ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan graduate Mason Parris will remain at his alma mater to continue his international wrestling career with the Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, the club announced Wednesday (May 24). Parris, the 2023 Hodge Trophy winner and NCAA heavyweight champion, is slated to compete at Final X next month for the U.S. World Team spot at 125kg freestyle.
“Mason came to Michigan to be an NCAA champion and a world and Olympic champion,” said Michigan head coach Sean Bormet, “and we all are excited to embark on this next phase of his journey with him. Mason is an incredibly hard worker and a fierce competitor, and I think he’s only scratched the surface as far as his potential in freestyle and international wrestling. So, we’re thrilled to keep him here in Ann Arbor and to have him represent Michigan and the Cliff Keen WC.”
“I am very excited to continue my wrestling career with Cliff Keen Wrestling Club, where I will chase world and Olympic titles,” said Parris. “I believe CKWC has the best coaches, training partners and resources to help me reach all my goals.”
Named the 2023 Hodge Trophy winner as the nation’s most dominant college wrestler, Parris posted a perfect 33-0 record en route to the NCAA heavyweight title, earning a 5-1 decision over Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet in the championship final. He earned 21 bonus wins — 64 percent of his total wins — with 11 falls, three technical falls and seven major decisions and averaged 9.7 points per match this season.
Parris also earned 17 wins over nationally-ranked opposition and went a combined 10-0 over the other seven 2023 NCAA All-Americans this season. He outscored his NCAA opponents, 49-6, over five matches, including a 16-1 technical fall over Iowa’s Tony Cassioppi in the semifinals. Parris is Michigan’s first-ever Hodge Trophy recipient.
He completed his collegiate career with a stellar 124-18 record, ranking 15th in Michigan program history in total wins and eighth with a .873 winning percentage. His 45 career pins rank third all-time. He was a four-time All-American, finishing second, fifth and first, while earning NWCA first-team honors in 2020 after COVID-19 canceled the NCAA tournament, and became U-M’s 24th NCAA champion and fourth at heavyweight.
Parris was still a freestyle novice when he captured the 2019 junior world title at 125kg in his international debut. He posted a technical fall and three pins at the event, including a quick fall (1:20) against Iran’s Amir Hossein Zare — now a world champion and Olympic medalist — in the gold-medal final.
He captured the U.S. Open title at 125kg in 2020 and, later that year, posted a perfect 4-0 record to help the Cliff Keen WC claim the first ever RTC Cup. Parris won the World Team Trial Challenge Tournament this past weekend, defeating two-time world medalist Nick Gwiazdowski, 6-2, in the final and will contend for the 125kg senior world team spot at Final X next month in Newark, N.J.
