Lofty Asper-ations

Josh Asper has stepped onto the mat 19 times for dual matches this season for the Terrapin wrestling team.

In each of those bouts, Asper emerged victorious.

It's hardly a surprise. Since coming to College Park three years ago, Asper has experienced little but success. The 165-pound sophomore compiled a perfect 19-0 regular-season record in dual meets, finishing the season with a nearly flawless 29-2 record. Over his career, Asper is 97-18.

"Solid. That's the one word you can always use to talk about Josh," coach Kerry McCoy said. "What you want from your stereotypical successful athlete, he gives it to us."

But his triumphs on the mat are just part of his story — it's what he does off the mat that allows him to dominate his competition.

Asper's success is predicated on his demanding training regimen, according to McCoy. He puts in work on off-days. He studies film. He runs, conditions and lifts at levels that push his limits. And when he finally can wrestle, the effort he makes outside the gym becomes obvious.

"I think the amount of work I put in and the amount of commitment I put in during is the biggest difference," Asper said. "Some people just go in and do the amount of work that their coach tells them to do, and once they're done, they check out and leave. I think I put a little extra in and that gives me a little more confidence and helps me out during tough matches."

Asper's hard work has a positive effect on more than just his performance, however. McCoy said that Asper's tenacity in the gym sets an example for the rest of the team's roster.

"We can point to him and say, ‘Look how hard Josh works, look what Josh puts in every day, the energy he brings and look at the results he's having,'" McCoy said. "It's lead by example, but also we can point to somebody and say, ‘This is how you do it.'"

And this season, there isn't much Asper hasn't done. He closed the regular season ranked No. 3 by Intermat in his 165-pound weight class, having defeated four of the top 16 wrestlers in the class.

Given his sterling success against some of the nation's elite wrestlers, Asper has the confidence to know he can compete with anybody.

"Sometimes I wrestle guys that might be just as good or better, but I outwork them or outhustle them," Asper said. "I think maybe my trademark is hard work, grinding through matches and always thinking I have a chance to win. I think that's what's gotten me through the season."

Excluding a two-loss performance on one day in late December, Asper has been perfect this season. After falling to Oklahoma's No. 2 Tyler Caldwell in overtime at the Midlands Championships on Dec. 29, Asper has won 12 straight matches, many of them decided in the dominant manner that almost has become an expectation for whenever he wrestles. Of his 29 victories this season, seven were pins, four were technical falls and nine were major decisions.

But a regular season of this caliber hasn't left Asper content with his performance. With the ACC Championships and NCAA Tournament looming, Asper has his sights set on a bigger prize.

"My goal is to win the ACCs and place in the top three of the NCAA Tournament," Asper said. "I don't think I'll be satisfied if I don't accomplish some of the goals I set for the end of the year. The whole season is just preparation for the end of the year, and I've had a good year so far, but there's a lot of work to do still. ... It's definitely going to be a disappointment if I fall short."

Asper's intention of becoming one of the nation's top wrestlers is obvious, and the lofty goals for his career — three ACC Championships, three All-America honors and a national championship — show just how possible he feels that distinction is.

A mentality that never allows him to believe anything less, Asper knows, will only help.

"If I'm doing it, I'm going to try to be the best I can be at it," Asper said. "I think that's a good way that anyone should approach anything that they do. You shouldn't put half the effort into it; it's a waste of time if you don't give it your all."

vitale@umdbk.com