By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa wrestler Spencer Lee is used to finishing on top and this list is no exception.

Lee heads my list of the top-10 University of Iowa men's student-athletes for the 2018-19 sports calendar year. He earned that distinction by defending his national title at 125 pounds.

The list consists of student-athletes from six different sports, led by football with four, including two tight ends.

The list also includes just one senior and one student-athlete who didn't even start for his team, and yet, he still made first-team All-Big Ten. Many of you probably know to whom I'm referring.

One of the most difficult parts about devising the list was picking the 10th and final spot. It came down to wrestler Alex Marinelli having the slightest edge over track and field runner Chris Douglas.

1. Spencer Lee, soph., wrestling – The Murrysville, Pa., native is halfway to becoming Iowa’s first four-time national champion. He defended his title at 125 pounds in spectacular fashion, outscoring his opponents 55-7 in five matches on his way to the national title.

He placed second at the Big Ten Championships and finished 23-3 on the season, including 7-0 in Big Ten duals. His eight pins ranked second on the team and his 30-second pin was the fastest on the team.

Lee has shown in his first two seasons at Iowa that he saves his best for last, and that he thrives on the biggest stage. He has been hampered by nagging injuries, and yet, still has found a way to deliver when it matters the most.

2. T.J. Hockenson, Soph., football – He went from being considered the second best tight end on his own team in 2017 to the John Mackey Award as the nation's top collegiate tight end this past season.

A native of Chariton, Hockenson led Iowa with 760 receiving yards this past season on 49 catches, which was second most on the team. He also had six touchdown receptions, and excelled as a blocker.

The Detroit Lions thought highly enough of the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Hockenson to have selected him in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and with the eighth pick overall, despite only being a third-year sophomore.

That is the highest an Iowa tight end has ever been selected in the NFL Draft.

Hockenson was also named second-team All-America by the Associated Press, Walter Camp, Football Writers Association and Phil Steele.

3. Amani Hooker, Jr., football – His rise to stardom wasn’t as dramatic as Hockenson’s rise, but still was impressive.

Hooker went from being a part-time starter at strong safety as a sophomore in 2017 to being named the Big Ten’s Defensive Back of the Year this past season.

The Minneapolis native was also named second-team All-America by the Associated Press and by USA Today.

His versatility allowed for Iowa to often play with five defensive backs as Hooker would also handle some of the responsibilities of a linebacker. The 4-2-5 alignment is now a key part of Iowa’s defense.

Hooker led Iowa with seven pass break-ups last season and finished second on the team with 65 tackles. He was also among three players who led Iowa with four interceptions.

Hooker skipped his senior season to enter the 2019 NFL Draft and was selected in the fourth round by the Tennessee Titans.

4. Alex Schaake, Jr., golf – The Omaha, Neb., native was named the Big Ten Men’s Golf Player of the Year this past season.

Schaake was also named a unanimous selection to the All-Big Ten First Team.

Schaake is the third Hawkeye to earn Big Ten Men's Golfer of the Year laurels (Brad Klapprott, 1992 and Vince India, 2011). Schaake, Klapprott, and India additionally won the Les Bolstad Award, which is awarded to the player with the lowest stroke average during the season, the same year as being named Player of the Year.

Schaake led the conference with a 70.81 stroke average in 2018-19.

He also led Iowa with five top-10 finishes, including earning co-medalist honors at the Hawkeye Invitational with a school record 54-hole total of 199 (-14). Schaake closed the regular season as the 43rd-ranked golfer in the country by Golfweek/Sagarin. 

5. A.J. Epenesa, soph., football – The Edwardsville, Ill., native came to Iowa as a five-star mega-recruit and has been as good as advertised.

Just ask any Big Ten quarterback.

The son of former Iowa defensive lineman Eppy Epenesa was so impressive last season that he made first-team All-Big Ten despite not being a starter, A.J. Epenesa had to share the playing time at defensive end with Parker Hesse and Anthony Nelson, and to say that A.J. made the most of his limited playing time would be an understatement.

A.J. Epenesa led Iowa with 16.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, eight quarterback hurries and four forced fumbles last season. He was nearly impossible to block one-on-one from the edge, and quarterbacks often paid the price.

6. Mar’yea Harris, Sr., track and field – He was key factor in Iowa winning the Big Ten Outdoor Championship for the first time since 2011.

Harris electrified the home crowd by winning the 400-meter dash for the second year in a row at the conference meet, and by running the anchor for Iowa’s victorious 4×400 relay squad, which also finished fourth at the NCAA Championships earlier this month.

Harris grew up in the state of Washington, but lived in California for his last two years of high school. Iowa was the first school to contact Harris as a recruit, and then he and assistant coach Jason Wakenight quickly built a strong relationship.

He finished his Hawkeye career 14-time All-American — seven times in the 400 and six times in the 4×400 (he also anchored Iowa's honorable mention 4×100 relay team in 2018). He also holds the 400 dash school record indoors (45.75) and outdoors (44.94).

Harris is the only senior to make the list.

7. Noah Fant, Jr., football – The second Omaha native to make the list, he led Iowa with seven touchdown catches last season and was named first-team All-Big Ten by the league coaches and third-team All-America by the Associated Press.

Fant finished second on the team behind Hockenson with 519 receiving yards on 39 catches in 12 games last season. Fant did not play in the Outback Bowl as he chose instead to focus his attention on preparing for the NFL Draft.

He was selected in the first round of the draft, and with the 20^th pick overall, by the Denver Broncos

8. Tyler Cook, Jr., basketball – The St. Louis native led Iowa in scoring (14.5) and rebounding (7.6) last season and made second-team All-Big Ten.

He decided to skip his senior season and declare for the 2019 NBA Draft.

The 6-9, 250-pound Cook recorded a team-best six double-doubles (Wisconsin, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Bryant, Northwestern, and Ohio State) and scored in double figures a team-best 25 times. He also led Iowa in rebounding a team-best 19 times.

9. Grant Leonard, Jr., baseball – The Mokena, Illinois, native earned Iowa's closer role two weeks into the season and finished the regular season a perfect 13-for-13 in save opportunities to tie Iowa's single-season saves record. His 13 saves were the second most in the Big Ten and tied for seventh nationally.

Only six closers across the country had more saves than Leonard.

10. Alex Marinelli, soph., wrestling – The Miamisburg, Ohio native finished a disappointing seventh at the NCAA Championships after having been dominant throughout the season.

He earned the top seed at the national tournament after winning the Big Ten Championships, and was named Co-Outstanding Wrestler at the Big Ten Championships. He also entered the national tournament with a 23-0 record.

Also considered: Chris Douglas, track and field; Kaleb Young, wrestling; Jordan Bohannon, basketball; Anthony Nelson, football; Pat Lugo, wrestling; Kareem Allaf, tennis.