Feb. 4, 2011

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Practice makes perfect. These words resonate through the sports world. They reflect the importance of putting in hours of work in order to achieve a goal or dream. But for some athletes, practice brings more than just precision and accuracy; it brings about increased self-confidence. For redshirt sophomore Josh Asper, practice means victories. Practice means rising in the rankings. Practice means a national championship.

Hailing from Parkton, Md., Asper was highly recruited out of high school. He chose Maryland because he wanted to stay close to home and support his state's university. Asper was a state champion not once, but four times, in four different weight classes. He attributes his experiences in high school to his recent success at Maryland.

"Sophomore year was a real grind and made me realize I could be good enough to continue to win," said Asper. "It motivated me to work harder and I got a lot better going into my junior and senior year, and that definitely carried over to college."

Asper decided to use his first year in college as a redshirt year. While many wrestlers do not redshirt their first year because of distractions, Asper maintained his focus and used the year to improve.

"I'm glad I redshirted," stated the sophomore. "There were some matches that served as learning experiences. I got a lot better and I feel like I took advantage of having the extra year."

In his first year, Asper posted an impressive 34-7 record as he won 25 out of his final 27 matches. Asper continued to work on improving his technique and strength as he prepared for his first official season as a collegiate wrestler. Asper also focused improving the mental aspect of his game.

"It isn't always a conditioning issue, sometimes it is a mental thing, at least for me," stated Asper. "With more preparation comes more confidence for me."

Asper went 34-9 in his redshirt freshmen season and was ranked as high as No. 14 in the nation. He even had a shot at All-American status at the NCAA tournament, but fell short in the final seconds. Asper is using this experience as motivation for the rest of the season.

"Last year I just wanted to place because I didn't have as much confidence," said Josh. "But this year I've been focusing more on becoming a national champ instead of just an All-American. The guys who finish All-American are trying to be national champs, but just fall short. I am going to go into the tournament wanting to win it all."

Asper is doing a phenomenal job of approaching his goals. Currently, he is 23-2 on the season and is ranked third in the nation. His confidence has risen to new levels, but there is added pressure of being ranked so high.

"I definitely think you get some guys who are going to give you a tough match to try to knock you off because of your ranking," said Asper. "It is hard to get up for every match because for your opponents, it's a shot to take down a wrestler who is ranked high, but for me, it may just be another match. If you don't, there may be some slip ups. I'm working on taking everyone seriously."

Asper also noted that he is seeing an improvement not just in his confidence, but in the team's confidence as well.

"We have a young team this year," noted Asper. "I think we are doing a good job of getting better as the season goes on. Some of our younger guys have a lot of talent, but need to get that confidence to get the job done. We have had a tough schedule so far, but I think with some success in ACC duals, their confidence may raise and we can be more successful as a team."

This season has been very impressive for Asper and the rest of the Terps. Asper is continuously making strides towards his goal of becoming a national champion while assisting in the development of the team. With improved confidence, this could be a very special year for Asper.