COLORADO SPRING, Colo. — The Cliff Keen Wrestling Club’s Adam Coon and Mason Parris captured the heavyweight titles at Greco-Roman and freestyle, respectively, at USA Wrestling’s World Team Trials Challenge Tournament over the weekend (Sat-Sun., May 20-21).
With their WTT titles, Coon and Parris both qualify for Final X, slated for Saturday, June 10, in Newark, N.J., in which the winners of the best-of-three series — at all 30 weights across Greco and men’s and women’s freestyle — earn U.S. world team spots. CKWC’s J’den Cox, a two-time world champion, previously qualified for Final X after winning the 97kg freestyle title at the U.S. Open.
Coon posted a 2-0 record, outscoring his opposition 17-0, to win at 130kg Greco-Roman. He earned a 9-0 win by technical superiority of Donny Longendyke in the final, breaking it open early with a takedown and two gut wrenchs before ending it with a stepout and another takedown off his over/under bodylock in the second. He also recorded a fast 8-0 tech over Darryl Aiello in his opening bout with three takedowns, including an over/under four-pointer, and caught Aiello’s throw attempt to end it after just 49 seconds.
Coon, the 2018 world silver medalist and a three-time heavyweight All-American at Michigan, will face Arizona State’s Colton Schultz in the best-of-three Final X. Schultz claimed their matchup at the U.S. Open in April by an 11-0 technical superiority — in Coon’s first wrestling competition in two years — but Coon has four previous wins over the Sun Devil, sweeping the 2019 Final X series and 2021 Olympic Team Trials meetings.
Parris went 3-0 en route to the 125kg freestyle title and defeated two-time world bronze medalist Nick Gwiazdowski, 6-2, in the final. Parris rallied from an initial deficit with three second-period scores, earning exposure points out of two scrambles — on his own single-leg shot and again off a go-behind counter — before pouncing on Gwiazdowski for a takedown in the final 15 seconds to ice it.
Parris cruised to 10-0 tech over Iowa’s Tony Cassioppi in the first round, scoring three takedowns, including a four-point fireman’s dump and a gut wrench in 2:01, and rallied late to claim a wild on, 12-11 over Air Force’s Wyatt Hendrickson in the semifinals. Parris built up an early six-point lead with a head pinch and four-point dump, but Hendrickson surged ahead with a takedown and four guts midway through the second period to steal a 10-6 lead. But Parris responded with five points over the final 53 seconds, scoring on a stepout and takedowns to retake the lead late.
He will face Olympic champion and two-time NCAA champion Gable Steveson at Final X. Steveson defeated Parris, 11-1, in the U.S. Open semifinals. The duo combined for three Hodge Trophies and three NCAA heavyweight titles over the last three seasons.
