Spencer Lee Becomes 3-Time NCAA Wrestling Champion
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
ST. LOUIS (AP/KDKA) — Iowa won its first NCAA wrestling team title since 2010, and Hawkeyes star Spencer Lee took his third individual title Saturday night competing on a badly injured knee.
Lee, a Franklin Regional graduate, helped lead the Hawkeyes to a 24th NCAA team title.
Already one of Iowa's greats, Lee further burnished his image in the state's wrestling lore when he revealed after his 7-0 victory over Arizona State's Brandon Courtney that he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in one of his knees eight days earlier.
The 125-pounder outscored his opponents 59-8 in St. Louis to become the seventh Iowa wrestler, and first since 1998, to win three national titles.
His match against Courtney was the only one this season in which he didn't earn bonus points.
Lee, a senior at Iowa won three titles in the last four years. Last season, Lee was the #1 seed heading into the tournament, but there was no competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lee will have a chance to become a 4-time champion next season, as the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic cutting last season short.
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