
Hammes only won three of his 14 varsity matches last year, so he went right to work during the offseason.
“This summer I wrestled a lot of Freestyle and Greco,” Hammes said. “I was practicing five times a week. It was real intense.”
Gilbert coach Scott Auderer said Hammes wrestled 57 matches during the offseason.
“If he was going to get to the level he wanted to get to, he was going to have to put in extra time,” Auderer said. “He took that to heart. He worked his tail off in the offseason.”
Through the first half of the 2022-2023 season, Hammes is already seeing the results pay off. He is 15-6 with eight wins by fall.
“Probably one of the most improved wrestlers I’ve had in my career,” Auderer said. “That’s due to him having a passion for the sport.”
Hammes has made huge strides on the mat in one year.
“I’ve really improved on my feet and also on top,” Hammes said. “Bottom is still a little bit of a weakness for me, but I’m working on that every day.”
The willingness to acknowledge his flaws and work to improve them could take Hammes to the next level by the end of the season. As far as he's come this season, Hammes knows there is still a lot of work to be done.
That was evident in his match with Creston's Kaden Street during the Tigers' double dual with the Panthers and Nevada on Tuesday.
Street went up a class to wrestle Hammes after entering Tuesday ranked No. 8 in the state at 170 in 2A by IAwrestle.
Hammes showed no fear, getting a takedown 44 seconds into the match for an early 2-0 lead. But Street tied the match by the end of the first period and went on to build a 9-2 lead before scoring a fall at the 4:24 mark.
The match showed that Hammes needs to shore some things up, both with his attack and on defense, in order to compete with the best in the state. But it also showed his potential.
“That Creston kid is really good, but we came out and attacked him right away,” Auderer said. “I think we had the lead or had a chance to take the lead. He wrestled that kid tough for 2 ½ periods. I give him credit for that.”
Auderer said Hammes has provided a great example for the rest of the Tigers to follow.
“I don’t think that our young guys know what’s possible,” Auderer said. “It’s the youngest team I’ve had in 25 years. We’re trying to instill work habits, technique and what they need to do day to day. We’re trying to get them to develop good habits. They see guys like Ben and hear about what he did during the offseason and hopefully that inspires them to follow him. Hopefully he can take a few along with him.”
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Hammes knows his best days are ahead of him. With another big offseason, he could be in store for a special senior season.
But right now, he's focused on making the most out of his junior campaign and turning some heads in the process.
“My ultimate goal is to be a state placewinner,” Hammes said. “It’s that simple.”
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Gilbert wrestler Ben Hammes is having a breakout junior season
