NCAA Champion Parris Named Finalist for Hodge Trophy
3/21/2023 8:25:00 PM | Wrestling
NEWTON, Iowa -- University of Michigan fifth-year senior Mason Parris, the 2023 NCAA champion at heavyweight, has been named one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Hodge Trophy, the presenting organization WIN Magazine announced on Tuesday (March 21).
College wrestling's equivalent to football's Heisman Trophy, the Hodge Trophy is given annually to the most dominant wrestler in the country based on overall record, bonus-point percentage, quality of competition and sportsmanship. It is named after Oklahoma's legendary three-time NCAA champion Dan Hodge, who was never taken down in college and pinned 36 of 46 opponents over a three-year span.
Parris posted a perfect 33-0 record en route to the NCAA heavyweight title and earned bonus points in 64 percent of his wins with 11 falls, three technical falls and seven major decisions. He averaged three takedowns and 9.7 points per match this season. He earned 17 wins over nationally-ranked opposition, and went 10-0 over the other seven 2023 NCAA All-Americans. He outscored his NCAA opponents, 49-6, culminating in a 5-1 win over Penn State's Greg Kerkvliet in the championship bout. This season's NCAA heavyweight field included four world champions and six world medalists.
Other finalists include the other nine NCAA champions: Princeton's Pat Glory, Cornell's Vito Arujau, Northern Colorado's Andrew Alirez, Cornell's Yianni Diakomihalis, North Carolina's Austin O'Connor, Missouri's Keegan O'Toole, Penn State's Carter Starocci, Penn State's Aaron Brooks and Pittsburgh's Nino Bonaccorsi.
Fan voting for the 2023 Hodge Trophy is now open. The fan vote accounts for five first-place ballots towards the winner's overall tally and ends at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 24. The Hodge Trophy Voting Committee, made up of past winners of the award, media, a retired college coach from each region and a representative of each national wrestling organization, casts the remainder of the official votes.
The Hodge winner will be announced at noon CST on Monday, March 27.
WIN Magazine's website includes additional information on the Hodge and information on past winners. To vote for the 2023 Hodge: www.win-magazine.com/2023/03/21/fanvote.
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