Return to Team Brute Ben Askren OUTLOOK: Missouri's first NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion, Ben Askren, opens his senior campaign as the Tiger's only three-time All-American and 2006 recipient of the prestigious Dan Hodge Trophy. Wrestling at 174 pounds, the third year captain looks to become Missouri's first two-time wrestling national champion. "Ben is a leader in the community, at the University and in the wrestling room," Head Coach Brian Smith said. "Ben's goal for the season is not only to become Missouri's first two-time NCAA champion, but also to help the team to the program's first National title. Ben's commitment to the sport of wrestling is amazing and I consider myself fortunate to have worked with him over the past five seasons." 2005-06: The first Missouri wrestler to ever win an NCAA title, Askren dismantled Northwestern's undefeated Jake Herbert, 14-2, in the 174-pound title bout claiming the crown at the NCAA Championships March 18. Askren won five matches during the tournament, winning by technical fall in the quarterfinals over No. 8 Travis Frick of Lehigh, 19-3, and beating No. 5 Mike Patrovich of Hofstra, 21-6, in the semifinals. The performance earned Askren the Most Outstanding Wrestler award for the NCAA Division I Championships, as well as the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation's most dominant wrestler. Askren captured his second Big 12 Championship title becoming the first Tiger grappler to earn two Big 12 titles, with a 17-6 major decision over No. 4 Jacob Klein in the final bout of the evening. One of just two grapplers in the nation to retain the No. 1 ranking at their weight class throughout the season, Askren defeated 45 consecutive opponents, the longest current winning streak in the country. Breaking marks he set as a sophomore, Askren established new Tiger highs for season falls (25) and consecutive wins (45). Askren opened the season by pinning 12 of the first 14 opponents he faced, with his other two victories coming by technical fall. During that streak, Askren pinned Nick Padazan of Pittsburgh in 2:12 Dec. 2, breaking the Missouri career falls record of 47 set by J.P. Reese in 2004. Askren finished first in all four tournaments in which he competed, and was named the Big 12 Wrestler of the Month for December after bringing home titles from the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Dec. 2-3 and the Southern Scuffle Dec. 29-30. Askren was named the CSTV Student-Athlete of the Week Jan. 15. Competing in the opening round of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Duals Jan. 14, Askren broke his own records for falls in a season (20) and consecutive wins (26) with a fall over Alex Pavlenko of Arizona State. Wrestling against the highest-ranked grappler he faced during regular season competition Jan. 29, Askren pinned No. 3 Jacob Klein of Nebraska in 4:29. 2004-05: Making his second run at an NCAA title, Askren dominated the 174-pound weight class March 16-18, winning four matches by a combined score of 55-8, advancing to the championship round for the second year in a row. Grappling a tough bout with rival Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State), Askren lost a 10-5 decision to finish second in the nation. Competing at the Big 12 Championships, March 5, in Omaha, Neb., Askren topped No. 10 E.K. Waldhaus for the second time of the season to advance to the league finals. In the end, Askren wrestled a solid seven minutes, but was handed a 12-8 loss by Pendleton. Wrestling in Stillwater, Okla., on Feb. 4, Askren lost his first bout of the season to Pendleton, 4-3. Ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Pendleton, Askren broke the Missouri record for falls in a season Jan. 29, later setting a new record (20) Feb. 16, after pinning UTC's Daniel Peterson. Breaking Mizzou marks all season, Askren also set a new standard by winning 26 consecutive matches from Nov. 4 to Jan. 29. Askren finished first at the Central Missouri State Open and Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and was named the Virginia Duals Most Outstanding Wrestler after pinning five of his six opponents. Askren became Missouri's first Big 12 Wrestler of the Week honoree in nearly three years on Jan. 18. Competing in postseason and summer competition at 184 pounds, Askren took second place at the University National Team Trials in Evanston, Ill., April 15. Making a trip to Guatemala City, Guatemala with teammate Matt Pell, Askren beat Matthew Aaron White Rich of Puerto Rico to bring home the gold medal at the Pan American Championships. Askren went to the World Team Trials June 18-19 in Ames, Iowa and finished fourth after competing against some of the nation's best freestyle wrestlers. 2003-04: Askren became only the third wrestler in Missouri's 60-year history to make it to the Championship match of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Entering the final bout with a 3-0 record, Askren paired with Big 12 opponent Chris Pendleton of Oklahoma State for the fifth time of the season, but dropped the challenge, 11-4. In earlier matches, Pendleton took wins over Askren on three separate occasions, but was out-matched by the redshirt freshman at the Big 12 Championships on March 6, in Ames, Iowa. Winning the bout 9-7, Askren was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler for his performances on the mat. Askren totaled a team-high 17 falls on the season, the fastest recorded in 32 seconds, and was named Missouri's 2004 Most Outstanding Wrestler and Marshall Esteppe Most Outstanding Freshman. Competing at the Southern Scuffle in Greensboro, N.C., Dec. 28-29, Askren held on for a perfect 5-0 record to become the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Strong academically, Askren was named to the NWCA and Academic All-Big 12 First Teams. Wrestling in the spring of 2004, Askren qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and traveled to Indianapolis, Ind., for the all-day tournament on May 23. Finishing the day in fifth place at 185 pounds, Askren took a significant victory, defeating 2001 World Silver Medalist Brandon Eggum 6-2. Four weeks earlier, Askren won the gold medal at the Federation Internationale des Luttes Associees (FILA) Junior World Team Trials, April 30, in Lincoln, Neb. 2002-03: Taking a redshirt season, Askren competed solely in open meets, recording his first championship title in the 174-pound weight class at the Missouri Valley College Open on Feb. 1. With a winning record of 35-10, Askren took on four, top-20 wrestlers from around the nation. Askren had four major decision victories to his name and six falls. Competing in the 184-pound weight class at the USA Wrestling Northern Plains Senior Freestyle Regional on April 19, Askren won four matches, pinning Paul Bergman of Ohio in 1:30 in the semifinals and defeating Sean Herrington of the New York Athletic Club, 8-5, in the finals. With his victory, Askren moved within one step of a berth on the USA World Wrestling Team. On June 20, Askren hit the mat at the Senior Men's Freestyle World Team Trials in Indianapolis, Ind., but was defeated by Randy Pugh, in a 6-0 decision. HIGH SCHOOL: Ranked among the top-25 high school wrestlers, Askren was a three-time All-American (2000-2002) and two-time Wisconsin State Champion (2001-2002). Coached by John Mesenbrink, Askren was the 2002 Junior Nationals Champion and finished second in the High School Nationals at 160-pounds. Askren holds the state record in takedowns in a season (401) and in a career (1,100). In 2002, Askren finished fourth at the FILA Junior Freestyle Nationals, while in 2001, he finished fourth at the FILA Cadet Freestyle Nationals and fifth in the 2000 Cadet Greco-Roman nationals. PERSONAL: The son of Chuck and Michele Askren, Ben was born July 18, 1984, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and has one brother, Max (20), a redshirt freshman for the Tigers this year. Askren is a Geography major. Honors (2007)  NCAA Champion All-American (174)  NCAA Most Outstanding Wrestler  Dan Hodge Trophy Honors (2006)  NCAA Champion All-American (174)  NCAA Most Outstanding Wrestler  Dan Hodge Trophy  Big 12 Champion  NWCA All-Academic Team  Academic All-Big 12  Most Outstanding Wrestler Missouri Most Falls Honors (2005) All-American (174) Big 12 Runner Up Virginia Duals MVP Missouri Most Outstanding Wrestler Missouri Most Falls Academic All-Big 12 First Team Student Athletic Advisory Committee Representative Honors (2004) All-American (174) Big 12 Champion Big 12 Championship MVP Southern Scuffle MVP Academic All-Big 12 First Team NWCA Academic First Team Missouri Most Outstanding Wrestler Marshall Esteppe Most Outstanding Freshman Missouri Most Falls