ASU wrestling head coach Shawn Charles promoted Sun Devils’ Director of Operations Ben Askren to Assistant Coach on Monday, according to an ASU press release.
Askren, a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Freestyle team and a two-time national champion at Missouri, joins former ASU All-American Brian Stith as one of the programs’ two assistant coaches.
“With all his accolades, Ben certainly brings a lot of wrestling credentials to the table,” Charles said in the release. “Ben’s influences on our program will be another valuable tool to help prepare our student-athletes to compete at a high level and to become national champions.”
Askren, a four-year starter at 174 pounds for Missouri (2004-07), will supervise day-to-day operations for the program while also continuing his training for international competition.
“He is very accomplished at all levels of wrestling and I feel that his knowledge will go a long way in helping our young men mature on the mats and reach their goals of success,” Charles said.
Askren was a four-time All-American and three-time Big 12 Conference champion while in Columbia and was a two-time Dan Hodge Award winner, an honor bestowed on the top collegiate wrestler annually.
After ending his career at Missouri on an 87-match win streak (top 10 in NCAA history), Askren was an assistant coach for the Tigers for two years and went on to compete at the Beijing Olympics.
“I feel Ben will be vital in helping us move in the right direction as we look to put the Sun Devils back on top in the Pac-10 and the NCAA standings,” Charles said.
Reach the reporter at kyle.j.newman@asu.edu
