Arizona State senior Eric Larkin could not have scripted a more perfect finish to an outstanding career.    Larkin not only won the NCAA championship at 149 pounds March 22 before a packed house of 16,436 fans at Kansas City¹s Kemper Arena, but he knocked off defending champion Jared Lawrence of Minnesota in the finals to win his national title.    With this impressive national tournament performance and a dominant 34-0 season, Larkin was named this year¹s Dan Hodge Trophy winner on April 2. The award, presented by the International Wrestling Institute and Museum and W.I.N. Magazine, is given to the most outstanding collegiate wrestler and is the Heisman Trophy of amateur wrestling.    "I am very proud of Eric. This is a tremendous honor for him and for our program," Arizona State coach Thom Ortiz said. "Eric is following Cael Sanderson, who won this award the last three years. Whoever follows Cael has to be a pretty special wrestler. We are really excited for Eric. He is very well-deserving of this award."    Larkin edged three other Hodge Trophy finalists to win the prestigious award which is now in its ninth year. Illinois senior Matt Lackey and a pair of talented sophomores also turned in impressive numbers. Lackey was 38-0 at 165, Iowa's Steve Mocco was 36-0 at heavyweight and Cornell¹s Travis Lee finished 34-0 at 125.    "Everything just came together for me this year," said Larkin, who also was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the NCAA tournament. "I am just happy to finally reach my goals. I just kept wrestling hard until I finally won a national title. All the hard work was worth it to get to this point."    Coming into the NCAAs at the No. 1 seed, Larkin capped a perfect a senior campaign with a 10-8 win over the second-seeded Lawrence, his third win over the defending champ this year. Larkin moved up a weight class this year after finishing second as a junior to Iowa State's Aaron Holker at 141.    Larkin scored bonus points in 20 of his 35 victories this season. He recorded 11 falls, two technical falls and seven major decisions. He also was named Outstanding Wrestler at the Pac-10 Championships and the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational.    He won four Pac-10 championships at three different weight classes in his career at Arizona State. He was fourth in the nation at 133 as a freshman in 1999. After taking a year off to try and make the 2000 Olympic team, he was third in the NCAA meet as a sophomore in 2001.    Larkin, from Tucson, Ariz., led the Sun Devils to a surprising fifth-place finish in the team race at the 2003 national meet. Arizona State also won the Pac-10 title.    "Eric really took on more of a leadership role for us this year," Ortiz said. "He brought the guys together and helped us win the Pac-10."    Ortiz said Larkin actually injured his knee during his semifinal win over Oklahoma State's Jerrod Sanders.    "He tweaked his knee and he may end up getting it scoped," Ortiz said.  "He was a little concerned about it going into the finals."    Ortiz said Larkin¹s ability to beat the defending champ three times in a row said a lot about his ability.    "Lawrence is a really tough wrestler," Ortiz said. "For Eric to beat him three times is pretty amazing."    Larkin moved up a weight class this year when he was caught between 141 and 149.    "He knew he would need to get bigger and stronger to wrestle 149," Ortiz said. "He gained the muscle he needed. He was in the weight room just a couple days after Nationals. He said right after the season last year he was going to come back and win it this year."    Larkin is one of just four ASU wrestlers to become a four-time All-American and just the sixth Sun Devil to win a national title. He finished with a 123-12 career record.    Larkin has been successful balancing the rigors of competing while also being a husband and father. Larkin and his wife, Melissa, have one son and have another child on the way.    Larkin also was recognized as a Maroon and Gold Scholar Athlete for carrying at least a 3.0 grade-point average. He earned his degree in business information systems at Arizona State.    Larkin and Ortiz attended the same high school, Sunnyside, in Tucson. Larkin was a two-time state champion. He captured Junior National championships in freestyle and Greco-Roman.    Arizona State athletic director Gene Smith also speaks highly of Larkin.    "Eric personifies the traits that the nation¹s top wrestler should have and he is a worthy recipient of the (Hodge) award," Smith said. "Not only did he turn in one of the best wrestling careers in school history, Eric has achieved great success with the kind of sportsmanship that defines a true champion. He is a great ambassador to the state of Arizona as well as serving as an excellent role model to the young people he has worked with."    Ortiz said Larkin, who was third in the 2000 Olympic Trials at 138 pounds, has Olympic aspirations. He will try to make the U.S. team in a tough 145-pound class in freestyle which includes Olympic bronze medalist Lincoln McIlravy along with former World team members Chris Bono and Bill Zadick.    "I think Eric is a better freestyle wrestler than a college wrestler. He will show that," Ortiz said. "That weight class is loaded. It¹s the toughest weight class in the country."    Like Larkin, Lackey and Mocco used runner-up finishes in the 2002 NCAA tournament as fuel to finish unbeaten in 2003.    The top-seeded Lackey, who fell 4-2 to Iowa State¹s Joe Heskett in the 2002 finals, beat freshman Troy Letters of Lehigh 6-3 in the 2003 finals. Letters was seeded second.    Lackey, from Moline, Ill., recorded three falls, one technical fall and eight major decisions this season.    Mocco, who lost in double-overtime to Ohio State¹s Tommy Rowlands in the 2002 finals, came back with a vengeance as a sophomore.    Mocco, from North Bergen, N.J., beat Air Force¹s Kevin Hoy 8-3 in the heavyweight finals. The third-seeded Rowlands sprained his ankle in the quarterfinals and had to default his semifinal bout with the No. 2 Hoy. Mocco was 3-0 against Rowlands this season.    Mocco collected bonus points in 24 of 37 wins. He had 15 falls, three technical falls and six major decisions.    The second-seeded Lee, seventh at Nationals as a freshman, beat No. 1 seed Chris Fleeger of Purdue 6-4 in a wild finals match. Fleeger also is a sophomore.    Lee, from Honolulu, recorded three falls, four technical falls and seven major decisions this season.    A number of criteria are used in selecting the Dan Hodge Trophy winner: dominance on the mat, number of pins, record, past credentials, quality of competition, sportsmanship, citizenship and heart.    The award is named after legendary Oklahoma Sooner Dan Hodge, who won three straight national titles in 1955-1957. Hodge finished his career unbeaten (46-0), was a prolific pinner and defined dominance on the mat - never giving up a takedown during his three collegiate seasons.    Larkin will be officially presented the award at Arizona State's wrestling banquet on April 15. Past winners have also been publicly presented the award at a school football game in the fall.    Previous winners  2002 - Cael Sanderson, Iowa State  2001 - Cael Sanderson, Iowa State and Nick Ackerman, Simpson  2000 - Cael Sanderson, Iowa State  1999 - Stephen Neal, Cal-Bakersfield  1998 - Mark Ironside, Iowa  1997 - Kerry McCoy, Penn State  1996 - Les Gutches, Oregon State  1995 - T.J. Jaworsky, North Carolina