Day 2 Olympic Trials updates: Spencer Lee wins Olympic Trials, beating Gilman in two

STATE COLLEGE, PENN. — Update 12 p.m. — With a big takedown in the second period of his second match in a best-of-three championship series against fellow former Hawkeye Thomas Gilman, Spencer Lee pulled out three more back exposures before pinning Gilman and winning the U.S. Olympic trials in dramatic fashion.

After raising his arms, before the ref officially raised his hand, Lee acknowledged with the crowd that his Olympic dreams are within reach. And after shaking the opposing coach’s hand, Lee then lept off the stage and into his mom’s arms — who was leaning over from the stands to celebrate him.

“If it wasn’t for the Iowa Hawkeye program, and their support in me, I’d probably be retired by now,” Lee told reporters, referencing injuries and challenges he faced at the end of his NCAA career in 2023.

Because Lee’s 57 kilos bracket is one of five Olympic weights not yet qualified for the Olympics, his Olympic trials win Saturday isn’t an automatic ticket to the Summer Games. He still has to qualify the United States in Istanbul, Turkey on May 9-12 by placing among the top three at the World Olympic Games Qualifier.

After winning the first two of his best-of-three series against Gilman, Lee reminded reporters, “I’ve got work to do.” And he acknowledged the road to this day has been “long and hard.”

Gilman, four years Lee’s senior at age 29, represented team USA three years ago in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, bringing home a bronze medal.

When asked after his win about Gilman, Lee said, “We were teammates. People get the wrong picture of us.”

Hugging Gilman after the match, Lee said he told him, “I’ve always looked up to you.”

In a nod to the goal of getting a Hawkeye on the Olympic team, Lee said Gilman told him, “Put on a show.”

For the Hawkeye women, sophomore Kylie Welker battled back from a hard loss in the semifinals to place fourth — earning her a spot on the U.S. national team. Her teammate Felicity Taylor earned the same result. And Hawkeye sophomore Reese Larramendy placed fifth, narrowly missing the national team.

Update 11 a.m. — Former Hawkeye Spencer Lee topped fellow former Hawkeye Thomas Gilman in their first match of a best-of-three Olympic trials championship series Saturday morning by a score of 6-3.

But the match could have gone the other way, had referee calls gone in favor of Gilman — who wrestles now for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club. The first set of jeers from the Penn State crowd came after Gilman got in on a shot in the first period and the ref called a stalemate faster than the fans wanted.

Then, in the second, with Lee up 5-1, Gilman took a shot and lifted Lee for an aspiring four-point mat return that the ref scored for two instead — determining Lee landed on his side and didn’t expose his back. Amid boos from the crowd, Gilman’s corner challenged the call and a video review lacked evidence to overrule.

With that lost challenge, Lee earned another point — ending the match 6-3.

They’ll wrestle again Saturday morning. If Lee wins, he secures his spot on the Olympic team. If Gilman wins, they’ll wrestle a third and final match.

For those wrestlers battling back for a national team spot in the third-fourth bout, former Hawkeye Alex Marinelli lost his first match Saturday by technical fall — after starting the match down 1-0 after the first period.

University of Iowa resident doctor Brandon Marshall — who qualified for the trials at the “last chance” tournament after a six-year hiatus — lost his first match Friday but won his first and second matches on the backside of the bracket Saturday, bringing him closer a national team birth.

For the Hawkeye women, Emilie Gonzalez ended her run for the national team — after winning one on the backside Saturday morning and dropping her second. Brianna Gonzalez lost her match to Hawkeye teammate Felicity Taylor 9-4, who went on to win a second — putting her in the third-place bout.

Hawkeyes Reese Larramendy and Kylie Welker, also fighting to get into their respective third-place matches, hadn’t wrestled before 11 a.m. Saturday.

Update 8 a.m. — Standing between Hawkeye wrestling icon Spencer Lee and his long-sought Olympic dreams today is fellow former Hawkeye Thomas Gilman, who made his Olympic debut three years ago in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, bringing home a bronze medal.

To make the U.S. Olympic team across the 18 weight classes — six each in men’s and women’s freestyle and Greco-Roman — two finalists who battled through a “challenge” bracket Saturday must win a best-two-of-three championship series today.

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Former Hawkeyes Spencer Lee, Gilman to face off in finals

Only the winner of that series gets a ticket to Paris for the Summer Olympics. But wrestlers placing second, third, and fourth earn a spot on the national team, bringing other perks and opportunities. So while Lee and Gilman are the only two with Hawkeye ties in the finals, and thus still in contention for an Olympic birth, plenty of other University of Iowa-affiliated wrestlers today still are vying for those remaining national team spots.

Those wrestlers include former Hawkeye Alex Marinelli, who has to win two more matches to get into the third-place bout, and — for the women — Kylie Welker, who must win one more to battle for third. Also among the Hawkeye women still in contention are Emilie Gonzelez and Brianna Gonzalez, who has to face off first on Saturday against UI fifth-year senior Felicity Taylor.

Reese Larramendy also remains in contention today, having lost her semifinals match Friday like Welker. Wrestlers on Saturday morning — after making weight, as required for each day of the tournament — were refueling and warming up for a day that could extend into the late-night hours.

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