Taking It to the Max: Athlete of the Week Max Odom

As a two-time national champion in high school, 149-pound Max Odom came into his rookie season with high expectations and, so far, he has delivered. After winning the title in only his second collegiate tournament in November, Odom stayed quiet for a while, but in the past two weekends he has returned with a vengeance.

With two individual victories last weekend over both Columbia and Cornell, Odom raised his match record to 17-6. When the new rankings come out this week, he will be no lower than No. 4 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA), his highest ranking of the year.

Despite Odom's efforts, the Crimson split the tournament with a loss to Cornell and a win over Columbia. Although the team has struggled to a 3-3 Ivy League record, Odom has consistently come through with individual victories.

In the first dual meet of the year last month, Odom squared off against Lehigh's Dave Esposito, the nation's No. 4 wrestler in the 149-pound weight class and No. 1 in the EIWA. Odom fell to Esposito late in the match, 6-5, but he has yet to be defeated in back-to-back matches this season. He has not lost to any wrestler ranked lower than him in the EIWA.

In an important EIWA match this Friday at Brown, Odom has a chance to move to No. 3 in the conference. Odom has only two meets left before the EIWA championships at Navy and a possible rematch against Esposito. If Odom can secure the No. 3 seed, he likely would not face Esposito until the final match of the conference championships.

The next few weeks have much in store for freshman Max Odom, but whether he emerges from Mar. 23's national tournament with the title or not, you can guarantee he will be taking it to the max.