Seventh grade was a rounder time for Michael Hawkins.
He was 5-foot-3 and 200 pounds.
But it was also the last time he had seen himself less than 200 pounds, at least until the start of the 2009-2010 wrestling season.
The former heavyweight freshman has found a new weight class and a new perception from his peers.
“People look at me differently,” he said. “It’s easier with the girls. The first time I went home, everyone was so surprised. I got a lot more attention then I was used to.”
Hawkins, a redshirt freshman, is now 197 pounds and a starter on the ASU wrestling team.
After entering ASU at 261 pounds just over a year ago, he has experienced ups and downs, injuries and good fortune during his short time as a Sun Devil.
In the beginning, heavyweight was the goal, but more strenuous practices made it difficult to retain weight.
“I was trying to keep my weight up, so I was eating anything and everything,” Hawkins said. “I had an all-access pass to [Manzanita dining hall]. I just ate everything and I couldn’t keep the weight on. I dropped 30 pounds eating whatever I wanted.”
Hawkins entered high school weighing 230 pounds and never had to drop weight during his wrestling career.
One week before wrestle-offs in 2009, he was given an ultimatum: lose the weight, or stay where you are.
He had to lose 15 pounds in a week.
Twice.
Shock and skepticism took over when the scale finally dipped under 200 pounds.
“I was freaked out,” he said. “The first time I made 197 was the first match. I had to check a few times because I didn’t believe that I actually made it.”
On the way, Hawkins indulged in several delicacies.
His choice of peanut butter and jelly in a tortilla for breakfast and lunch “weirded out” senior heavyweight Erik Nye.
“I would’ve never eaten it,” Nye said of the meal.
Also, the extra push from teammates about his diet gave Hawkins a boost in his attempt to make the weight.
“I was always on his case and I was like ‘Hey Fatty, what you doing?’” Nye said. “He was always a big kid his whole life, and he never cut weight once, and going from 260 to 197 is a big drop.”
Success was an elongated process.
He leveled off at 220 pounds before being told that he need to make 203 by the end of the week, but once the weight was met, maintaining the weight wasn’t as difficult a process.
“Every huge cut I did, the weight wouldn’t come back on as much,” Hawkins said. “It started balancing out.”
The next step was catching up on the mat.
With only four total matches on the year, he is far behind the nearly 30 matches that other wrestlers have had.
The most important factor for Hawkins is getting his strength back.
“Cutting all that weight and how fast I did it, I lost more then fat,” he said.
The addition of Christmas cookies over winter break returned some of the strength, but it also returned 15 unwanted pounds.
“I was home for little over a month, so I ate everything I saw,” he said. “[During] Christmas, you always have to put on a few pounds.”
The 197-pound weight class involves more technique, combining strength with agility and stamina.
“It feels like it’s a totally different style,” he said. “I’m still trying to adjust to it.”
The departure of freshman Anthony Pike left the opening for Hawkins after winter break.
ASU coach Shawn Charles said he has confidence in the former heavyweight to fill the gap left by Pike.
“He is definitely the kind of kid we want at that weight class,” Charles said. “As a coach, I’m really happy for him.”
After competing at heavyweight all four years of high school and as a redshirt last season with ASU, he will face many challenges.
A rib injury early in the season slowed the transformation process.
His first match of the spring semester showed his need for more training after losing to Oregon State sophomore Chad Hanke 16-5 in a major decision.
He was gassed for most of the second and third rounds — the point where Hanke took over.
For now, Hawkins enjoys his new body, his position on the team and the chance to succeed.
“Not everybody gets to say that they started at a Division I program,” he said. “Just to be able to experience it is something I should be thankful for.”
Reach the reporter at nathan.meacham@asu.edu
