Spencer Lee returns to the wrestling mat for top-ranked Iowa at Journeyman Collegiate Duals

NICEVILLE, Fla. - The long-awaited return of Spencer Lee occurred Monday.

University of Iowa’s three-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge Trophy was dominant in his season debut.

Top-ranked Lee opened with a technical fall over Central Michigan’s Brock Bergelin and added a major decision over Lehigh’s 11th-ranked Jaret Lane, helping top-ranked Iowa to a 2-0 mark at the Journeyman Collegiate Duals at Northwest Florida State College’s Raider Arena.

“I like that Spencer looked like Spencer Lee,” Iowa Coach Tom Brands said. “When you look like Spencer Lee, that’s a pretty good thing.”

The Hawkeyes won 18 of 20 total matches, beating the Chippewas, 44-0, and the Mountain Hawks, 28-7. Iowa (5-0) won its 23rd straight dual.

Lee posted a 17-0 win over Bergelin, needing just 4:19 to end the match. He scored three takedowns, an escape and earned a point for riding time in an 8-0 win over Lane.

Lee owns a 37-match win streak and has outscored his opponents, 457-42, during that stretch.

Abe Assad also made his season debut for Iowa, recording two bonus-point victories. Assad pinned CMU’s Ben Cushman in 2:22 at 184. He capped his evening with a 16-5 major decision over Lehigh’s A.J. Burkhart.

“Come out ready to go,” Brands said. “Doesn’t get rattled. There was no reason to get rattled. Guys try to slow you down. You know what, don’t let him slow you down. Whatever the strategy is you just wrestle your match. It didn’t look like there was much strategy out there because he was just scoring a lot of points. When you relax like that, that’s when your best wrestling comes out. He demonstrated that big time.”

Austin DeSanto had two technical falls, giving him seven this season. Nelson Brands and Jacob Warner (197) went 2-0. Brands improved to 11-0 all-time at 174.

Jaydin Eierman (141) and heavyweight Tony Cassioppi defeated ranked foes.

Second-ranked Eierman trailed CMU’s No. 7 Dresden Simon by nine points, storming back for a 13-12 decision. Sixth-ranked Cassioppi used a third-period takedown to beat Lehigh’s No. 8 Jordan Wood, 3-2. Cassioppi also led the Chippewas’ ninth-ranked Matt Stencel, 5-0, in the first period before winning by injury default.

Iowa will wrestle No. 5 North Carolina State for the red pool championship Tuesday at 5 p.m.

“There is a lot of work to do,” Tom Brands said. “It’s December. We have a weigh-in tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. and a match at 5 p.m. Ten individual matches. One dual meet. We have to be ready to go.”

University of Northern Iowa competed in the blue pool. The Panthers fell to 11th-ranked Cornell University (29-7) and No. 2 Penn State (29-9). The Panthers face Hofstra in the fifth-place dual Tuesday at 1 p.m.

AT NICEVILLE, FLA.

Iowa 44, Central Michigan 0

125 - Spencer Lee (I) tech. fall Brock Bergelin, 17-0; 133 - Austin DeSanto (I) tech. fall Vince Perez, 16-1; 141 - Jaydin Eierman (I) dec. Dresden Simon, 13-12; 149 - Max Murin (I) major dec. Corbyn Munson, 14-5; 157 - Kaleb Young (I) dec. Johnny Lovett, 6-0; 165 - Alex Marinelli (I) won by disqualification over Tracy Hubbard, 5:46; 174 - Nelson Brands (I) dec. Bret Fedewa, 8-3; 184 - Abe Assad (I) pinned Ben Cushman, 2:22; 197 - Jacob Warner (I) dec. Aaron Bolo, 9-4; Hwt. - Tony Cassioppi (I) won by injury default over Matt Stencel, 2:25.

Iowa 28, Lehigh 7

125 - Lee (I) major dec. Jaret Lane, 8-0; 133 - DeSanto (I) tech. fall Satoshi Abe, 20-5; 141 - Eierman (I) dec. Connor McGonagel, 8-3; 149 - Manzona Bryant (L) dec. Murin, 7-5 SV1; 157 - Josh Humphreys (L) major dec. Young, 11-2; 165 - Marinelli (I) dec. Brian Meyer, 6-2; 174 - Brands (I) dec. Jake Logan, 3-2; 184 - Assad (I) major dec. A.J. Burkhart, 16-5; 197 - Warner (I) dec. J.T. Davis, 6-1; Hwt. - Cassioppi (I) dec. Jordan Wood, 3-2.

Cornell 29, UNI 7

125 - Vitali Arujau (C) major dec. Brody Teske, 19-7; 133 - Dom LaJoie (C) dec. Kyle Biscoglia, 5-2; 141 - Cael Happel (UNI) major dec. Cole Handlovic, 14-6; 149 - Yianni Diakhomihalis (C) major dec. Colin Realbuto, 14-6; 157 - Coloton Yapoujian (C) dec. Derek Holschlag, 2-1; 165 - Juliam Ramirez (C) dec. Austin Yant, 4-3; 174 - Chris Foca (C) dec. Pat Schoenfelder, 13-6; 184 - Parker Keckeisen (UNI) dec. Jonathan Loew, 6-2; 197 - Jacob Cardenas (C) pinned Noah Glaser, 5:12; Hwt. - Lewis Fernandes (C) dec. Tyrell Gordon, 4-0.

Penn State 29, UNI 9

125 - Teske (UNI) dec. Jake Campbell, 2-0; 133 - Roman Bravo-Young (PSU) pinned Biscoglia, 4:34; 141 - Nick Lee (PSU) major dec. Happel, 18-4; 149 - Beau Bartlett (PSU) dec. Triston Lara, 4-3; 157 - Holschlag (UNI) dec. Tony Negron, 5-2; 165 - Yant (UNI) dec. Creighton Edsell, 4-1; 174 - Carter Starocci (PSU) major dec. Schoenfelder, 13-4; 184 - Aaron Brooks (PSU) dec. Keckeisen, 3-2; 197 - Max Dean (PSU) tech. fall Glaser, 19-3; Hwt. - Greg Kerkvliet (PSU) major dec. Gordon, 12-1.