ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Cliff Keen Wrestling Club announced today (Monday, July 11) the addition of All-American Ben Honis to its senior-level freestyle roster. Honis, who wrestles in the 97kg freestyle weight class, recently transitioned to representing Italy in international competition.
“We are excited to have Ben join our team,” said Michigan head coach Sean Bormet, “and I know he’s really excited about competing and advancing his career at the international level. I think he has a lot of potential and will bring great energy and hard work to the mat. He’s going to be a great contributor to our wrestling room and a role model to our younger guys, and we believe he will add a lot of value and experience to what is already one of the best upperweight rooms in the country.”
A collegiate standout at Cornell (2016-19), Honis was an NCAA All-American at 197 pounds as a senior, after dropping his first-round match and reeling off four straight wins en route to eighth place, and a First Team All-Ivy League selection. He twice placed top three at the EIWA Championships, reaching the finals in 2019, and posted a career record of 71-36 at 197 pounds and heavyweight, including a 23-7 mark with 12 bonus wins as a senior.
Honis was originally slated to join the CKWC in 2019 but instead used his final year of eligibility to play football at Syracuse, where he appeared in nine games on special teams and registered one tackle in his only season of collegiate football.
In post-collegiate freestyle competition, he took second at 97kg at the 2019 U.S. Open and competed in the Olympic Team Trials in 2021. He made his Italian-team debut at the Mateo Pellicone last month in Rome.
Originally from Jamesville, New York, Honis relocated to Ann Arbor earlier this week.
