Iowa wrestling honored at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday
By Tyler Devine
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The 2021 national champion Iowa wrestling team entered Kinnick Stadium on Saturday much like the football team would during the fall.
The Hawkeye wrestlers walked out of the tunnel to AC/DC’s “Back in Black” and Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” while carrying the NCAA and Big Ten Championship trophies.
Coach Tom Brands and his squad also presented the championship banner that will hang in Carver-Hawkeye Arena after the football team’s open spring practice.
Iowa wrestling won its first national title since 2010 in March in St. Louis, Mo.
Brands also was his typical animated self during a short speech in front of a few thousand fans.
“Thanks to Kirk Ferentz and Iowa football,” Brands said. “They gave us the keys to Kinnick Stadium. We’re on their turf but we appreciate that. Go Hawkeye football. Spencer Lee is a man of his word. He said he was going to win a national title as a team, he said it two times.
“I’m going to speak for every one of these guys. Every one of them has integrity, every one of them is a man of their word. We’re working on 2022 in Detroit, Michigan. Go Hawks. This is for our Iowa Hawkeye fans. You are the best. Congratulations.”
Spencer Lee also was honored for winning his second consecutive Dan Hodge Trophy.
Lee was Iowa’s lone individual national champion in 2021, winning his third national title at 125 pounds.
He is the seventh three-time national champion in program history.
Lee went 12-0, scoring bonus points in 11 matches and outscoring his opponents 141-15.
Lee has won 35 consecutive matches, outscoring his opponents 432-42 during the stretch.
The Murrysville, Pa., native announced after the tournament that he was wrestling without an ACL in either knee.
Iowa had seven All-Americans, the most since it had eight in 2010.
Lee, 141-pounder Jaydin Eierman and 174-pounder Michael Kemerer became four-time All-Americans.