Home to the last 15 National Championship teams, the Big Ten was sure to showcase its talent during its conference championships this weekend in Ann Arbor. And while the host Michigan wrestling team finished in fifth place, there was plenty to smile about for the Wolverines, mainly because of Mason Parris.
After a tough showing on Saturday, No. 1 heavyweight and fifth-year senior Mason Parris was the only wrestler from Michigan (11-4 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) that made it to the finals. Tied for sixth place with 64 points, it was unlikely for the Wolverines to catch up to the 120 points held by first-place Penn State (16-0, 9-0). However, that didn’t stop Michigan from putting up a fight.
“I’m proud of these guys everyday,” Michigan coach Sean Bormet said. “Especially today, coming back from a tough round last night with a lot of strength and a lot of character…The Big Ten is absolutely the best (conference). I’ll say it loud and proud.”
With two wrestlers – 157-pound redshirt senior Will Lewan and 184-pound graduate student Matt Finesilver – taking third place, four others earned a spot on the podium. With their performances, seven Wolverines earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament in Tulsa two weeks from now.
But even so, the weekend built up to one event: the heavyweight final.
Facing a familiar competitor in the Nittany Lions’ Greg Kerkvliet, who is ranked second in both the nation and tournament, Parris had an opportunity to finally win a Big Ten title. In the 2022 Big Ten Tournament, Kerkvliet beat Parris in the third-place match with an 18-2 major decision win. Parris, who had missed more than half of the 2022 season with a herniated disk, used the summer to regain his strength and redeem himself in the 2023 championship in front of a home crowd.
“There’s been a lot of developments this year,” Parris said. “A lot of my training is getting my confidence back from my injury last year and working my butt off. I think I’m the best version of myself right now, but there’s a lot more to do.”
Parris’s work was evident as he led for most of the bout, attacking Kerkvliet with a fireman’s carry 45 seconds into the first period. He garnered more than a minute of riding time which Kerkvliet brought down to 56 seconds before Parris earned an escape in the third period. After tallying his second stall warning late in the third and surrendering a penalty point, the bout went to overtime. This fact surprised Parris, who thought he had won.
“I had no idea I had that stall called,” Parris said. “The match ended, I looked at the clock and it was 3-3. I just had to take a deep breath and gather myself. It was what it was.”
As raging cheers filled the stadium, Parris rode the energy of the home crowd. Sprawling on a Kerkvliet shot and fighting for a go-behind takedown, Parris became the first Michigan wrestler to earn a Big Ten heavyweight title since Airron Richardson in 1998.
While the Wolverines were unable to defend last year’s conference title, Parris accomplished one of his biggest goals for the year, but is still not satisfied.
“I don’t want to fall short anymore,” Parris said. “It’s my time to get that national title and I’m going to do everything possible to do it.”
And the situation is lining up for him to do so. At the Big Ten Championship in 2020, Parris finished second to No. 1 Gable Stevenson of Minnesota. In 2021, Parris was runner-up to Stevenson in the conference final. During the National Championship just two weeks later, Parris once again earned second place to Stevenson.
With Stevenson gone, it is finally Parris’s time to earn gold. According to him, he will settle for nothing less than first.