FEATURE: Ben Askren brings excitement to Missouri program as he seeks his first NCAA title

There is one thing you can expect from a Ben Askren match - it won't be boring. The No. 2 seed at 174 pounds, Askren brings a certain pizzazz to the sport every time he steps on the mat. In fact, many people make sure to come to Missouri wrestling events just to see this stylish athlete in action. For the second straight year, the NCAA Championships are being held in St. Louis and the Univ. of Missouri is the host institution. Both years, it has been Askren who has been the big local story for this tournament. Fans of high school wrestling remember Askren as a Wisconsin prep star who had a huge colorful Afro hair style the year that he was a champion at the Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D. His hair was wild and all over the place, as Askren tore through the field of the most prestigious event on the high school level. Askren's hair is cut a bit shorter these days, but he is not any less colorful or interesting, nor is he any less exciting to watch. And when he chose Missouri for his college wrestling home, he brought his excitement with him. "Ben wrestles hard for seven minutes, every time," said Missouri head coach Brian Smith. "He is not a physical wrestler. If you get in on his legs, he will score on you. If he takes the shot, he also scores on you. He lets it all out every match. He is the farthest thing from conservative. Sometimes I wish he was more conservative in tough matches. But I am not going to change him; he hasn't lost many times." Askren is a bit of a free spirit as a person, but also has an interest in many other things. His complete passion for wrestling reminds people of other smart, inquisitive wrestling junkies, legends such as the late Dave Schultz. "He is a very intelligent guy," said Smith. "The conversations with Ben are about all kinds of things. He is going to probably be a four-time Academic All-American. He is on the athletic student council. He is involved in everything. This week, he was reading to kids at an elementary school. On Sundays, when we tell him to take time away from wrestling, he's on the mat, teaching the pee-wee wrestlers." Smith marvels at how much time Askren spends on his wrestling preparation, and how much he loves the sport. His family has built a wrestling room in the home they have in Columbia, Mo., and the coach sometimes has to ask him to take a break from training at home. Askren pays attention to all of the other wrestlers in the sport, just like a wrestling fan. Smith said that Askren often asks about international matches from 10 years ago and wants to see the video, just to study from the masters. This season, Askren entered the NCAA Tournament with a 30-2 record, and set the Missouri record for pins in a season with 20. Askren not only puts points on the board, but he has proven to be a great closer when he gets his opponents in trouble. The losses this year were to the same athlete, Oklahoma State's defending NCAA champion Chris Pendleton. The two official losses came at the dual meet in Stillwater, Okla. by a 4-3 margin, and in the finals of the Big XII Championships, 12-8. There was also a loss at the NWCA All-Star Classic back in November, an exhibition bout that does not count in the official records for the year and can not be used for seeding. And of course everybody remembers that it was Pendleton who beat Askren in the NCAA finals last year, 11-4. Pendleton beat Askren four of five times last season, with Askren's only victory coming in the finals of the Big XII Tournament. A big part of reaching his goals this year could mean figuring out how to beat Pendleton at this tournament. "I've said all season that Pendleton is my measuring stick," said Askren. "For me to feel good about my season, I have to beat him in the finals here. It is frustrating. I have never lost to anybody this many times. Hopefully, I have something up my sleeve for him next time." Missouri coach Brian Smith understands how important another Askren/Pendleton bout would be for his star wrestler. "He wants to win so badly," said Smith. "He is working on things. In the last match, he gave up four points at the end of periods. You can't do that in a big match. He wants to beat Pendleton. But he has to win tomorrow just to have another chance at him." To reach that showdown, Askren has to take care of business. He got a good start today with wins in the first two rounds. His opening round match was an 18-2 technical fall over Mark Himes of Duquesne. As with many of his bouts, Askren was able to get his offense going and work the scoreclock like a pinball machine. Askren's second bout today was against Brady Richardson of Indiana. The match was not like many Askren shows, a wide-open offensive match. In fact, it seemed like Richardson wanted to keep Askren from wrestling. The first period was scoreless. After an Askren escape and a single leg takedown, Askren led 3-0 going into the third period. However, it is very hard to slow Askren down for very long. In the third period, with wrestlers on their feet, Richardson did an ankle pick attempt, which Askren countered in a scramble and came out on top for the takedown. He quickly sunk in a leg and tilted Richardson, pressing him for three backpoints and almost scoring a fall. Riding time of 1:39 gave him a solid 9-0 win, not quite a blowout, but certainly a good win. "He is real strong, and he likes to keep the underhooks," said Askren. "He was trying to slow me down. But I got the job done. I stayed with it and kept on him." Askren has already shown that his future in wrestling could include seeking Olympic medals for the United States. Askren was among the few college athletes able to qualify to compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Indianapolis last summer, and he placed a solid fifth at 84 kg/285 pounds. After his red-shirt freshman season, Askren also qualified for the top freestyle event of that year, the 2003 World Team Trials. "I am kind of happy folkstyle is getting over," said Askren. "I'd rather wrestle freestyle. I get to start freestyle next week on Monday, when my brother and I start wrestling in our basement. It is what I'll do in the future after college." But while Askren is at Missouri, he is already making a big difference for the Tiger program. By making the NCAA final last year, he was only the third Tiger in the 60 years of the program to make the NCAA gold-medal round. But it is more about the kind of person Askren is, and what others think about him, that is helping accelerate Missouri's rise in Div. I wrestling. "I call him the pied piper," said Smith. "He is doing everything right. People are following him, right in our wrestling room. And kids around the country know him. They know him from everywhere. It makes recruiting easier. It is like having another recruiting coordinator." Askren is clearly not the only talented wrestler on the Tiger team, although he is the most successful and well known. While Askren was beating Richardson, his teammate Matt Pell was wrestling at 184 pounds on the next mat over. The unseeded Pell scored a last-second escape and a riding time point to defeat No. 8 Paul Bradley of Iowa, 7-6, firing up the Missouri fans and giving the team a lift. "It wasn't like this for our team when I came here, but it has come down to this. If you are from the Big XII, you belong here. You can place here and you can win here at the nationals. Every year, we prove it," said Smith.