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 from 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. His seven-point margin of victory was the largest of any of the 10 championships matches.
Lee was one of three Hawkeyes in the finals and one of seven to finish the tournament with All-America honors. Seniors Jaydin Eierman and Michael Kemerer both dropped overtime decisions in their respective matches. Iowa locked up the team title Saturday afternoon in the medal round.
Iowa finished the team race with 129 points, 15.5 clear of second-place Penn State. The team title is the 24th in program history and the first since 2010.
In the post tournament press conference Head Coach Tom Brands was asked what it means to have the title come back to Iowa.
Going into next season as defending champions Brands was asked how Iowa wrestling keeps getting better.
The 2021 team title is the fourth under Brands. The Hawkeyes won national championships in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Brands also claimed 3 NCAA individual Championships during his career on the mat at Iowa.
Iowa’s chase for the national title was expected to come to an end 52 weeks ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic ended a season that saw the Hawkeyes entering the national tournament as the undisputed favorite. When cleared to return to competition in January of 2021, Iowa picked up right where it left off and continued its run as the top team in the country. In doing so, it honored that 2020 team that never had a chance to prove the same.
One through 10, the Hawkeyes did their job. Each of Iowa’s 10 qualifiers contributed to the winning point total. Collectively Iowa was 38-14 in the NCAA tournament, scoring bonus points in 21 matches. The tournament was decided Saturday morning when the Hawkeyes went 6-1 on the back side of the bracket.
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.
