The former Blair Academy standout who spent the past two seasons at the University of Minnesota has made the decision to transfer to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which is just over an hour drive from where he grew up in Moorestown, New Jersey.
Mario Mason (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)One of Mason's longtime friends and coaches, Cory Cooperman, also a Blair Academy product, is on Scott Goodale's staff at Rutgers, which also factored into his decision. Interestingly, Cooperman also spent time (redshirt season) at the University of Minnesota before returning to the East Coast to wrestle for Lehigh University, where he became a three-time All-American.
"I have known Coop since I was in eighth grade going into high school," said Mason, who won virtually every tournament he entered in high school, including the Beast of the East, Walsh Ironman, NHSCA Nationals, Cadet Nationals, Junior Nationals, and Prep Nationals. "He was a coach for me. He actually coached me in a few national finals matches. He was always in my corner. I'm pretty close with him. He's like an older brother to me. It will be cool to wrestle for him."
Mason said that Minnesota gave him a release to "schools close to home."
"I wanted to get my release because of family issues," said Mason, who has three seasons of college wrestling eligibility remaining. "The closer I am to home, the easier it will be for me to deal with those issues. I just decided that I have already been far enough away from home ... and I just needed to be closer to home."
Mario Mason (Photo/Morgan Hennessy)Mason characterized his season as "pretty terrible," but harbors no hard feelings toward the program he is leaving.
"I don't have any hard feelings toward Minnesota," said Mason, who is majoring in sports management and eventually wants to become a wrestling coach. "I get along with all the guys on the team. I think I get along with the coaches pretty well. I'm not happy to be leaving because they are guys that I have become pretty good friends with over the past two years. I know they're not happy. It's just something I have to do."
Mason plans to stay at 149 pounds next season. He has high expectations for himself and goals he wants to accomplish in wrestling.
"I want to win NCAAs and would like to go undefeated while doing it," said Mason. "Then I want to go on to wrestle in the Worlds and Olympics ... and win gold medals."
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