Two-time All-American Max Askren of Missouri more than just a talented wrestler
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by Craig Sesker USA Wrestling
Missouri's Max Askren shoots in on Binghamton's Josh Patterson at the NWCA All-Star Classic. Tony Rotundo photo.
Max Askren and a teammate were sitting in the back of a taxi in Guatemala and headed to the arena for a session of the Junior World Championships.
There was only one problem.
The cab driver went to the wrong arena.
"We ended up in the middle of the ghetto - it was pretty scary," Askren said. "I thought we might end up getting stabbed or mugged or something. It was a really bad part of town."
The cab driver didn't speak any English, but fortunately Askren speaks Spanish. He explained to the cabbie in Spanish that they were in the wrong place, and they quickly drove out of a dangerous area.
Askren is much more than one of the top college and top young international wrestling prospects in the U.S. He's currently sitting at No. 3 at 184 pounds in the national college rankings.
His talents and knowledge extend way beyond the wrestling mat.
In addition to English and Spanish, the University of Missouri senior speaks Russian, French and Japanese. He also speaks German well enough to "get around the country without too many problems."
When he went to Beijing, China, as a training partner for his brother Ben at the 2008 Olympic Games, Askren also picked up his share of the complex Chinese language.
"It's phenomenal to travel around and see the World," Askren said. "I love learning about other cultures."
If you are flying overseas, Askren is the type of traveling companion you would want. He also is an aspiring chef whose specialty is pasta made with chicken, tomatoes and white wine.
Askren even makes his own wine.
Askren's college wrestling career has seen its share of highs and lows. He came into college with plenty of hype as the younger brother of Ben Askren, who went on to win two NCAA titles and a pair of Hodge Trophy awards as the nation's top college wrestler.
Ben and Max were both seeded No. 1 at the 2007 NCAA Championships in Auburn Hills, Mich. Ben capped his career with his second national title at 174 pounds. Max went 0-2 and failed to place at 197.
Max said a "personal issue" he was dealing with affected his performance at that tournament.
"Max was going through a rough time with something that happened off the mat," said Ben Askren, who is back on the mat after taking last season off from wrestling. "Max is not a cut-throat competitor who can just block everything out and go wrestle. He may let things outside wrestling affect him and I think that's part of what happened that year. It's not all about wrestling for him."
Max said he has tried to gain the most from his overall college experience at Missouri.
"I wanted to be a four-time, undefeated national champion in college. That was my goal when I came here," Max said. "My priorities have changed. Wrestling is something I still enjoy and something I work hard at, but it doesn't consume me anymore."
Askren, a two-time Big 12 champion, placed seventh at the 2008 NCAA Championships as a sophomore at 197. He came back to place fifth at the 2009 NCAA tournament despite struggling with a back injury for much of the season.
Askren wrestled 197 his first three seasons in college with a natural weight around 200. He struggled last season in the Big 12 against wrestlers who were bigger and stronger like NCAA champion Jake Varner of Iowa State and NCAA runner-up Craig Brester of Nebraska.
Askren took the summer off, and actually lost weight. He was down to 194 and his roommate Brent Haynes, who was competing at 184, was weighing around 205. Askren suggested maybe he would wrestle 184 and Haynes 197 this season.
"It's going really well at 184," Max said. "The first weight cut was a little rough, but I'm eating healthier and I'm doing great with it now. This weight class is a lot better fit for me than 197."
Said Ben: "I think it was a smart decision for Max to move down to 184. I think he can win a national title this year. He's a very smart and very talented wrestler. All the pieces are in place for him to do it. Nobody can overpower him at 184."
Askren started the season by earning an impressive 14-7 win over All-American Josh Patterson of Binghamton in November's NWCA All-Star Classic in Fullerton, Calif.
"Max looked really good in that match," said Ben, who is now coaching at Arizona State. "He looked really quick and crisp and fresh. I hadn't seen him look that good in a while. I was really, really happy to see him wrestling that well again."
Max Askren is a talented prospect in freestyle. He made the 2006 U.S. Junior World Team in freestyle despite being undersized at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Askren also has placed twice in the U.S. Nationals against Senior-level competition.
The trip to Beijing for the Olympics was one of the most memorable he has been on. He visited the Great Wall and spent nearly a month in China.
"China was phenomenal," he said. "It's indescribable - words and pictures can't describe how amazing it was. I loved everything about it. Seeing the country, meeting the people ... everything was great. The people were very, very nice. There was so much history there. I had read a lot about China, so it was great to finally see it in person."
Askren said he has "no plans right now" for what he will do after college.
"Max has a lot of options," Ben Askren said. "He could go to culinary school. He may go study abroad. He could do very well if he wants to wrestle freestyle, especially at 185 pounds. Max is such a great person. He's a very sweet kid with such a great heart. I can't say enough good things about him. You won't meet a nicer kid. He's so nice that he even talks to the guys he wrestles against.
"He's very smart and has so many different interests outside of wrestling. No matter what he decides to do, I have no doubt that he will be successful."
Max said he applied for a 10-week Fellowship in Russia.
"It's a Language Intensive Program," Max said. "I'm just fascinated by all the different cultures there are around the World. Wrestling has opened so many doors for me by allowing me to travel around the World."
Max Askren said he wants to go out with an NCAA title at Missouri, but he is keeping everything in perspective.
"It would be nice if it happens," he said. "I'm going to do my best, but no matter what happens, I've enjoyed my career at Missouri. I've had my ups and downs in wrestling, but I've grown so much as a person during my time here. My college experience has been great, it really has.
Max Askren and a teammate were sitting in the back of a taxi in Guatemala and headed to the arena for a session of the Junior World Championships.
There was only one problem.
The cab driver went to the wrong arena.
"We ended up in the middle of the ghetto - it was pretty scary," Askren said. "I thought we might end up getting stabbed or mugged or something. It was a really bad part of town."
The cab driver didn't speak any English, but fortunately Askren speaks Spanish. He explained to the cabbie in Spanish that they were in the wrong place, and they quickly drove out of a dangerous area.
Askren is much more than one of the top college and top young international wrestling prospects in the U.S. He's currently sitting at No. 3 at 184 pounds in the national college rankings.
His talents and knowledge extend way beyond the wrestling mat.
In addition to English and Spanish, the University of Missouri senior speaks Russian, French and Japanese. He also speaks German well enough to "get around the country without too many problems."
When he went to Beijing, China, as a training partner for his brother Ben at the 2008 Olympic Games, Askren also picked up his share of the complex Chinese language.
"It's phenomenal to travel around and see the World," Askren said. "I love learning about other cultures."
If you are flying overseas, Askren is the type of traveling companion you would want. He also is an aspiring chef whose specialty is pasta made with chicken, tomatoes and white wine.
Askren even makes his own wine.
Askren's college wrestling career has seen its share of highs and lows. He came into college with plenty of hype as the younger brother of Ben Askren, who went on to win two NCAA titles and a pair of Hodge Trophy awards as the nation's top college wrestler.
Ben and Max were both seeded No. 1 at the 2007 NCAA Championships in Auburn Hills, Mich. Ben capped his career with his second national title at 174 pounds. Max went 0-2 and failed to place at 197.
Max said a "personal issue" he was dealing with affected his performance at that tournament.
"Max was going through a rough time with something that happened off the mat," said Ben Askren, who is back on the mat after taking last season off from wrestling. "Max is not a cut-throat competitor who can just block everything out and go wrestle. He may let things outside wrestling affect him and I think that's part of what happened that year. It's not all about wrestling for him."
Max said he has tried to gain the most from his overall college experience at Missouri.
"I wanted to be a four-time, undefeated national champion in college. That was my goal when I came here," Max said. "My priorities have changed. Wrestling is something I still enjoy and something I work hard at, but it doesn't consume me anymore."
Askren, a two-time Big 12 champion, placed seventh at the 2008 NCAA Championships as a sophomore at 197. He came back to place fifth at the 2009 NCAA tournament despite struggling with a back injury for much of the season.
Askren wrestled 197 his first three seasons in college with a natural weight around 200. He struggled last season in the Big 12 against wrestlers who were bigger and stronger like NCAA champion Jake Varner of Iowa State and NCAA runner-up Craig Brester of Nebraska.
Askren took the summer off, and actually lost weight. He was down to 194 and his roommate Brent Haynes, who was competing at 184, was weighing around 205. Askren suggested maybe he would wrestle 184 and Haynes 197 this season.
"It's going really well at 184," Max said. "The first weight cut was a little rough, but I'm eating healthier and I'm doing great with it now. This weight class is a lot better fit for me than 197."
Said Ben: "I think it was a smart decision for Max to move down to 184. I think he can win a national title this year. He's a very smart and very talented wrestler. All the pieces are in place for him to do it. Nobody can overpower him at 184."
Askren started the season by earning an impressive 14-7 win over All-American Josh Patterson of Binghamton in November's NWCA All-Star Classic in Fullerton, Calif.
"Max looked really good in that match," said Ben, who is now coaching at Arizona State. "He looked really quick and crisp and fresh. I hadn't seen him look that good in a while. I was really, really happy to see him wrestling that well again."
Max Askren is a talented prospect in freestyle. He made the 2006 U.S. Junior World Team in freestyle despite being undersized at 96 kg/211.5 lbs.
Askren also has placed twice in the U.S. Nationals against Senior-level competition.
The trip to Beijing for the Olympics was one of the most memorable he has been on. He visited the Great Wall and spent nearly a month in China.
"China was phenomenal," he said. "It's indescribable - words and pictures can't describe how amazing it was. I loved everything about it. Seeing the country, meeting the people ... everything was great. The people were very, very nice. There was so much history there. I had read a lot about China, so it was great to finally see it in person."
Askren said he has "no plans right now" for what he will do after college.
"Max has a lot of options," Ben Askren said. "He could go to culinary school. He may go study abroad. He could do very well if he wants to wrestle freestyle, especially at 185 pounds. Max is such a great person. He's a very sweet kid with such a great heart. I can't say enough good things about him. You won't meet a nicer kid. He's so nice that he even talks to the guys he wrestles against.
"He's very smart and has so many different interests outside of wrestling. No matter what he decides to do, I have no doubt that he will be successful."
Max said he applied for a 10-week Fellowship in Russia.
"It's a Language Intensive Program," Max said. "I'm just fascinated by all the different cultures there are around the World. Wrestling has opened so many doors for me by allowing me to travel around the World."
Max Askren said he wants to go out with an NCAA title at Missouri, but he is keeping everything in perspective.
"It would be nice if it happens," he said. "I'm going to do my best, but no matter what happens, I've enjoyed my career at Missouri. I've had my ups and downs in wrestling, but I've grown so much as a person during my time here. My college experience has been great, it really has.
