Hudson Taylor was an All-American three times during his collegiate career at this university. At 197 pounds, he placed third nationally in 2008 and 2009 and fourth in 2010. When he fell short of a national title two years ago, arguably the greatest Terrapins wrestling career of the program’s recent renaissance ended with it.
Then Josh Asper came along.
The 165-pound junior, who spent most of this season ranked No. 2 in the nation and lost only one match all year, will begin his quest for a national title today at St. Louis’ NCAA Championships against Buffalo’s Mark Lewandowski in the class’s pigtail match. Should Asper, who’s seeded seventh, win and advance into the 32-wrestler bracket, he will meet Virginia’s Nicholas Sulzer later today.
With a few more victories, Asper would put himself in position to achieve something even Taylor could not: winning a national title.
In a recent USA Wrestling poll of 13 wrestling journalists, four picked Asper to make it to the finals and face Penn State’s David Taylor. All 13 chose Taylor to take the title.
Asper wants to prove those predictions wrong. And after his showing in the ACC Championships – he lost his first match of the season in a 6-4 decision to Virginia Tech’s Peter Yates in a sudden-death, extra-period final – he said he won’t be defeated again.
“The goal is to be national champion,” said Asper, who has been wrestling since he was 11 years old. “That’s my expectation. You can’t go into this tournament without wanting to win it, and I think that’s what my potential is.”
With a win, Asper could join the ranks of the Terps’ elite. Only two wrestlers have won an individual national title in program history, and the last came in 1969.
“He was ranked second most of the year and he’s a returning All-American, so he’s definitely in a great spot,” said coach Kerry McCoy, adding that Asper’s loss in the ACC finals could motivate him through the NCAA Championships. “It sounds cliché, but that loss could be the best thing that’s ever happened to him.”
Asper has learned plenty from that one loss. He said that much will be obvious in St. Louis.
“I was trying to control my opponent too much instead of going after him and scoring points,” Asper said. “That’s not really how I wrestle. When I’m successful, I wrestle at a higher pace. I definitely learned something from it.”
His pigtail match, he said, will work to his advantage today and throughout the rest of the weekend.
“It’s an opportunity to score more points for the team and get warmed up before everyone else,” Asper said. Shane Gentry (125, ranked seventh) and Geoffrey Alexander (133, unranked) will also wrestle pigtail matches today. “We put a positive spin on this.”
Said McCoy: “It’s one of those things where it’s an advantage if you think it’s an advantage. The pigtail match is a benefit for Asper because he thinks it’s a benefit.”
With Asper and six other Terps vying for individual titles, McCoy said the Terps have a shot at the team title, as well. The outcome of each individual match affects the team’s overall score, and the Terps have a chance to place near the top.
“It definitely gives us a leg up,” McCoy said. “The more people that you have in the tournament, the more opportunity there is to score points and the better off you are. I think we’re in a better situation than some.
“We took 10th in the country in 2009 when we had four guys in it. Now, we have seven guys in, so anything can happen. I’m just fired up for this opportunity.”
egan@umdbk.com
