Three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee, a folkstyle and freestyle wrestler, was born on October 14, 1998. He went to the University of Iowa and won the Dan Hodge Trophy twice followed by the James E. Sullivan Award. He competes at 57 kg, and in college athletics, he is considered to be one of the most dominant players.
Lee competed at the 2024 World Qualification Tournament and in a close, high-scoring match, Lee upset China's Zou Wanhao, the U23 World medalist, to advance in the competition following a swift victory against Morocco. He then advanced to the semifinals, where he faced two-time Asian medalist Rakhat Kalzhan from Kazakhstan, making his way to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
What is Spencer Lee’s record?
Lee's impressive career record is 98-6, with a 94.3 win percentage and 81.73% of bonus points won. Since the 2019 NCAA Championships, he has won 52 straight matches. He has won three age-group world championships—once in the U17 and twice in the U20 categories—in freestyle, and he is qualified for the Summer Olympics in 2024. He has also won the Pan American championship and the US national title twice.
Lee’s career stats are as follows:
| Season | Year | Rank | Weigh Class | Record | Win | Bonus |
| 2023 | Senior++ | #1 (6th) | 125 | 20-1 | 95.24% | 85.71 |
| 2022 | Senior+ | DNQ | 3–0 | 100.00% | 66.67% | |
| 2021 | Senior | #1 (1st) | 12–0 | 100.00% | 91.67% | |
| 2020 | Junior | #1 (COVID) | 18–0 | 100.00% | 88.89% | |
| 2019 | Sophomore | #3 (1st) | 23–3 | 88.46% | 73.08% | |
| 2018 | Freshman | #3 (1st) | 22–2 | 91.67% | 75.00% | |
| Career | 98–6 | 94.23% | 81.73% | |||
Spencer Lee’s Complete Record (Freestyle and NCAA)
| Senior Freestyle Matches | ||||||
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event | Location |
| 2024 World Olympic Qualification Tournament at 57 kg | ||||||
| Win | 27–0 | Rakhat Kalzhan | TF 10–0 | May 11, 2024 | 2024 World Olympic Qualification Tournament | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Win | 26–0 | Vladimir Egorov | TF 12–2 | |||
| Win | 25–0 | Zou Wanhao | 10–9 | |||
| Win | 24–0 | Ben Hachem Tarik | TF 10–0 | |||
| 2024 US Olympic Team Trials at 57 kg | ||||||
| Win | 23–0 | Thomas Gilman | Fall | April 20, 2024 | 2024 US Olympic Team Trials | State College, Pennsylvania |
| Win | 22–0 | Thomas Gilman | 6–3 | |||
| Win | 21–0 | Zane Richards | 13–6 | April 19, 2024 | ||
| Win | 20–0 | Nico Megaludis | 8–0 | |||
| 2024 Pan American Championships at 57 kg | ||||||
| Win | 19–0 | Pedro Mejías | TF 12–2 | February 24, 2024 | 2024 Pan American Continental Championships | Acapulco, Mexico |
| Win | 18–0 | Davi Silva Giovannetti | TF 10–0 | |||
| Win | 17–0 | Óscar Tigreros | TF 10–0 | |||
| 2023 US Nationals at 57 kg | ||||||
| Win | 16–0 | Nico Megaludis | 6–2 | December 16–17, 2023 | 2023 US National Championships | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Win | 15–0 | Josh Rodriguez | TF 12–1 | |||
| Win | 14–0 | Gary Steen | TF 10–0 | |||
| 2023 Bill Farrell Memorial at 57 kg | ||||||
| Win | 13–0 | Nico Megaludis | 7–4 | Nov 18, 2023 | 2023 Bill Farrell Memorial International | New York City, New York |
| Win | 12–0 | Luke Lilledahl | TF 11–0 | |||
| Win | 11–0 | Devan Turner | TF 11–0 | |||
| Win | 10–0 | Muhammad Bilal | TF 10–0 | |||
| 2023 US Open 6th at 57 kg | ||||||
| Loss | Nick Suriano | FF | April 27, 2023 | 2023 US Open National Championships | Las Vegas, Nevada | |
| Win | 9–0 | Caleb Smith | 9–4 | |||
| Win | 8–0 | Sheldon Seymour | TF 10–0 | |||
| Win | 7–0 | Darrion Harris | TF 10–0 | |||
| Win | 6–0 | Zach Sanders | Fall | November 1, 2020 | HWC Showdown Open | Iowa City, Iowa |
| 2019 US Nationals at 57 kg | ||||||
| Win | 5–0 | Nathan Tomasello | 8–2 | December 20–22, 2019 | 2019 US Senior National Championships | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Win | 4–0 | Vitali Arujau | TF 14–4 | |||
| Win | 3–0 | Darian Cruz | TF 10–0 | |||
| Win | 2–0 | Shane Kim | TF 10–0 | |||
| Win | 1–0 | Jacob Moran | TF 10–0 | |||
| NCAA Division I Record | |||||
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event |
| End of 2022–2023 Season (senior extra-year) | |||||
| 2023 NCAA Championships 6th at 125 lbs | |||||
| Loss | 98–6 | Matt Ramos | Fall | March 16–18, 2023 | 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships |
| Win | 98–5 | Anthony Noto | MD 14–4 | ||
| Win | 97–5 | Jack Medley | TF 17–0 | ||
| Win | 96–5 | Tucker Owens | Fall | ||
| 2023 Big Ten Conference at 125 lbs | |||||
| Win | 95–5 | Liam Cronin | 8–2 | March 3–5, 2023 | 2023 Big Ten Conference Championships |
| Win | 94–5 | Patrick McKee | TF 20–2 | ||
| Win | 93–5 | Jack Medley | TF 17–0 | ||
| Win | 92–5 | Reece Witcraft | Fall | February 19, 2023 | Iowa - Oklahoma State Dual |
| Win | 91–5 | Jack Medley | MD 11–2 | February 10, 2023 | Iowa - Michigan Dual |
| Win | 90–5 | Patrick McKee | 7–1 | February 3, 2023 | Iowa - Minnesota Dual |
| Win | 89–5 | Marco Vespa | TF 18—2 | January 27, 2023 | Iowa - Penn State Dual |
| Win | 88–5 | Eric Barnett | Fall | January 22, 2023 | Iowa - Wisconsin Dual |
| Win | 87–5 | Liam Cronin | Fall | January 20, 2023 | Iowa - Nebraska Dual |
| Win | 86–5 | Michael DeAugustino | Fall | January 13, 2023 | Iowa - Northwestern Dual |
| Win | 85–5 | Matt Ramos | Fall | January 8, 2023 | Iowa - Purdue Dual |
| Win | 84–5 | Maximo Renteria | Fall | January 6, 2023 | Iowa - Illinois Dual |
| 2022 Soldier Salute at 125 lbs | |||||
| Win | 83–5 | Drake Ayala | Fall | December 29–30, 2022 | 2022 Soldier Salute |
| Win | 82–5 | Jore Volk | MD 15–5 | ||
| Win | 81–5 | Charlie Farmer | TF 19–1 | ||
| Win | 80–5 | Damion Ryan | Fall | ||
| Win | 79–5 | Corey Cabanban | MD 16–5 | December 4, 2022 | Iowa - Iowa State Dual |
| Start of 2022–2023 Season (senior extra-year) | |||||
| End of 2021–2022 Season (senior extra-year) | |||||
| Win | 78–5 | Jakob Camacho | 6–1 | December 21, 2021 | North Carolina State - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 77–5 | Jaret Lane | MD 8–0 | December 20, 2021 | Lehigh - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 76–5 | Brock Bergelin | TF 17–0 | Central Michigan - Iowa Dual | |
| Start of 2021-2022 Season (senior extra-year) | |||||
| End of 2020-2021 Season (senior year) | |||||
| 2021 NCAA Championships at 125 lbs | |||||
| Win | 75–5 | Brandon Courtney | 7–0 | March 18–20, 2021 | 2021 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships |
| Win | 74–5 | Drew Hildebrandt | MD 11–0 | ||
| Win | 73–5 | Devin Schroder | MD 10–2 | ||
| Win | 72–5 | Killian Cardinale | MD 15–5 | ||
| Win | 71–5 | Patrick McCormick | TF 17–1 | ||
| 2021 Big Ten Conference at 125 lbs | |||||
| Win | 70–5 | Devin Schroder | TF 21–3 | March 6–7, 2021 | 2021 Big Ten Conference Championships |
| Win | 69–5 | Rayvon Foley | Fall | ||
| Win | 68–5 | Dylan Ragusin | TF 19–4 | ||
| Win | 67–5 | Brady Koontz | Fall | February 7, 2021 | Iowa - Ohio State Dual |
| Win | 66–5 | Justin Cardani | Fall | January 31, 2021 | Iowa - Illinois Dual |
| Win | 65–5 | Patrick McKee | Fall | January 22, 2021 | Iowa - Minnesota Dual |
| Win | 64–5 | Liam Cronin | Fall | January 15, 2021 | Nebraska - Iowa Dual |
| Start of 2020-2021 Season (senior year) | |||||
| End of 2019-2020 Season (junior year) | |||||
| 2020 Big Ten Conference at 125 lbs | |||||
| Win | 63–5 | Devin Schroder | MD 16–2 | March 8, 2020 | 2020 Big Ten Conference Championships |
| Win | 62–5 | Jack Medley | TF 19–3 | ||
| Win | 61–5 | Nicolas Aguilar | Fall | ||
| Win | 60–5 | Nick Piccininni | MD 12–3 | February 23, 2020 | Oklahoma State - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 59–5 | Forfeit | FF | February 15, 2020 | Minnesota - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 58–5 | Jack Medley | 8–1 | February 8, 2020 | Iowa - Michigan Dual |
| Win | 57–5 | Logan Griffin | Fall | February 2, 2020 | Iowa - Michigan State Dual |
| Win | 56–5 | Brandon Meredith | TF 16–1 | January 31, 2020 | Penn State - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 55–5 | Hunter Lucas | TF 18–0 | January 24, 2020 | Ohio State - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 54–5 | Alex Thomsen | TF 18–0 | January 18, 2020 | Nebraska - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 53–5 | Devin Schroder | TF 15–0 | January 12, 2020 | Iowa - Purdue Dual |
| Win | 52–5 | Liam Cronin | TF 15–0 | January 10, 2020 | Iowa - Indiana Dual |
| 2019 Midlands Championships 5th at 125 lbs | |||||
| Win | 51–5 | Connor Ryan | Fall | December 29, 2019 | 2019 Midlands Invitational Championships |
| Win | 50–5 | Christian Moody | Fall | ||
| Win | 49–5 | Liam Cronin | Fall | ||
| Win | 48–5 | Michael Cullen | TF 16–0 | December 1, 2019 | Wisconsin - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 47–5 | Alex Mackall | TF 17–2 | November 24, 2019 | Iowa - Iowa State Dual |
| Win | 46–5 | Fabian Gutierrez | MD 16–5 | November 17, 2019 | Chattanooga - Iowa Dual |
| Start of 2019-2020 Season (junior year) | |||||
| End of 2018-2019 Season (sophomore year) | |||||
| 2019 NCAA Championships at 125 lbs | |||||
| Win | 45–5 | Jack Mueller | 5–0 | March 23, 2019 | 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships |
| Win | 44–5 | Nick Piccininni | 11–4 | ||
| Win | 43–5 | Sean Russell | Fall | ||
| Win | 42–5 | Sean Fausz | MD 10–1 | ||
| Win | 41–5 | Bryce West | TF 18–0 | ||
| 2019 Big Ten Conference at 125 lbs | |||||
| Loss | 40–5 | Sebastian Rivera | 4–6 | Mar 10, 2019 | 2019 Big Ten Championships |
| Win | 40–4 | Sean Russell | MD 8–0 | ||
| Win | 39–4 | Elijah Oliver | Fall | ||
| Loss | 38–4 | Nick Piccininni | Fall | Feb 24, 2019 | Iowa - Oklahoma State Dual |
| Win | 38–3 | Ethan Rotondo | Fall | Feb 17, 2019 | Iowa - Wisconsin Dual |
| Win | 37–3 | Elijah Oliver | Fall | February 15, 2019 | Indiana - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 36–3 | Brandon Cray | Fall | February 8, 2019 | Maryland - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 35–3 | Zeke Moisey | MD 18–4 | February 3, 2019 | Iowa - Nebraska Dual |
| Win | 34–3 | Travis Piotrowski | Fall | Jan 25, 2019 | Iowa - Illinois Dual |
| Win | 33–3 | Nick DeNora | Fall | January 18, 2019 | Rutgers - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 32–3 | Sean Russell | 4–0 | January 13, 2019 | Iowa - Minnesota Dual |
| 2018 Midlands Championships at 125 lbs | |||||
| Loss | 31–3 | Sebastian Rivera | 3–7 | December 29, 2018 | 2018 Midlands Invitational Championships |
| Win | 31–2 | Pat Glory | 12–6 | ||
| Win | 30–2 | Drew Hildebrandt | TF 18–0 | ||
| Win | 29–2 | Bryce West | TF 17–0 | ||
| Win | 28–2 | Malik Heinselman | Fall | ||
| Win | 27–2 | Luke Resnick | TF 15–0 | December 8, 2018 | Lehigh - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 26–2 | Alex Mackall | MD 13–4 | December 1, 2018 | Iowa State - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 25–2 | Pat Glory | TF 18–2 | November 16, 2018 | Princeton - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 24–2 | Alejandro Hernandez-Figueroa | TF 18–0 | November 9, 2018 | Iowa - CSU Bakersfield Dual |
| Win | 23–2 | Tomas Gutierrez | TF 16–0 | November 9, 2018 | Iowa - Kenn State Dual |
| Start of 2018-2019 Season (sophomore year) | |||||
| End of 2017-2018 Season (freshman year) | |||||
| 2018 NCAA Championships at 125 lbs | |||||
| Win | 22–2 | Nick Suriano | 5–1 | March 17, 2018 | 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships |
| Win | 21–2 | Nathan Tomasello | Fall | ||
| Win | 20–2 | Nick Piccininni | Fall | ||
| Win | 19–2 | Luke Welch | TF 18–0 | ||
| Win | 18–2 | Alonzo Allen | TF 18–0 | ||
| 2018 Big Ten Conference at 125 lbs | |||||
| Win | 17–2 | Luke Welch | TF 16–0 | Mar 3, 2018 | 2018 Big Ten Championships |
| Win | 16–2 | Sebastian Rivera | MD 12–0 | ||
| Loss | 15–2 | Nathan Tomasello | 1–2 | ||
| Win | 15–1 | Rayvon Foley | Fall | ||
| Win | 14–1 | Sinjin Briggs | Fall | Feb 18, 2018 | Iowa - Iowa State Dual |
| Win | 13–1 | Carson Kuhn | Fall | Feb 10, 2018 | Iowa - Penn State Dual |
| Win | 12–1 | Sebastian Rivera | 7–4 | February 4, 2018 | Northwestern - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 11–1 | Ethan Lizak | TF 15–0 | February 2, 2018 | Minnesota - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 10–1 | Drew Mattin | TF 15–0 | Jan 27, 2018 | Michigan - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 9–1 | Nathan Tomasello | 3–2 | Jan 21, 2018 | Iowa - Ohio State Dual |
| Win | 8–1 | Nick Piccininni | 10–5 | January 14, 2018 | Oklahoma State - Iowa Dual |
| Win | 7–1 | Rayvon Foley | Fall | January 5, 2018 | Michigan State - Iowa Dual |
| 2017 Midlands Championships 6th at 125 lbs | |||||
| Loss | 6–1 | Ronnie Bresser | 1–3 | December 29, 2017 | 2017 Midlands Invitational Championships |
| Win | 6–0 | Sean Russell | TF 15–0 | ||
| Win | 5–0 | Travis Piotrowski | TF 17–2 | ||
| Win | 4–0 | Killian Cardinale | Fall | ||
| 2017 UNI Open at 125 lbs | |||||
| Win | 3–0 | Skyler Petry | Fall | December 9, 2017 | 2017 UNI Open Tournament |
| Win | 2–0 | Johnny Jimenez | Fall | ||
| Win | 1–0 | Dack Punke | TF 16–0 | ||
| Start of 2017-2018 Season (freshman year) | |||||
Spencer Lee Medal Record
Spencer Lee’s Medal Record is as follows:
| Competition | Medal | Year | Location | Weight Class |
| Representing the United States | ||||
| Pan American Championships | Gold | 2024 | Acapulco | 57 kg |
| US National Championships | Gold | 2019 | Fort Worth | 57 kg |
| US National Championships | Gold | 2023 | Fort Worth | 57 kg |
| U20 World Championships | Gold | 2015 | Salvador | 50 kg |
| U20 World Championships | Gold | 2016 | Mâcon | 50 kg |
| U17 World Championships | Gold | 2014 | Snina | 50 kg |
| Representing the Iowa Hawkeyes | ||||
| NCAA Division I Championships | Gold | 2018 | Cleveland | 125 lb |
| NCAA Division I Championships | Gold | 2019 | Pittsburgh | 125 lb |
| NCAA Division I Championships | Gold | 2021 | St. Louis | 125 lb |
| Big Ten Championships | Gold | 2020 | Piscataway | 125 lb |
| Big Ten Championships | Gold | 2021 | State College | 125 lb |
| Big Ten Championships | Gold | 2023 | Ann Arbor | 125 lb |
| Big Ten Championships | Silver | 2019 | Minneapolis | 125 lb |
| Big Ten Championships | Bronze | 2018 | East Lansing | 125 lb |
FAQ's On Spencer Lee Record
A. After losing to Matt Ramos in one of the biggest upsets in sports history, Lee had to withdraw from the tournament due to a medical forfeit, finishing sixth.
A. Yes, Spencer Lee was undefeated before losing to Matt Ramos during the 2023 NCAA Championships.
A. Spencer Lee has won three NCAA and two Big Ten titles, along with a couple of Dan Hodge trophies.
A. Yes, Spencer Lee qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics through the World Qualification Tournament.
A. Spencer Lee's long winning streak was 35 wins, which is the second longest active winning streak ever.
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