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| Home / College Guide / Wrestling Weekend That Was: Spencer Lee continues to impress in freestyle return |
| Posted on Tuesday, April 23 @ 00:00:09 PDT |
116 3rd St SE Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401 Subscriber Services Our Journalists Sports Desk Our Columnists Our Writers Our Writers Our Photojournalists Data More Gazette Other Links [Home](https://www.thegazette.com/) / [Sports](https://www.thegazette.com/sports/) / [Iowa Hawkeyes Sports](https://www.thegazette.com/iowa-hawkeyes/) / [Hawkeye Wrestling](https://www.thegazette.com/hawkeye-wrestling/) Lee dominates despite not being completely healthy, takes step closer to Olympics in Paris; Chun earns another coaching award; Marinelli retires; Wide range of ages on U.S. National Team USA Wrestling’s Olympic and National teams are set. Here are some notable topics that emerged from last weekend’s Olympic Team Trials at Bryce Jordan Center in State College, Pa. Hawkeye Wrestling Club’s Spencer Lee faced adversity and has emerged as strong as ever. The bad news for the world is that he could be even better by the time he takes to the mat again. Lee secured his spot on USA Wrestling’s Olympic Team last weekend, winning the first two matches in a best-of-3 series against former Hawkeye Thomas Gilman for the 125.5 (57 kg) spot. Lee has nearly completed his comeback from an injury-plagued college career that couldn’t prevent him from winning three NCAA titles, five All-America honors, two Hodge Trophies and a Sullivan Award.
“I’ve had such a tough time trying to stay healthy and trying to compete to the best of my ability,” Lee said in a post-match interview with a pool of media at BJC. “I’m still not healthy but I’m healthy enough to wrestle hard against a savvy (and) really, really good opponent.” Still not healthy? Lee outscored foes, 37-11. The best competitors in the country. He outscored Gilman, 16-5, in two matches, closing with a late pin in the final bout. The world is in trouble when Lee is unleashed overseas, specifically the last chance qualifier May 9-12 at Istanbul, Turkey. USA wrestlers were unable to qualify the weight class for the Olympic Games previously. Now, that falls into Lee’s lap. He received a boost from his wins over Gilman, an Olympic bronze medalist and World champion. “You talk about a tough opponent,” Lee said of Gilman. “It’s a pretty good indicator of what I’m capable of doing on the international stage, in my mind.” Lee will get his first real international matches since 2016. He is a three-time age-level world champion as a Cadet and Junior wrestler. He is very likely to grab one of the top three spots in Turkey to be able to move on to the Olympics in Paris.
Interestingly, Lee’s parents met in France. Cathy Lee is French and a former Olympic alternate in Judo. Lee’s father, Larry, was a coach for USA Judo. Larry was in Japan when a French coach encouraged him to come to France. That’s where he met Cathy, who was training. “He went to France and my mom asked him to fight,” Lee said. “My dad walked out there and my mom threw him on his head.” Lee said his dad was supposed to stay for just two weeks but that extended to nine months. Cathy and Larry were married the following year. That makes this opportunity even more special. “It’s a big thing for me, not just to surpass my mom, but it’s in France,” Lee said. “My family has never watched me wrestle in France. “I speak some French, so to me, competing in Paris would be pretty cool.” Iowa head women’s wrestling coach Clarissa Chun received another honor this weekend at the Olympic Team Trials. The first coach of an NCAA Division I Power Five conference program was named USA Wrestling’s Women’s Coach of the Year. She also garnered National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships Coach of the Year honors [when the Hawkeyes won the national team title](https://www.
thegazette.com/hawkeye-wrestling/iowa-womens-wrestling-has-6-individual-national-champions-claims-team-title-at-ncwwc/) in March at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids. The Hawkeyes’ first season produced dominant team and individual performances throughout the season, including the National Wrestling Coaches Association Multi-Divisional Duals crown. The team accomplishments and the personal accolades prove that Chun was the best hire to lead the sport that received emerging sports status the previous year. When Iowa announced it was starting the program in September of 2021, it was faced with a challenge. Sure, Iowa wrestling could sell itself, but without the right mix of personality and resume it wouldn’t be sustained. The first head coach had to be a notable name capable of making a big splash. An elite competitor and experienced coach. Chun checked all the boxes and it was easy to see in early interactions that the correct choice on paper translated into the right fit as a public figure. She was visible as the state was gaining momentum to make girls’ high school wrestling a sanctioned sport. Chun immediately attracted huge talent, like Kylie Welker, who placed third at 167.
5 pounds (76 kg) and earned a spot on the U.S. National Team a little more than a month away from winning the NCWWC title. Another top wrestler that Chun recruited was Felicity Taylor, the former South Winneshiek prep. Taylor was already a proven commodity, winning a national championship at McKendree (Ill.) University and representing the United States as a U23 National team member. Taylor also made the national team last weekend, placing third in the 116-pound (53 kg) challenge tournament. Two national titles, two national team representatives and two worthy awards for Chun and Iowa’s program. Iowa’s four-time Big Ten champion and multiple-time All-American Alex Marinelli announced via X (formerly Twitter) that the Olympic Trials will be his last as a competitor. The former Hawkeye has been coaching the Iowa City Wrestling Club and plans to turn his full attention “to help athletes achieve their goals in this awesome sport.” He earned the nickname “The Bull” with his forward pressure and tough brand of wrestling. Many likened it to wrestling in a phone booth (for those old enough to know one). He was Iowa’s 22nd four-time All-American and eighth to win four Big Ten crowns.
Marinelli joined the HWC after winning 99 matches for the Hawkeyes and placing fifth at the 2022 NCAA tournament. Marinelli was far from the only notable retirement this weekend. Former Penn State NCAA champion Mark Hall and former Missouri three-time NCAA champion J’Den Cox also ended their time on the mat. Cox produced a storied career that included an Olympic bronze medal in 2016 at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He also won consecutive Senior World golds in 2018 and 2019, amassing six total world-level medals. Video of Cox slowly walking across the mat and leaving his shoes in the center (a longtime tradition to signify the end to competing) is moving. He was a warrior for USA Wrestling. Dom Bradley placed third for the first time at the U.S. World Team Trials in 2009, which was also the same year he won a Junior World title. Bradley placed third in the challenge tournament to make the National Team in men’s freestyle at 275 (125 kg). In 2009, current 125.5-pound National team members Jax Forrest and Marcus Blaze were just two years old. The 17-year-old duo finished third and fourth, respectively, to join Lee and Gilman in the ranks. Bradley, at 35, is one of the oldest still competing and earned one of the four spots for USA Wrestling.
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