Mason Parris

Last updated
Mason Parris
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born (1999-10-01) October 1, 1999 (age 24)
Lawrenceburg, Indiana, U.S.
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight125 kg (276 lb)
Sport
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
Sport Wrestling
Weight class285 lb (129 kg)
Event(s) Freestyle and Folkstyle
ClubCliff Keen Wrestling Club
Coached bySean Bormet
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2023 Belgrade 125 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Santiago 125 kg
Pan American Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2024 Acapulco 125 kg
Junior World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2019 Tallinn 125 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Michigan Wolverines
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Tulsa 285 lb
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2021 St. Louis 285 lb
Big Ten Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Ann Arbor 285 lb
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2020 Piscataway285 lb
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2021 State College285 lb

Mason Parris (born October 1, 1999) is an American freestyle and folkstyle wrestler who competes at 125 kilograms. In freestyle, he claimed the 2019 World Junior Wrestling Championships gold medal. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was the 2023 NCAA Division I national champion and Big Ten Conference champion at 285 pounds for the Michigan Wolverines, and the Dan Hodge Trophy winner.

Contents

High school career

Parris attended Lawrenceburg High School in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where he was a three-sport athlete, participating in wrestling, football, and track and field. In wrestling, he won three Indiana state titles at 220 pounds in 2016, 2017, and 2018. He set an Indiana state record with 11 career pins at the state tournament. He finished his career with an overall record of 206–1, including a 152–0 recorded over his final three seasons. [1] He also won the Junior Schalles Award for best high school pinner in 2018. [2] [3]

In football, he was a three-time First Team All-State as a linebacker, and a three-time TriState Football Indiana Defensive Player of the Year. [3] He finished his career with 612 total tackles (302 solo), 17.0 sacks, 61.5 tackles for losses, 10 forced fumbles, five interceptions, and 16 fumble recoveries. [4]

College career

As a freshman at Michigan, Parris compiled a 32–9 record. He led the Wolverines with 32 wins and 13 falls. [3] As a sophomore, he compiled a 28–1 record. He led the team with 28 wins and 11 falls. At the Big Ten tournament, he finished as runner-up to Gable Steveson, losing 8–6. [5] He was then scheduled to compete at the NCAA championships as the second-seed, however, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [6] [7] After the season ended, he was named a first team NCAA Division I All-American due to his performance through the season. [8] [9]

As a junior he compiled a 12–2 record, after he missed half of the season due to a herniated disc in his neck that he suffered at the U.S. World Team Trials semi-finals in September 2021. [10] At the Big Ten tournament, he finished as runner-up to Steveson. During the 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, he faced Steveson in a rematch of the Big Ten championships, and finished as runner-up, losing in the final 8–4. [11] [12] Parris only lost three matches over the last two seasons, all to Steveson. After the season ended, he was again named an All-American. [13] In December 2021, he signed a NIL (Next In Line) deal with the WWE. [14]

As a senior he compiled a 19–6 record. He finished in fourth place at the Big Ten Championships and in fifth place at the 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. [15] [16] After the season ended, he was again named an All-American. [17]

As a fifth-year senior he compiled an undefeated 33–0 record, with 21 bonus wins, 11 pins, three technical falls and seven major decisions. He Earned 17 wins over nationally ranked opponents and posted a combined 10–0 record over the 2023 NCAA heavyweights All-Americans. At the 2023 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, he won the heavyweight championship, defeating Greg Kerkvliet 5–3 in overtime of the final. He became the first Michigan wrestler to win a Big Ten heavyweight championship since Airron Richardson in 1998. [18] [19] At the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships he posted a perfect 5–0 record at the NCAA Championships as the top-seed, and outscored his opponents 49–6. During the final he again defeated Kerkvliet, 5–1, to win the NCAA heavyweight championship. [20] He became the first Michigan heavyweight champion since Kirk Trost in 1986. [21] Following an outstanding season he was named an All-American and awarded the Dan Hodge Trophy, as the best collegiate wrestler. [22] [23] He was also named the University of Michigan's Athlete of the Year. [24]

International career

During the 2019 World Junior Wrestling Championships, he posted a perfect 4–0 record and defeated his opponents 36–3. During the gold medal match, he pinned future Olympic medalist Amir Hossein Zare in the first-period. [25] [26]

He represented the United States at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships where he won a bronze medal in the men's freestyle 125 kg. [27] He then represented the United States at the 2023 Pan American Games and won a gold medal in the men's 125 kg, defeating two-time Olympian and three-time Pan American Games medalist José Daniel Díaz. [28]

He represented the United States at the 2024 Pan American Wrestling Championships where he won a gold medal in the men's freestyle 125 kg event. He started the tournament with a 10–0 victory over Richard DesChatelets. His semifinal and finals opponents defaulted due to injury, as a result his lone victory was enough for the gold. [29] [30]

By winning the bronze medal at the world championships, Parris earned an automatic berth into the best-of-three 125 kg championship series at the 2024 Olympic trials. [31] During the Olympic trials he won both matches against Hayden Zillmer with 7–0 decisions to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics. [32]

Freestyle record

Senior Freestyle Matches
Res.RecordOpponentScoreDateEventLocation
2024 US Olympic Team Trials Gold medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Win40–9 Flag of the United States.svg Hayden Zillmer7–0April20, 2024 2024 US Olympic Team Trials Flag of the United States.svg State College, Pennsylvania
Win39–9 Flag of the United States.svg Hayden Zillmer7–0
2024 Pan American Championships Gold medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Win38–9 Flag of Puerto Rico.svg Jonovan SmithFFFebruary 24, 2024 2024 Pan American Continental Championships

Flag of Mexico.svg Acapulco, Mexico

Win37–9 Flag of Venezuela.svg José Daniel Díaz FF
Win36–9 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Richard DesChatelets TF 10–0
2024 Grand Prix Zagreb Open Bronze medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Win35–9 Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Giorgi Meshvildishvili 5–2January 11, 2024 2024 Grand Prix Zagreb Open

Flag of Croatia.svg Zagreb, Croatia

Loss34–9 Flag of Iran.svg Amir Reza Masoumi 6–11
Win34–8 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Amar Dhesi TF 11–0
Win33–8 Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Vakhit GalayevTF 15–4
2023 Pan American Games Gold medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Win32–8 Flag of Venezuela.svg José Daniel Díaz 2–0November 2, 2023 2023 Pan American Games

Flag of Chile.svg Santiago, Chile

Win31–8 Flag of Jamaica.svg Aaron JohnsonTF 10–0
Win30–8 Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Elison AdamesTF 12–0
2023 World Championships Bronze medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Win29–8 Flag of Russia.svg Abdulla KurbanovTF 12–2September 16–17, 2023 2023 World Championships

Flag of Serbia.svg Belgrade, Serbia

Loss28–8 Flag of Georgia.svg Geno Petriashvili 6–8
Win28–7 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Deng Zhiwei 8–4
Win27–7 Flag of Italy.svg Abraham Conyedo 3–0
Win26–7 Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Yusup Batirmurzaev TF 11–0
2023 Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial Gold medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Win25–7 Flag of Hungary.svg Dániel Ligeti INJJuly 13–16, 2023 2023 Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial

Flag of Hungary.svg Budapest, Hungary

Win24–7 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Deng Zhiwei 5–0
Win23–7 Flag of Egypt.svg Youssif HemidaTF 11–1
Win22–7 Flag of Italy.svg Abraham Conyedo TF 10–0
2023 US World Team Trials Silver medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Loss21–7 Flag of the United States.svg Gable Steveson 0–5June 9–10, 20232023 Final X Flag of the United States.svg Newark, New Jersey
Loss21–6 Flag of the United States.svg Gable Steveson 2–6
Win21–5 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Gwiazdowski 6–2May 20–21, 20232023 US World Team Trials Flag of the United States.svg Colorado Springs, Colorado
Win20–5 Flag of the United States.svg Wyatt Hendrickson12–11
Win19–5 Flag of the United States.svg Tony CassioppiTF 10–0
2023 US Open Bronze medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Win18–5 Flag of the United States.svg Wyatt HendricksonTF 20–7April 27, 20232023 US Open National Championships

Flag of the United States.svg Las Vegas, Nevada

Win17–5 Flag of the United States.svg Demetrius ThomasFall
Loss16–5 Flag of the United States.svg Gable Steveson TF 1–12
Win16–4 Flag of the United States.svg Ty Walz4–0
Win15–4 Flag of the United States.svg Gary TraubTF 10–0
Win14–4 Flag of the United States.svg Gabe JacobsTF 10–0
2021 US World Team Trials Silver medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Loss13–4 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Gwiazdowski 3–10September 11–12, 2021 2021 US World Team Trials Flag of the United States.svg Lincoln, Nebraska
Loss13–3 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Gwiazdowski 0–6
Win13–2 Flag of the United States.svg Dom Bradley8–4
Win12–2 Flag of the United States.svg Austin SchaferFall
2020 US Olympic Team Trials Bronze medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Win11–2 Flag of the United States.svg Tony Nelson6–3April 2–3, 2021 2020 US Olympic Team Trials Flag of the United States.svg Fort Worth, Texas
Win10–2 Flag of the United States.svg Dom Bradley7–4
Win9–2 Flag of the United States.svg Tanner HallTF 10–0
Loss8–2 Flag of the United States.svg Greg Kerkvliet4–4
FloWrestling RTC Cup Gold medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Win8–1 Flag of the United States.svg Jordan WoodTF 12–1December 4–5, 2020 FloWrestling RTC Cup

Flag of the United States.svg Austin, Texas

Win7–1 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Gwiazdowski 10–7
Loss6–1 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Gwiazdowski TF 8–18
Win6–0 Flag of the United States.svg Tony Nelson8–2
2020 US Nationals Gold medal icon.svg at 125 kg
Win5–0 Flag of the United States.svg Tanner Hall8–2October 9–11, 20202020 US National Championships

Flag of the United States.svg Coralville, Iowa

Win4–0 Flag of the United States.svg Trent HillgerFall
Win3–0 Flag of the United States.svg Jordan Wood9–6
Win2–0 Flag of the United States.svg Chris Lance9–4
Win1–0 Flag of the United States.svg Josh HeindselmanTF 10–0

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References

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