In sports there is a widely accepted philosophy stating “To be the best, you have to beat the best.”

For Michigan wrestler Ben Apland this ideal tells the story of his season.

The 250-pound redshirt sophomore from Woodridge, Ill. has quickly risen from anonymity to national prominence. But the road wasn’t easy.

Throughout high school, Apland enjoyed tremendous success on the wrestling mats — particularly during his senior year. In 2008, Apland captured an Illinois state title in the 215-pound weight class and boasted a perfect 44-0 record on the season.

But coming out of high school, Apland was still an unfamiliar name to many NCAA coaches and wasn't highly recruited. He eventually signed with the Wolverines, but not until the summer before his freshman year.

Apland came to Michigan an undersized wrestler who was disadvantaged due to a change in weight classes. NCAA standards require anyone between 198-pounds and 285-pounds to compete in the “heavyweight” weight class, meaning Apland would matchup against the country’s strongest wrestlers. The task was daunting, but he was up for the challenge.

After redshirting his freshman year to gain the strength he would need to compete at such a high level, he finished the 2009-10 season with a 14-18 record — ranking sixth in the Big Ten.

“There were a lot of close matches last year Ben probably could have won,” Michigan assistant coach Kirk Trost, a heavyweight specialist, said. “Winning those five to seven matches could have turned his season around. But as soon as the season ended he began working to prepare for the coming year.”

Unfortunately, Apland's plans to improve his strength over the summer were severely hindered by a hernia injury. He spent most of last summer recovering and was forced to miss the first tournament of the season.

Finally healthy, he returned in November, feeling stronger and more focused than ever, but he quickly received a rude awakening. His first two matches were against the top two wrestlers in the country, resulting in an 0-2 start to his season. Apland entered the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational without of a record.

Then, everything changed.

On December 3, the Invitational saw a once unknown wrestler emerge onto the national stage. Apland finished the tournament 3-1, beat second-ranked Jarod Trice from Central Michigan and finished second only to 12th-ranked Nathan Fernandez from Oklahoma.

And Apland’s schedule hasn’t gotten any easier since the invitational, as 11 of his first 15 opponents have been nationally ranked.

“The one bad part about having a tough schedule is that if you have an off-day for some reason, it shows,” Apland said. “It’s good though because it can help your seeding for nationals. If you did well during the regular season against the top competition, even with a bad Big Ten Tournament performance, you can still get a good seed.”

Since losing his first two matches, a 9-2 streak has propelled Apland into the national rankings, where he currently sits at No. 10. Apland attributes much of his success to his training with Trost, a former Michigan wrestler and 1986 Heavyweight NCAA champion.

“He’s been great,” Apland said. “More than anything Kirk really pushes me to keep going when I’m tired. The mentality of doing things right even when you’re tired is such an important part of wrestling.”

And Trost can see all the work Apland has put in.

"Ben's competitiveness drives him to work at improving his strength and conditioning year round," Trost said. "When you have a heavyweight that’s in good condition and can wrestle for seven minutes, you’re going to compete in every match.”

Apland entered the season with the goal of being named an All-American, and his recent success has only made him more confident in himself. With a tremendous opportunity at nationals this year and two more years of eligibility, his future looks extremely bright.