Upon arriving at the NCAA DIII Central Region Championship tournament hosted by Adrian College, Lions head coach Charles Mason was presented with the Central Region Coach of the Year award.
ADRIAN, Michigan - The honors continue to roll in for the Mount St. Joseph University wrestling program. Upon arriving at the NCAA DIII Central Region Championship tournament hosted by Adrian College, Lions head coach Charles Mason was presented with the Central Region Coach of the Year award. Just last year at the NCAA National Championships coach Mason was named the NWCA National Rookie Coach of the Year.
The Lions wrestling coach under coach Mason has been on a meteoric rise over the past two years. Last season the Lions qualified its first wrestler for the NCAA Championship tournament since 2015, in eventual All-American Antonio McCloud (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder). McCloud has again been dominant this season to the tune of a 25-3 record and he currently sits at #4 in the country at 184 lbs.
The big get for coach Mason and the Lions came via transfer this season, as Cornell Beachem Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio/Winton Woods) returned home to wrestle for the Lions. Since wrapping up his football season, Cornell has been on a meteoric rise of his own. His season record currently stands at 17-0, with only two of those wins coming by way of decision. His season thus far is highlighted by a tournament win at the Pete Willson Invitational, where he defeated the then #3 and #1, 174 lbs wrestlers in the nation. Thanks to that win and the sparkling record Cornell is currently ranked #1 in the nation according to all major DIII wrestling polls.
This has not been a two man show for the Lions this season though as Coach Mason and his coaching staff has put together a solid lineup from top to bottom. Two other Mount wrestlers currently find their names on the D3wrestle.com rankings, as Tariq Hornbuckle (Phoenix, Ari./Desert Vista) and Chucky Lipps (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) are at 12 and 19 respectively. The depth of the lineup extends to 197-pounder Cameron Sauerwein (Harrison, Ohio/Harrison) and 141-pounder Nate McClanahan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Elder) each of whom have an opportunity to qualify for the National Championships.
The lineup depth has provided the Lions a dual lineup unlike any they have had in the past. For the first time in program history The Mount registered double-digit dual wins. The final dual record for the team this season was 12-6, a massive improvement over last season's record.
When asked about the award coach Mason had this to say, "This award is not just representative of my work, its representative of the entire coaching staff, the guys on the team and the entire University." He went on to add, "I would like to thank all of my fellow coaches here in the central region for this honor. We have a fantastic region here, with some great coaches. For me to be recognized as Coach of the Year is truly special."