ASU wrestling has been on a roll lately, thanks to none other than sophomore Ray Waters (174) anchoring a deep class of middleweights on the Sun Devil squad. He talked about growing up in Chicago, his success of late and his goals for the season.
State Press: What was it like growing up in Chicago?
Ray Waters: I was born there and moved when I turned 11, then moved to Las Vegas. Now I live with my uncle, and it's nice to have him close by.
SP: Do you have a favorite match or meet that you can remember?
RW: Not really. Every match I just try to improve, as long as I improve match to match and continue to get better, that's what I strive for.
SP: Who do you spar with in practice, and why?
RW: I try to mix it up with all my teammates, because we go up against different competition all the time. I usually go up against (redshirt junior) Joel Smith, (redshirt sophomore) Josh DaSilveiria, (sophomore) Wes Moore or (redshirt junior) Kevin Radford. It's nice to get different looks.
SP: You've been racking up pins left and right in your past few dual meets. Can you describe your success of late?
RW: Bumping up a weight class has helped me, but mainly I've just been grinding, wrestling hard and trying to improve myself and my teammates in any way I can.
SP: Who do you look up to?
RW: Anthony Robles. I try to imitate his style and everything he does. He was a great competitor and is a great person, and I think we all continue to look up to him and get advice for him.
SP: Who do you see potential in on your team, of the younger guys?
RW: There's a lot of talent with our true freshmen, and a lot of guys have stepped up and I look forward to having them mature and grow to eventually get to the same level as the older guys.
SP: What were your goals at the beginning of the season?
RW: This is my first year competing a full season, so I just want to get better every day, continue to wrestle hard without putting too much stress on my body, and if I can stay healthy, we'll see where it takes me at the end of the year.
Reach the reporter at stefan.modrich@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @StefanJModrich
Because of a reporting error, sophomore Ray Waters was identified as a freshman.
