The ASU wrestling team heads to Maples Pavilion for two days of grueling competition on Sunday, eager to defend its conference title. At an individual level, the Sun Devils will also be looking to attain berths into the NCAA Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City.
ASU coach Thom Ortiz described the team's final practices as "short and intense" while carefully avoiding injury. The team is also watching plenty of film of its competitors.
Making the elite list of wrestlers who will represent ASU is Brian Stith. The junior from Hampton, Va., is the current Pac-10 Champion at 157 pounds and was voted Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament by Pac-10 coaches last year.
"I start from day one when the season starts so when I get there, I'm just excited ... everything I did before was just preparation up until this point," Stith said.
He will go into the conference championships with an impressive record of 25-2.
Stith got into the sport of wrestling at the age of five when his parents sent him to wrestling camps, and this year, his goals are two-fold: To keep his crown and to make his parents proud.
"I want to show them it wasn't a waste of their time," he said.
For Stith, the game isn't only about a healthy body, it's about a healthy mind too.
"I visualize myself winning the Pac-10 and nationals, when I wake up and when I go to sleep," he said.
As usual, Coach Ortiz predicts nothing but perfection from his men.
"We expect him to win, he has strong capabilities to win a national title at 157," Ortiz said.
With only a few days left of practice, Ortiz believes that Stith and his teammates are ready mentally and physically.
Not one for fancy speeches, Ortiz sums up what his final team message will entail.
"If you're going to run a mile, you don't quit the last fifty yards," he said.
Reach the reporter at kalea.yoshida@asu.edu.
