Spencer Lee, one of the greatest college wrestlers who ever lived, will end his college career with a loss.
Iowaย announced Saturday morningย that Lee would not wrestle for third place and has decided to medically forfeit.
STATEMENT FROM UNIVERSITY OF IOWA WRESTLING
โIt has been a long road of a recovery for Spencer Lee. He will medically forfeit out of the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships today in Tulsa.โ#Hawkeyes
— Iowa Hawkeye Wrestling (@Hawks_Wrestling) March 18, 2023
Lee has battled injuries throughout his college career. In 2021, heย famously wonย his third national title on two torn ACLs.
Over the next two years, Lee kept winning, entering Friday night with a 97-5 career record.
But after a monumental upset ended his bid to become the fifth four-time national champion in NCAA history, Lee decided to medically forfeit out of the championships.
โItโs been a long road of recovery for Spencer Lee,โ Iowa wrestlingโs statement read. โHe will medically forfeit out the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Tulsa.โ
Lee, who won three national championships at 125 pounds and looked to be a lock for a fourth, fell to Purdueโs Matt Ramos (seeded fourth) in the semifinal match Friday night in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Had Lee lost in any fashion, it would have been a shock.
The fact that heย got pinnedย makes it even more stunning.
๐จ UPSET ALERT ๐จ
(4) Matt Ramos pins (1) Spencer Lee! @Matt_Ramos2 is headed to the finals!
๐บ ESPN#NCAAWrestling x @PurdueWrestling pic.twitter.com/Jalh7tD9Il
— NCAA Wrestling (@NCAAWrestling) March 18, 2023
Lee led Ramos 7-5 with less than a minute left in the third period before Ramos tied the match with a takedown.
After the takedown, Ramos kept Lee on his back and got the pin with one second left in the third period to win.
Since Lee wrestles for Penn Stateโs biggest rival, Nittany Nation didnโt shed many tears.
Hahaha Spencer Lee
— Hardcore Penn State Football (@HardcorePSUFB) March 18, 2023
I bet Spencer Leeโs mom and this guy are best friends. Dramatic af. pic.twitter.com/4BexFEXpxW
— mackenzie (@mactorchia) March 18, 2023
Holy shit, cherry on top for Iowa misery๐๐ https://t.co/FQCuz7TgcJ
— Ghost of Tim Riggins (@Linebacker_U) March 18, 2023
Penn State was already on its way to a team national titleโ which it will almost certainly lock up todayโ so Lee winning his fourth national championship wouldnโt have affected much in the standings. On the individual side, Penn Stateโsย Roman Bravo-Youngย (133) now has the nationโs longest active winning streak at 58.
No. 1 RBY will look for 59โ and, more importantly, a third straight national titleโ Saturday night when he takes on Cornellโs Vito Arujau, who is the No. 3 seed.
