Sun Devil wrestler Eric Larkin has had his hands full this past year.
Since winning the Pac-10 Player of the Year award a year ago, Larkin got married, welcomed a new baby boy into the world, won the Pac-10 individual title for the third straight year and, to cap off the last 12 months, took home Pac-10 Player of the Year honors again last week.
With so much going on, it should come as no surprise that some things can get missed. Like finding out you are voted the best wrestler in the Pac-10.
Larkin said he only found out about the award after logging on to the Sun Devils website to look something up and instead read that he had been voted player of the year again.
"That's how I found out last year too," Larkin said.
Larkin's strong season (he finished 31-5 and won his third Pac-10 title of his career) helped him win the award. Only two other Sun Devils, Mike Davies and Dan St. John, have won player of the year back-to-back in the past 25 years.
Larkin was also the first Sun Devil since 1996 to make it to the NCAA finals. With his loss to Aaron Holker of Iowa State in March, he became the 14th ASU wrestler to finish second at the national meet.
For some, finishing second in the nation would be good enough, but for the past three years Larkin has had his sights set just a tad bit higher.
"I'm never satisfied, especially when I fall short," said Larkin, who set three straight national championship titles as his goal following his freshman year.
"I know it's good to win the Pac-10 title, but I'd much rather have the national title."
"His goal every year is to win the title," ASU coach Thom Ortiz said.
But both Larkin and Ortiz know that time is running out for the three-time Pac-10 champion.
The senior-to-be said he struggled to maintain his class weight of 141 pounds season. Losing the extra weight forced him to lay off the weights, which in turn sapped some of the three-time All-American's strength.
Larkin is convinced that problem is what cost him the national title against Holker, even though the Cyclones wrestler had beaten him twice in their three meetings during the season.
"He just kind of got an edge over me."
Because of that, the junior is moving up a weight class next year, wrestling in the 149-pound flight for his senior season.
"The pressureís going to be double next year because it is my last year," Larkin said.
Reach the reporter at al.stevens@asu.edu
