'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Spencer Lee dropped a three-word reaction for Iowa Hawkeyes wrestler Drake Ayala, who clinched his second runners-up finish at the 2025 NCAA Division I Championships. Lee also played for the Hawkeyes till 2023 and gained recognition as one of the most dominant wrestlers at the collegiate level.
Lee started competing under a redshirt at college in the 2017-2018 season. With wins over champions in back-to-back matches, he placed third at the SEC Championships. Following that, he broke Nick Suriano's win streak and claimed his first National title in 2018.
He continued his momentum in the following season and bagged his second title at the NCAA Championships, and he repeated the feat in 2021. Having suffered from persistent knee injuries, Lee medically forfeited participation at the 2023 Nationals and capped his college career.
Trending
Despite that, he often supports the active NCAA wrestlers, especially the ones who competed for the Hawkeyes. Recently, Drake Ayala faced Illinois's Lucas Byrd in the 125 pounds and lost 3-2 to finish in runners-up.
Ayala shared some shots from his wrestling day at the Nationals and issued a strong message that read:
"This sport does not owe me anything. i am proud of who i am, and where i come from. i don’t care who likes me, i know who loves me."
The post drew the attention of Spencer Lee, who shared the same in his Instagram story and wrote:
"Still the man"
Lee debuted at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 and reached the finals with wins over Zou Wanhao, Bekzat Almaz Uulu, and Gulomjon Abdullaev. He faced Japan's Rei Higuchi in the finals but lost in a tight bound, earning the silver.
Spencer Lee wasn't pleased with the silver at the Olympics and even wished to remove it from his neck at some point
Lee has been competing in the freestyle events since 2019, racking wins at the World Championships and other major events. His monumental moment came at the Paris Olympics, when he reached the finals to be in the running for gold.
However, after losing to Rei Higuchi, he settled for silver. After the feat, Lee expressed that he felt like removing the silver from his neck and later gave it to his sister since it didn't matter to him much.
"First thing I thought of was to take it off, but that's OK, right? You can get a laugh out of that, right? I don't even have it anymore. I gave it to my sister. I don't even know where it is. Just I'm a guy who believes more in wins and losses, it's more about effort, and I don't think I put a lot of effort in that match, so I didn't deserve to win today and that's OK," he said.
Lee bagged two Dan Hodge Trophies and James E. Sullivan Awards for his wins in folkstyle. He is also a two-time US National Champion.
