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https://www.win-magazine.com/2023/03/27/michigans-mason-parris-wins-2023-win-magazine-culture-house-dan-hodge-trophy-presented-by-asics/
 
NEWTON, Iowa — After injuring his neck in the 2021 World Team Trials, Michigan’s Mason Parris wrestled the entire 2021-22 college season battling through pain and loss of feeling in his left side.

Entering the 2022-23 season, the Wolverine senior — who finished second nationally in 2021 and fifth in 2022 — was finally healthy and recuperated from a long road of recovery. But Michigan head coach Sean Bormet still considered redshirting his star heavyweight.

Parris, meanwhile, felt confidently that this would be the year all his hard work would culminate in a national title.

Parris made Bormet make one promise, though: he would wrestle every single match without sitting out, even the season-opening Michigan State Open that some of the other Wolverine starters often would not attend.

Now, six months later after capturing an NCAA title in dominant fashion and compiling an unblemished 33-0 season record, Parris has officially been named the recipient of the 2023 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy awarded to the nation’s top college wrestler.

Parris will be presented with the Hodge Trophy at the University of Michigan wrestling banquet on Sunday, April 2 in Ann Arbor. For more information on the Dan Hodge Trophy, including a list of all past winners along with the release story and stats from the year they won the Hodge, visit www.WIN-magazine.com.

The third straight heavyweight to win the Hodge — after Minnesota’s Gable Steveson won in 2021 and 2022 — Parris comfortably won the vote as he acquired 38 out of 64 first-place votes. The Hodge Trophy Voting Committee is a retired college coach from each region of the country, a representative from each of the national wrestling organizations, select national media members and past Hodge winners. Second-place Carter Starocci (Penn State, 174 pounds) received 14 first-place votes while four-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell, 149) received six first-place votes.

Parris accumulated the highest portion of the fan votes as well, which accounted for the final five first-place votes. The four-time All-American and two-time NCAA finalist received 11,036 votes out of the total 36,225 fan votes that were cast online March 21-24. Starocci finished second in the fan vote with 6,172 while Andrew Alirez (Northern Colorado, 141) finished third with 5,617.

“This is an unreal feeling,” Parris said. “To even be nominated is such an honor. To win it is such a great way to represent my family and my school.”

Created in 1995 by Mike Chapman, the creator of WIN Magazine, and sponsored by ASICS, the Dan Hodge Trophy is awarded to the most dominant wrestler each year by WIN and Chapman’s company Culture House. It is named after Dan Hodge, the undefeated, three-time NCAA champion at 177 pounds for the University of Oklahoma, and the only wrestler to ever appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated (April 1, 1957).

“As the creator of the Dan Hodge Trophy, I am always delighted to see someone like Mason win,” Chapman said. “He is an excellent representative of the sport and the award and becomes the fifth heavyweight to win; moving alongside such greats as Kerry McCoy (Penn State, 1997), Stephen Neal (Cal State Bakersfield, 1999), Steve Mocco (Oklahoma State, 2005) and Gable Steveson (co-winner with Spencer Lee in 2021). In addition, Mason has made Michigan the 16th different school to have a Dan Hodge Trophy winner.”

Parris believes the future is bright for the heavyweight class.

“Heavyweights are a lot faster and more athletic than they used to be,” Parris said. “It is great to be on the forefront of that. It is awesome for the heavyweight division.”

Bormet was ecstatic to learn Parris had been named the first Hodge recipient in Michigan’s rich wrestling history.

“It is special,” said Bormet, who took the Michigan reins in 2018. “Mason was part of my first recruiting class at Michigan. That makes it a little more special. He has embodied the team mentality. It was great to see him be so dominant. I’ve watched Michigan as a university see a few football players win the Heisman and this is the equivalent. This is the most prestigious award in wrestling. What an accomplishment for Mason and our program.”

Criteria for the Hodge includes a wrestler’s record, dominance/bonus-point percentage, quality of competition and sportsmanship.

Parris was one of six NCAA champions who finished the season undefeated but had the most wins of all of them. He finished with the third-highest bonus-point percentage (63.6 percent) behind only Alirez (71.4 percent) and North Carolina’s Austin O’Connor (69.6 percent). Parris finished off the season with 11 pins, three technical falls and seven major-decision victories.

Other finalists for the Hodge were Princeton’s Pat Glory (125 pounds), Cornell’s Vito Arujau (133), Missouri’s Keegan O’Toole (165), Penn State’s Aaron Brooks (184), and Pitt’s Nino Bonaccorsi (197).

Impressively, Parris wrestled a total of 10 matches this season against the other seven All-Americans in the heavyweight bracket and scored two bonus-point victories in those bouts, both of which came at the NCAA Championships.

In an all-Big Ten quarterfinal, the Wolverine controlled eventual fifth-place finisher Lucas Davison (Northwestern), 10-1, before massively extending his margin of victory over Iowa’s Tony Cassioppi in the semis by scoring a 16-1 technical fall in 5:12, just one month after he beat the Hawkeye 9-7 in dual-meet competition.

Parris was also one point shy of majoring Air Force third-place finisher Wyatt Hendrickson, defeating the Falcon 12-5 during the regular season.

Parris and Bormet both wholeheartedly believe in the Wolverine program’s ability to peak in March when it matters most, and Parris’ dominance in Tulsa attests to that.

“Our coaches at Michigan do a great job of peaking us at the right time,” Parris stated. “My confidence was at its peak and my body felt great out there.”

“From a program standpoint, we want to do our best wrestling at the NCAAs in March,” Bormet added.

“If you look at the course of our season, he got tested a few times and went through some adversity, but he kept his composure. He did a great job staying focused on scoring the next point. All those little tests helped him keep building and feeding into his confidence.”

For Parris, the mentality to not just win but to dominate began with his father and continued by assimilating into the Michigan wrestling program’s philosophies.

“Dominance was engrained in me at a young age,” said Parris, the 23-year-old native of Lawrenceburg, Ind., and the son of Mark and Shay Parris. “My entire career, the goal has always been to score as many points as I can and to dominate my opponent. My dad always told me to dominate, take risks, and never stop scoring.”

Bormet echoed Parris’ unrelenting approach to the sport.

“It is a mindset we look for in recruiting but also that we coach here at Michigan. He was clearly a relentless competitor, and when he got into our program, he would overwhelm guys with his offense. We didn’t want to slow down his offense but just to make it more efficient. He also has a huge team mindset, so he always wants to score bonus for the team. He is an incredible leader.

“This is a really special honor, and it puts an exclamation point on his career as a student-athlete. He is also graduating from one of the top engineering programs in the country, so he is a special human all around.”

Manchester University to add women’s wrestling as varsity sport
https://www.manchester.edu/about-manchester/Manchester-University-News/MU-news-page/news/2023/03/27/manchester-university-to-add-women-s-wrestling-as-varsity-sport
NORTH MANCHESTER, Indiana — Manchester University will offer women's wrestling as a varsity intercollegiate sport starting in the 2024-25 academic year, making it the 50th NCAA Division III women’s team in the nation.

“The time is right to launch a women’s wrestling program at Manchester University. Interest in girls wrestling in high school is exploding and we are seeing that in Indiana,” said Director of Athletics Rick Espeset.

“We want to be at the forefront of helping grow the sport, providing the student-athlete experience to even more of our students and offering women the chance to compete at the college level,” he said. “We could not be more excited to add women’s wrestling.”

In addition to noting the DIII milestone, National Wrestling Coaches Association Executive Director Mike Moyer said this announcement represents the 154th new women’s intercollegiate wrestling program to be added across all divisions and governing bodies since 2000.

“I extend a heartfelt thanks to the Manchester University administration for recognizing the educational value and diversity that a new intercollegiate women’s wrestling program will bring to their campus. High school girls wrestling participation numbers are exploding across the nation and these new programs are critically important in providing post-secondary educational opportunities for wrestlers in the region.” Moyer said.

“Needless to say, this is a big win for our sport and Manchester University,” he added.

Josh Hardman, head coach for Manchester’s men’s program, will become director of wrestling. Manchester will hire an associate head coach for the women’s program and another for the men’s program.

“With the growth of women’s wrestling in Indiana and across the country, it is exciting to add women’s wrestling to the Manchester University Athletic Department,” Hardman said.

“To be on the cutting edge and part of the growth of this emerging sport is something to celebrate. Manchester has always been a place that fosters individual growth, and this is just another example of the innovative, bold commitment that MU continues to make toward providing opportunities that transforms the lives of their students,” he said.

A member of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, Manchester offers 10 women’s NCAA-sponsored sports teams and 10 for men. Women’s wrestling will be the 11th women’s varsity sport, with a full year to recruit.

Those who are interested in women’s wrestling may apply at https://applyto.manchester.edu/register/MUWWR.

For the media

Rick Espeset, RBEspeset@manchester.edu
Josh Hardman, JAHardman@manchester.edu.
Mike Moyer, National Wrestling Coaches Association, mmoyer@nwca.cc
MU Director of Sports Information Erin Hickle, EEHickle@manchester.edu

Learn more about Spartan athletics, https://muspartans.com/index.aspx

By Anna Kayser
 
Mere seconds after securing his second consecutive IHSAA State Wrestling title in February, No. 2 Jake Hockaday ran over to his coaches’ corner, hugged assistant coach Kyle Ayersman… and flipped him down onto the mat.
 
“We planned that far before,” Hockaday said. “I had to win it first, but right after I won I called him over and we had to do that. That was the first time [I had ever done that], I saw it on TikTok, so I thought I had to hit it.”
 
With his Saturday night victory over No. 1 Ashton Jackson of LaPorte, Hockaday became Brownsburg’s second two-time state champion following now-Minnesota standout after being the first freshman in school history to win it all in 2022. As part of a cohort of a program-record four finalists, Hockaday’s win followed freshman 106-pounder Revin Dickman’s title, marking the first time in school history that Brownsburg has crowned multiple champions in a year.
 
As someone all too familiar with the spotlight on the center mat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Hockaday’s confidence shined. He looked strong and light on his feet all still sets that are vital to coming out on top following a grueling wrestling season.
 
“First of all, we were thinking of going 113 [before the season], but I decided to make the jump to 120 to not cut and just train as hard as I could all year,” Hockaday said. “I felt pretty good not cutting a lot of weight. I felt like I was quick, I was strong, and I had a huge advantage over the other guys who were cutting weight.”
 
Hockaday looked strong, light on his feet and in his mind – all skillsets that are vital to coming out on top following a grueling wrestling season. Leading up to his 2022 run to become Brownsburg’s first freshman in school history to win a state title, that confidence wasn’t always there.
 
At the Avon Sectional a year ago, Hockaday rolled through the bracket to the title match against conference rival Luke Rioux of the host school, an opponent he was beyond familiar with. He lost that match, 10-6.
 
“He looked like a deer in headlights, he had no facial expression, and his face was just pale,” head coach Darrick Snyder said. “He had the pressure of the world on him. So we did a lot of work with him the next few weeks about getting his head right and trying to get him to understand that those feelings are normal.”
 
As the No. 1 ranked wrestler at 106 pounds during the 2022 season, all eyes on the Brownsburg side were on him to win the title as a freshman. All eyes on opposing sides, however, were to take him down.
 
 
“It was kind of hard being ranked No. 1, everyone was kind of giving me their all,” Hockaday said. “After that [loss] we had to turn the jets on, and I had to get my mental right. That’s really all we looked forward to, winning the state title.”
 
The mental side of wrestling is something that Snyder and his coaching staff continue to put an emphasis on with their wrestlers, setting them up for success as they start to wrestle on the biggest stages not only in Indiana, but in the country.
 
This past season, they took a number of wrestlers to the Walsh Ironman tournament to face some of the best nationally ranked competition.
 
“The longer I coach, the more time we spend on the mental side of [wrestling],” Snyder said. “For a lot of our kids, it’s not physical. They’ve got the skills and the ability… a lot of times it’s just dealing with the pressure.”
 
Snyder preached the same thing throughout the state series, so much so that when asked about it, Hockaday nearly recited it word-for-word: It’s just a wrestling match, that doesn’t change regardless of the scenario.
 
“It’s helped me realize that it’s a match – I’ve wrestled thousands of them,” Hockaday said. “The only thing that’s changing is they put it in a cool venue and call it the State Finals. Really, I just had to wrestle my match and win.”
 
And it paid off. He took what he learned last year with that lesson this season and used it to his advantage again, staying confident in himself no matter what the situation.
 
He’s an electric wrestler when he’s on his game, and now there’s very little that makes him forget it.
 
“I learned that I can’t wrestle [other] people’s style,” Hockaday said. “I just have to stay calm, breathe, force my style and not do anything stupid.”
 
 

By Dave Melton
Photo: Sam Janicki
 
Michigan senior Mason Parris kept coming back to phrases like “job’s not done” or “the season’s not over yet.”
 
But the Wolverines heavyweight also couldn’t downplay what he’d accomplished on Sunday night.
 
“That’s definitely one of the top memories so far,” he said. “I’ve been wanting that Big Ten title for a really long time and it’s great to finally have one.”
 
With a 5-3 overtime win against Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet — a championship match between the top two heavyweights in the country, let alone the conference — Parris captured the first Big Ten championship of his career while wrestling in front of the home crowd at the University of Michigan.
 
But as soon as he finished that brief reflection on that win, Parris’ mind moved forward.
 
“Obviously, the job’s not done,” he said. “Two more weeks it’s the NCAA tournament and that’s still the main goal — this is just a stepping stone.”
 
Parris’ record now sits at 28-0, living up to his No. 1 ranking at heavyweight by both FloWrestling and Intermat with his first-place finish at the Big Ten tournament.
 
His career accolades were already a mile long, including three high school state titles before graduating from Lawrenceburg in 2018, a freestyle world championship in 2019, and a runner-up finish at the NCAA tournament in 2021. But the Big Ten title had remained elusive, with Parris finishing as runner-up twice and fourth place last season.
 
Reaching this title included a brief step back, too, as head coach Sean Bormet explained.
 
“As soon as our season ended, we had to make sure that we shut him down on the mat,” Bormet said. “We had to take some time off and start to rebuild his body so he could bounce back. And he attacked it like he attacks everything.”
 
Parris struggled with a herniated disc through much of last season and the effects from that injury and its subsequent recovery required some patience.
 
“When I was lifting in the summer I could barely do any pull-ups,” Parris said. “I struggled a lot. But now I can do 25 pull-ups by myself. I finally got that confidence back in my strength. It’s amazing to be able to feel this good again.”
 
He needed every ounce of strength to outlast Kerkvliet in the championship match, with a late stalling call against Parris sending the match into overtime — unbeknownst to Parris.
 
“I had no idea about that stall call until I looked up at the clock and saw it was 3-3,” he said. “Then I just had to take a deep breath. I knew what I had to do.”
 
About one minute into overtime, Parris stifled a shot attempt from Kerkvliet and then barreled through his opponent for the title-winning two points.
 
“I felt him shoot in deep on me,” Parris said. “I got my legs back and felt a little bit of pressure let up, so that’s why I drove in on him and took him over at the end.”
 
As he rose to his feet in victory, Parris pointed directly at his father, Mark, in the crowd.
 
“He’s the one who got me into wrestling,” Parris said of his father. “It’s been a great journey for both of us. It’s great being able to do that for my hometown and for my family.”
 
Mark Parris, who was a two-time all-conference linebacker at Ball State, got Mason Parris into wrestling by starting a youth program in Lawrenceburg, thinking it would help his son’s athletic future — just not on the mats.
 
“I started the youth program because I thought he was going to play college football,” Mark Parris said. “Wrestling helped me out when I was in high school, so I thought we’d start that program because they make the best tacklers.”
 
During Mason Parris’ multi-sport high school career, though, his plans became solely focused on wrestling. And judging by the wide smile on Mark Parris’ face as he spoke, there was never a doubt that this path was the correct one.
 
“We’re just so proud of him and who he is,” he said.
 
But, as Mason Parris was quick to point out: that road still has more miles to be explored.
 
“I can be happy with tonight and celebrate it,” Mason Parris said. “But then I’ll get back to work tomorrow.”

By Dave Melton
Photo: Nebraska Athletics
 
Nebraska redshirt sophomore Silas Allred was certainly never lacking for confidence after a high school career that included a pair of state titles at Shenandoah before graduating in 2020.
 
But when the coaches at Nebraska told the 197-pounder what he was capable of as a college wrestler, it sent his belief in his own abilities to new heights.
 
“When you have people who you really respect telling you that the sky’s the limit, you have no choice but to believe it,” he said. “I’d be foolish not to believe it. When your coaching staff tells you that you can be great and you buy into it, good things happen.”
 
One of those “good things” happened Sunday night at the University of Michigan, when Allred beat Penn State’s Max Dean 6-3 in the championship round, crowning Allred as a Big Ten champion.
 
Allred’s record now stands at 26-5 this season, heading into the NCAA Wrestling Championships set for St. Patrick Day’s weekend in Tulsa.
 
Allred’s road from Shenandoah to this Big Ten title for Allred included a slew of twists and turns caused by the pandemic, which limited the number of matches he wrestled during the 2020-21 season. Still, Allred immediately raised eyebrows when he arrived in Nebraska’s wrestling room that fall — especially the ones belonging to Eric Schultz, who was a Big Ten runner-up last year.
 
“The first time we wrestled at a practice, he threw me to my back and pinned me,” Schultz said of Allred. “I was like, ‘Who is this kid?’”
 
The only other person who may not have been surprised by Allred’s early displays for Nebraska was head coach Mark Manning.
 
“When we got him, I knew he was special,” Manning said. “He didn’t get many matches in but some of that adversity drove him to be better and better.”
 
Allred took a redshirt last season before hitting the mats heavy this season. While he maintained that the mental side of the sport — such as the confidence he gained from conversations with his coaches — has been paramount to success, there are plenty of wrestling lessons he’s conquered along the way to his conference title.
 
“It’s hard to put into words because so much of wrestling is mental preparation,” he said. “Hand fighting has been a huge factor for me, just shooting only when I win my ties and not taking poor shots. If you take poor shots against big 197-pounders, they’re going to punish you for it. Cleaning things up and only taking good, solid attacks has made a world of difference.”
 
Schultz couldn’t stop raving about how much Allred had improved at wrestling on top.
 
“It’s gotten a lot better from that first year on campus,” he said. “He’s probably one of the best riders in his weight class in the whole country.”
 
Combining those physical traits with a strong mindset is what led Allred to the Big Ten title and has him lined up for more success down the road, as Manning explained.
 
“He knew he could be where he finished (on Sunday),” Manning said. “We have to reinvent that again in two weeks, but he really enjoyed this moment because he did a super job. Seeing his development this year, starting back in November all the way until now: he’s made a jump of two or three levels. Now it’s going to take a different mindset and maturity, but he’s very mature for his age and that helps a lot.”
 
Allred was also looking in the direction of that upcoming NCAA tournament, hoping to have similar success on that even bigger stage. But he still took time to savor the victory he won last weekend, posing for countless photos with friends and family between an even longer string of congratulatory hugs and handshakes.
 
“It’s not just a memory for me but for all of them,” Allred said, pointing in the direction of the red-clad section of fans in his corner. “They’re all a part of this. They’ve all — in some way, shape or form — played a part in my development as a wrestler and to share this moment with them is just awesome.”
 
Then, a few breaths later, Allred looked ahead.
 
“Being a Big Ten champ is awesome but it’s not the goal,” he said. “At the end of the day, I want to be the best wrestler I can possibly be. Whether it’s a national champion or Olympic champion or world champion, whatever it may be, I want to be the best that I can be.”
 

2023 Awards night, join us for some great conversation and announcing this year's awards.
 

Mr. Gorilla: Sam Goin- Crown Point
1st Runner-up: Aidan Torres- Chesterton
2nd Runner-up: Orlando Cruz- Crown Point
 
Miss Gorilla: Aulani Davis- Kokomo
1st Runner-up: Mackenzie Konanz- Penn
2nd Runner-up: Chrissy True- Jeffersonville
 
Assistant Coaching Staff of the Year: Center Grove
4A Coach of the Year: Maurice Swain- Center Grove
3A Coach of the Year: Steve Sandefer- Mishawaka
2A Coach of the Year: Chad Shepherd- Western
1A Coach of the Year: Joe Litherland- Tell City
Girls Coach of the Year: Nick Skinner- Southport
 
4A Wrestler of the Year: Joey Buttler- Whiteland
3A Wrestler of the Year: Cole Solomey- Kankakee Valley
2A Wrestler of the Year: Tylin Thrine- New Castle
1A Wrestler of the Year: Tyce DuPont- Tell City
 
Past Award Winners
1A Coach
2015- Tony Currie
2016- Brett Smith
2017- Gary Black
2018- Chuck Fleshman
2019- Tony Currie
2020- Cody Moll
2021- Neal Stahly
2022- Clint Gard
 
1A Wrestler
2015- Sawyer Miller
2016- Evan Ellis
2017- Eli Stock
2018- Noah Cressell
2019- Silas Allred
2020- Isiah Levitz
2021- Hayden Filipovich
2022- Marshall Fishback
 
2A Coach
2015- Trent McCormick
2016- Mark Kerrn
2017- Trent McCormick
2018- Frank Bumgardner
2019- Chad Shepherd
2020- Paul Gunsett
2021- Nick Kraus
2022- Tim Myers
 
2A Wrestler
2015- Brock Hudkins
2016- Brock Hudkins
2017- Mason Parris
2018- Brayden Curtis
2019- AJ Fowler
2020- Clayton Fielden
2021- Isaac Ruble
2022- Christian Carroll
 
3A Coach
2015- Brad Harper
2016- Darrick Snyder
2017- Chris Johl
2018- Matt Schoettle
2019- Sean McGinley
2020- Sean McGinley
2021- Adam Wolf
2022- Chris Cooper
 
3A Wrestler
2015- Chad Red
2016- Blake Rypel
2017- Joe Lee
2018- Asa Garcia
2019- Jordan Slivka
2020- Eli Dickens
2021- J Conway
2022- J Conway
 
4A Coach
2021- Greg Schaefer
2022- Brandon Lorek-
 
4A Wrestler
2021- Jesse Mendez
2022- Gabe Sollars
 
Girls Coach of the Year
2021- Jeremy Goodlett
2022- Brad Harper
 
Assistant Coaching Staff of the Year
2022- Crown Point
 
Mr. Gorilla
2015- Tommy Forte
2016- Chad Red
2017- Andrew Davison
2018- Brayton Lee and Mason Parris
2019- Asa Garcia
2020- Silas Allred
2021- Alex Cottey
2022- Jesse Mendez
 
Miss Gorilla
2021- Sarah Huse
2022- Catie Campbell

By Anna Kayser
Freshman Revin Dickman wrestled through rib pain for two weeks prior to state championship
 
On the Monday leading up to the Evansville Semi-State, freshman and 106-pound IHSAA state champion Revin Dickman suffered an injury to his ribs.
 
When a guy is hurting in the Brownsburg wrestling room, there’s a series of check-ins that head coach Darrick Snyder goes through in tailoring practices following an injury. Depending on what level the pain is on a scale of one to 10 and if things are progressing positively from the day before, action can be limited.
 
Over the first few days of practice, Dickman was limited. And then at the end of the week, when Snyder followed up to gauge how the pain was either improving or not, Dickman made a decision that would lead to his dominate run at the state title just over a week later.
 
“It’s kind of a cool story about him,” Snyder recalled. “I was like ‘Alright, how are we doing and how do we feel?’ And he’s like, ‘I’m done with that coach… I’m fine. I’ve just got to wrestle with it. I’m done talking about it and I’m done adjusting my practices.’
 
“A rib injury is no joke and he literally just didn’t want to talk about it anymore. He’s a tough kid. We had people look at him and they [told him] it was going to hurt really bad, but he could wrestle with it. He got better over the week [leading up to State], but he was definitely in some pain.”
 
Dickman took home titles in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference and Mooresville Regional and Evansville Semi-State – the latter of which came during his injury – with a number of wins against State Finals opponent Nate Rioux.
 
The freshman was a large part of Brownsburg’s success throughout the season, reaching the finals in all but one tournament since December. He was one of the Bulldogs’ only placers at the Walsh Ironman tournament, placing eight on Dec. 10.
 
The adjustments that came from a number of losses on the season propelled him to success when it mattered most.
 
“He just has very few flaws in his game,” Snyder said. “He’s a kid where getting out of state to the Ironman and Brecksville, he took losses there. He’s the type of kid that’s like ‘Okay, I lost. What did I do wrong? What do I have to improve on?’ He was a contender at the beginning of the year, but he’s not the same dude because he took those losses and learned from them.”
 
Those larger tournaments not only improved his physical game, but the mental side of wrestling as well.
 
Throughout the state series, Snyder reminded his wrestlers that regardless of the arena or the stakes attached to the tournament, it was just another wrestling match.
 
The State Finals was no different.
 
“I’ve been to other pretty big tournaments equal to this, so it had kind of already prepared me for this big tournament,” Dickman said. “I had to keep a good mindset going into this and I was excited. My mindset was good so I wrestled good.”
 
Dickman was the first of three Brownsburg wrestlers to win their respective brackets at the State Finals, setting a school record.
 
“We just ran out of room in our wrestling room for our wall of state champions, so that will be a fun problem to figure out,” Snyder said. “We wrestled lights out, and overall, it was an outstanding tournament. Any time three of your guys accomplish their goal, it’s pretty awesome to be a part of.”
 

2023 State Finals Recap show! Talking about the state finals

Rex Brewer and Dane Fuelling put a bow...or was it a headlock and cradle...on the wrestling season with a recap of the state finals.

By Anna Kayser
Brownsburg Crowns Three Individual Champions
 
After sending its most wrestlers to the IHSAA finals round in school history, Brownsburg crowned three individual state champions for the first time in program history on Saturday night.
 
Revin Dickman and Jake Hockaday started things off for the Bulldogs in the final round of the tournament, with Hockaday earning his second state title in as many years. Leighton Jones capped things off in a big way with the final match of the 2023 season and his high school career.
 
106 Title Match – No. 2 Revin Dickman over No. 4 Nathan Rioux (Avon), 3-0
 
Freshman Bulldog Revin Dickman secured Brownsburg’s first individual state championship on the night with a 3-0 win over friend and well-known opponent Nathan Rioux. Dickman, who had won the previous five meetings between the two wrestlers, jumped on his offense to score all the points of the match in the second period.
 
A takedown in the second period secured the win, and Dickman didn’t let up, nearly turning Rioux for back points as time expired. Defense was the name of the game in the third, and Dickman rode out to become the second Brownsburg freshman to win state in school history – just one season after teammate Jake Hockaday became the first.
 
120 Title Match – No. 2 Jake Hockaday over No. 1 Ashton Jackson (LaPorte), 6-3
 
Sophomore Jake Hockaday became a two-time state champion with a strong showing of both offense and defense to defeat Ashton Jackson, 6-3.
 
After an outpouring of offense in the first period with  Hockaday leading, 4-1, the two wrestlers leaned on their defense in a gritty battle through the second period. The third period featured more fireworks, with Hockaday tacking on a takedown to offset two escapes.
 
132 Title Match – No. 2 Joey Buttler (Whiteland) over No. 3 Brady Ison, 6-3
 
In a match that came down to one four-point move by Joey Buttler, Brownsburg’s Brady Ison battled and never let up to place second in the 132 state title match on Saturday evening.
 
Ison had a one-point lead in the second period before Buttler scored a takedown and back points to turn the tides, 4-1. The Brownsburg junior was able to execute his shots in the final 30 seconds of the match to narrow the score.  
 
285 Title Match – No. 1 Leighton Jones vs. No. 5 Kelton Farmer (Evansville Memorial)
 
After a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals last season, Leighton Jones made it look easy as he defeated Kelton Farmer for the heavyweight state title in his final high school match, 7-2.
 
Jones got on his offense early, taking Farmer down twice to jump out to an early lead. The offense continued throughout the match, and Jones fared off shots by Farmer to hold his opponent to just two escapes. 

By Anna Kayser
Two Bulldogs win third place matches
 
The Brownsburg Bulldogs emerged victorious in two of their three consolation medal matches to begin the third session of wrestling at the 2023 IHSAA State Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.
 
Ahead of four finals matches by Bulldogs tonight, Preston Haines and Gunner Henry each earned bronze medals in the center mat of the consolation matches. The two wins brought Brownsburg (117.5 team points) within 10 points of Center Grove, which is currently in second place with 127 points. Crown Point leads the team race with 145 points.
 
No. 1 Preston Haines – Third Place Finisher at 113 Pounds
 
Following a heartbreaking loss with a last-second reversal in the semifinal round, No. 1 Preston Haines dominated in his final match to finish in third place at 113 pounds in the 2023 IHSAA Wrestling State Finals on Saturday afternoon.
 
Haines started on his offense early while facing No. 8 Isaac Ash of Monrovia and never let up, tacking on takedowns in each of the three periods for a 7-1 decision.
 
The bronze medal finish by the junior follows his first, second and third place finishes at conference, regionals and semi-state, respectively. During the 2022 state series, Haines broke through to the finals and lost to 2023 120-pound finalist Ashton Jackson – a dominate opponent who will face Brownsburg’s Jake Hockaday later tonight.
 
No. 17 Landen Haines – Sixth Place Finisher at 126 Pounds
 
No. 17 Landen Haines finished in six place at 126 pounds in the 2023 IHSAA Wrestling State Finals on Saturday afternoon to cap off an impressive freshman campaign full of ranked upsets this weekend.

In his final match against No. 6 Jackson Bradley of Cowan, Haines fell behind 3-0 early in the second period and trailed for the remainder of the match, dropping the battle for fifth place 5-3.
 
No. 2 Gunner Henry – Third Place Finisher at 195 Pounds
 
With a win over No. 3 Reid Schroeder of Southridge on Saturday evening, No. 2 Gunner Henry earned his second third-place finish at the IHSAA State Finals in two seasons with Brownsburg’s wrestling team.
 
Henry was dominant in his 9-4 consolation victory, never surrendering his offense through the final seconds of the match. In the final minute of the third period, Henry grabbed a single led for a strong takedown to finish off the match.

By Anna Kayser
Four Brownsburg wrestlers punch finals tickets on Saturday
 
The Brownsburg Bulldogs competed another session of successful wrestling on Saturday afternoon, sending four wrestlers through to the championship round at Gainbridge Fieldhouse tonight at 7:30 PM ET.
 
Joining the four finalists in the third session are Preston Haines and Gunner Henry wrestling for third place and Landon Haines wrestling for fifth. The consolation matches are set to begin at 4:30 PM this afternoon.
 
106 – No. 2 Revin Dickman
 
Revin Dickman entered Saturday’s competition as the highest-ranked wrestler still alive at 106 pounds with No. 1 Layne Horn losing his first match of the tournament yesterday, and easily proved why he’s at the top of the weight pack.
 
After a first-period fall to kick off his tournament yesterday, Dickman made quick work of unranked Matt Baylor of Milan in the quarterfinals to secure his place on the podium with another fall in 2:51.
 
Just a few hours later he took to the mat for what would be his second of three matches on the day and again put on a strong display of offense with an 11-1 win over No. 3 Ayden Bollinger of Delta in the semifinals. The Bulldog freshman dominated on top and executed his shots late in the match to continue to pile on points for a major decision.
 
The 106 IHSAA Finals match to kick things off at 7:30 PM ET tonight will be a battle of two highly ranked freshmen: Dickman and No. 4 Nathan Rioux of Avon, two wrestlers who are about as familiar with each other as you can get. The two conference rivals have faced off five times this season (according to IndianaMat’s records), with Dickman narrowly emerging victorious in five decisions ranging between 1-3 points.
 
Dickman and Rioux last faced off in the Evansville semi-state title match, with Dickman edging Rioux 1-0.
 
113 – No. 1 Preston Haines
 
With a 1-2 matchup to begin the final day of official IHSAA competition, Preston Haines made his way to the semifinals with a 3-1 decision of Gavin Jendreas of Crown Point in a match with implications for the team title race.
 
The semifinals, however, were not so kind to Haines as he lost a heartbreaker to No. 6 Jackson Heaston of Indian Creek in the waning seconds of the match. With Haines holding a 1-0 following a second-period escape, Heaston scored a reversal in the final three seconds of the third period to advance to the finals at the buzzer.
 
Haines will represent Brownsburg in the third-place match tonight against No. 8 Isaac Ash of Monrovia, a wrestler he has already faced twice during this season’s state series. Haines’ last defeat of Ash came at semi-state by an 8-0 major decision.
 
The Bulldog junior will land on the podium for the second consecutive season after losing in the finals last year.
 
120 – No. 2 Jake Hockaday
 
An electric 120-pound finals matchup is set for this evening between reigning state champions as Jake Hockaday will face off against No. 1 Ashton Jackson of LaPorte, an undefeated senior and back-to-back state champion at 106 and 113 pounds, respectively.
 
Hockaday, the 106-pound champion last season and Brownsburg’s first freshman state champion in school history, made quick work of No. 12 Carter Fielden of Garrett with a pin in 51 seconds. His semifinal battle against No. 5 Neil Mosier of Delta was much closer than each of his first two bonus-points matches to begin the tournament, with Hockaday emerging victorious with a narrow 3-2 decision.
 
126 – No. 17 Landen Haines
 
After losing his quarterfinal match against No. 5 Tylin Thrine of New Castle to begin the day, Landen Haines battled back to secure his spot in the fifth-place match later today.
 
Haines took an early lead over No. 6 Jackson Bradley of Cowan with a takedown in the first period and never trailed, pulling off the upset with a 4-1 decision.
 
132 – No. 3 Brady Ison
 
Brady Ison’s fight to the finals match wasn’t an easy one, but he’s taken it in stride with victories over two top 5-ranked opponents in his quarter and semifinal matches.
 
To begin the day, Ison handed No. 4 Eleazar Walker of Mishawaka just his second loss on the season to advance to a matchup with No. 1 Kyrel Leavell of Warren Central in the semis. Ison held a narrow 3-2 lead in the third period, but with one minute left to go in the match scored a takedown to extend the lead he would need for the win.
 
Ison’s fight doesn’t get easier as he’ll face No 2, undefeated Joey Buttler of Whiteland in the finals. The Brownsburg junior has lost to Buttler twice by two-point decisions during this state series.
 
195 – No. 2 Gunner Henry
 
Gunner Henry will vie for his second consecutive third-place finish tonight after losing to No. 1 John Purdy in the semifinal this afternoon, 10-3.
 
Henry’s day for the Bulldogs began strong with a 10-4 decision over No. 6 Alex Deming of Rochester. The undefeated Purdy then proved why he’s the best 195-pounder in the state, scoring two takedowns following a scoreless first period and mounting more offense in the third for a big win.
 
In the third-place match, Henry will face No. 3 Reid Schroeder of Southridge, who lost a heartbreaker in overtime in the semifinals. The two wrestlers faced off at semi-state, with Schroeder taking the matchup via 10-8 decision.
 
285 – No. 1 Leighton Jones
 
After a quick pin to begin his tournament and a 5-2 decision in the quarterfinals this morning, Leighton Jones and No. 2 Paul Clark of Crown Point battled again today for a bid to the finals.
 
Jones, who lost a heartbreaker in the semifinals last season, fought hard on defense and executed his shots on offense to defeat Clark, 6-4. He scored via a single-leg takedown in the first period and fought off a similar shot on defense to go up 3-0 in the second. Jones nearly gave up takedowns on the edge of the mat to end the second and third periods, but was able to secure the victory.
 
The senior will face off against No. 5 Kelton Farmer of Evansville Memorial, who was pinned by Jones earlier in the state series.