The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines met No. 1 Penn State in a dual meet on Jan. 20 which saw the top-ranked hosts win all but two matches in a 30-8 victory. One of those Michigan wins was a battle between No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet and No. 2 Mason Parris.
Parris, a Lawrenceburg native who won three Indiana state titles, forced a takedown with 57 seconds left in the third period to clinch a 3-1 decision to improve to 18-0. Parris' win ended Kerkvliet's undefeated season and a losing skid against the Nittany Lion. Kerkvliet beat Parris three times last season, including in the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments.
After the Penn State dual, Michigan visited Rutgers where Parris moved to 19-0 after his 10th pin of the season.
After InterMat released its updated rankings on Jan. 24, Parris had taken over the top spot with Kerkvliet falling to No. 2. Undefeated Iowa heavyweight Tony Cassioppi remained in third in the rankings. Iowa will host Michigan in a dual meet on Feb. 10. Parris is 3-0 against Cassioppi dating to 2020.
Parris finished in fifth place nationally last year after defeating current No. 4 heavyweight Lucas Davison of Northwestern.
A fifth-year senior, Parris has qualified for the NCAA tournament each season, including his national runner-up finish as a junior in 2021.
Parris will be in action next as his No. 3 Wolverines host No. 6 Ohio State on Friday, Jan. 27 followed by a visit from Maryland two days later.
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