Spencer Lee Wins NCAA Championship, Hawkeyes Capture Team Title

ST. LOUIS – University of Iowa senior Spencer Lee won the 125-pound NCAA Championship Saturday night, becoming the seventh three-time national champion in program history and putting an exclamation point on the Hawkeyes’ 2021 NCAA team title.

Lee defeated Arizona State’s Brandon Courtney, 7-0. He scored four points in the second period off an escape, caution point and takedown, and added another takedown in the third to go along with one minute, 44 seconds of riding time. He was 5-0 in the tournament, outscoring his opponents, 59-8, and his seven-point margin of victory was the largest of any of the 10 championships matches.

Lee’s championship gave the Hawkeyes 129 team points, 15.5 points clear of second-place Penn State. The team title is the 24th in program history and the first since 2010.

Iowa finished the season with its 24th national championship, 37th Big Ten championship and a Big Ten regular season title. Four Hawkeyes won Big Ten titles and seven earned All-America honors at the national tournament.

NOTABLES

• Iowa won its 24th NCAA team title, its fourth under head coach Tom Brands.
• Iowa wrestlers had a combined record of 38-14 in the NCAA tournament, scoring bonus points in 21 matches.
• Iowa had five wrestlers place third or better for the first time since 2010.
• Iowa had seven All-Americans, its highest total since 2010 (8).
• Tom Brands was named 2021 NWCA National Coach of the Year.
• Spencer Lee, Jaydin Eierman and Michael Kemerer became four-time All-Americans. Lee and Kemerer are the 21st and 22nd wrestlers in program history to earn four All-America honors wrestling at Iowa. Eierman won three All-America honor at Missouri.
• Iowa has had at least five All-Americans in eight straight seasons and 13 times in head coach Tom Brands’ 15 years.
• The Hawkeyes have won a team trophy in 12 of the last 13 national tournaments.
• Lee outscored his four opponents 59-8 on his way to the title. He improved to 15-0 in his career at the NCAA Wrestling Championships, outscoring those 15 opponents 176-21.
• Lee has won 35 straight matches, outscoring his opponents, 432-42.
• Lee is the seventh three-time NCAA champion in program history, joining the ranks of Ed Banach (1981, 81, 83), Barry Davis (1982, 83, 85), Jim Zalesky (1982-84), Tom Brands (1990-92), Lincoln McIlravy (1993, 94, 97) and Joe Williams (1996-98).

NCAA FINALS RESULTS

133 – #2 Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) dec. #1 Daton Fix (PSU), 4-2 SV1

141 – #2 Nick Lee (PSU) dec. #1 Jaydin Eierman (Iowa), 4-2 SV1

157 – #3 David Carr (ISU) vs. #4 Jesse Dellavecchia (RID), 4-0

165 – #8 Shane Griffith (STAN) dec. #3 Jake Wentzell (PITT), 6-2

174 – #3 Carter Starocci (PSU) dec. #1 Michael Kemerer (Iowa), 3-1 SV1

184 – #1 Aaron Brooks (PSU) dec. #2 Trent Hidlay (NCST), 3-2

197 – #4 A.J. Ferrari (OKST) dec. #6 Nino Bonaccorsi (PITT), 4-2

285 – #1 Gable Steveson (MINN) dec. #2 Mason Parris (MICH), 8-4

125 – #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) dec. #3 Brandon Courtney (ASU), 7-0

HAWKEYE ALL-AMERICANS

125 – Spencer Lee
133 – Austin DeSanto
141 – Jaydin Eierman
157 – Kaleb Young
174 – Michael Kemerer
197 – Jacob Warner
285 – Tony Cassioppi