Highly ranked Nick Marable sets high goals

Junior Nick Marable seeks help from fellow top wrestler Ben Askren.

By Nick Forrester

Published Feb. 12, 2009

Missouri junior Nick Marable has found the perfect solution to dealing with the target on his back of being one of the highest ranked wrestlers in the country: seek out the only other Missouri wrestler ranked No. 1 in the country, Ben Askren.

Going into the season, Marable was ranked No. 1 in the country. As a result, Marable got the opportunity to face off in the NWCA All-Star Classic, featuring the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked wrestlers in the preseason. Marable faced off against Cornell's Mack Lewnes. In that match, it did not take Marable 30 seconds to get going, scoring an immediate takedown. That was all Marable needed. He was able to hang on for a 3-2 victory. But today Lewnes is ranked No. 1 in the country.

"He knows he can beat the best guys and he is one of the best guys," coach Brian Smith said. "At the end of the year, the way I know Nick trains, he's going to be at the top of the podium."

Even though Marable is no longer ranked No. 1, every wrestler in the country knows how dangerous he remains. To help handle that pressure, Marable has gone to Askren for advice.

"A lot of people have tried to not wrestle the same against (Askren) but he still finds a way to dominate them," Marable said. "He just stays active, and that's what I'm going to keep working on. It's different for my style because I'm more like a laid back wrestler and I go in spurts to get a takedown."

Like Askren, Marable has dominated opponents this season and throughout his entire career. Marable holds a 20-5 record this season and a 73-17 career record.

Even though Marable and Askren have both had success on the mat, they have two very different wrestling styles. Marable wins a lot of low scoring matches by one point, whereas Askren's matches are usually high scoring affairs.

"Ben scored a lot of points and was very funky and wide open," Smith said. "Nick doesn't let people get to his legs where Ben had no fear of people getting to his legs. They both go out there and know I'm going to do my thing and I'm going to win. They both wrestle with a lot of composure in matches and don't get flustered. If you watch old films of Ben, he was attacking constantly, and that's what we're trying to get Marable to do."

Marable has won nine consecutive matches and is currently ranked No. 5 in the nation. He said that he is no longer worried about winning or losing, but just going out and wrestling.

"Ben tells me that I just have to have the same attitude and go out there like I did last year and just relax," Marable said. "Last year before my matches I didn't get worked up. I didn't think about winning or losing, I just thought about wrestling. This year he reminds me to keep the same attitude that I had last year."

Not only has Askren helped Marable with the mental approaches to being a highly ranked wrestler, but he has also helped Marable with technique.

"I can't think of the last time that I lost a scramble, and that's also one of the things that Ben does well," Marable said. "I'm getting to wrestle against one of the best scramblers ever."

Since Marable is such a strong wrestler, it is tough to find the kind of competition in the Missouri weight room that would force him to improve. As a result, Marable wrestles Askren whenever he gets the chance to.

"In our matches, Ben forces me to open up because if I'm not attacking, than he is, and when he's attacking that's not good," Marable said. "As long as I'm attacking, I'm doing pretty well against him. He still beats me but we're getting closer. I think it's a possibility I can beat him. I've still got stuff to work on, though, so I think on his best day and my best day, he'd beat me."

Last season, Marable's only losses through the entire were to the wrestlers that competed in the NCAA National Championship. This season, one of his losses was to Iowa backup Jake Kerr. That loss was the last of three losses in one day for Marable at the Midlands Tournament in December. Since, Marable has not lost a match.

"People are wrestling him a lot different than they were last year because last year he was kind of a nobody and then took third at nationals and did really good and everybody knew who he was immediately," Askren said. "He had a really tough time reacting to that. I just told him as long as you go for the kill you can't be hunted. Guys are trying to do anything they can to beat you when you're on top, and as long as you're hunting than you can't be hunted."

Along with being Missouri's first wrestler to be ranked No. 1, Askren is also Missouri's first ever Olympian. Now that Marable has become the second Missouri wrestler to be ranked No. 1, he has his goals set on going to the 2012 London Olympics.

"It would be a lot of work for Nick, but he definitely has the ability to go to the Olympics," Askren said. "He really is amazing, he does some amazing things when he's on the mat."

Along with his consistency, one of Marable's main strengths is his ability to get takedowns and avoid takedowns. So far this season, Marable has only given up a handful of takedowns. Marable is shorter than many of his opponents, so it is hard for them to get to Marable's legs, and when they do, Marable uses all of his power and can throw it down on them.

"He's got short powerful legs and hips and when anyone gets to his legs, all that power comes down on them," Smith said. "He's in tight matches all the time and never seems to get flustered. He just wrestles hard and he's consistent all the time."

Marable's path to the NCAA Wrestling Championships will not be easy. In the annual Beauty and the Beast match against Central Michigan, Marable will face off against senior Trevor Stewart, ranked No. 12 in the country. On Sunday he will wrestle Iowa State sophomore Jon Reader, ranked No. 7 in the country.

"I have 100 percent faith that Nick will win nationals," Askren said. "Right now, with the way he's wrestling, I think it's going to be hard for anyone to beat him."