Making Mike
Wrestling co-captain Mike Roberts knocked off the previously undefeated No. 1 in his weight class Dec. 30
Sara C. Sason
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Wrestling
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"Mike wrestled off the charts," said BU coach Carl Adams. "He's always been close with top-level wrestlers, but he was never able to get over the hump. Now, he's done more than that with a win over the top in the country."
Roberts is a little more modest.
"[The win] felt pretty good," he said. "I wish that [match] was [in] the NCAA Tournament instead, but it was great -- a reality check to tell me I could be up there against the best guys in the country."
The unranked Roberts claimed a 3-2 decision over No. 1 Dustin Schlatter (University of Minnesota) at the Southern Scuffle at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Schlatter, the 2006 NCAA champion as a true freshman, won four state championships while in high school.
"That kid was a really big deal, so it was a big win," said BU sophomore Dimitri Laurent. "That really put Mike Roberts on the map. It opened a lot of people's eye to how good he is."
So how did the unheralded Roberts, an upstate New York native, evolve into the Division I wrestler that beat the nation's best? It started early.
"When I was younger, I wanted to do everything my older brother did," Roberts said. "He wrestled, so I went with him and I started wrestling too."
And with that, Roberts' career began. But in his younger years, he wasn't focused solely on wrestling.
"I played every sport when I was younger," Roberts said. "I even played basketball for a year. But I wasn't very good."
By high school, Roberts narrowed his interests to three sports: wrestling, lacrosse and football. He eventually quit lacrosse, and by senior year he was a two-sport athlete.
"I chose wrestling because I liked it a lot," he said. "It's you versus another person. You aren't only trying to physically beat someone, but you have to mentally out-smart them. I think it is the best sport in the world."
By the end of high school, Roberts was wrestling year-round and grabbed the attention of several colleges. He chose BU because of the city atmosphere and his respect for the program.
One year after being redshirted as a freshman, Roberts struggled to maintain the requisite weight level.
"When I came here I was at 141 pounds, but then I got bigger and had to go up a class. I found it was hard to make weight," said Roberts, who is currently competing in the 149-pound weight class.
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