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BLOOMINGTON, Indiana — The top-ranked University of Iowa team defeated Indiana 41-0 on Friday night in Wilkinson Hall, sweeping all 10 bouts and scoring bonus points in four weight classes, including falls from Alex Marinelli, Tony Cassioppi, and Austin DeSanto, and a 15-0 technical fall from Spencer Lee.
“Three falls, technical fall, we missed some bonus points too,” said Iowa head coach Tom Brands. “We had good rides on guys and let them eek out a point at the end. Maybe a little bit sloppy, over anxious, but there were a lot of points there. We have to get ready for the next one now. Moving on.”
Iowa led 18-0 at intermission. Pat Lugo and Kaleb Young opened the dual with consecutive decisions, and Marinelli made it 12-0 with his team-high sixth fall of the season. He scored three takedowns in the first, one more in the second, and ended it in the third with his newly patented “sugar bull.”
“When it’s there it’s there,” Marinelli said. “The coaches are telling me bases first, get the guy tired and the turns will come. Sometimes I try them a little too early and the guy will feel it, know it’s there, and then react to it later in the period. I think it’s good I got to my attacks, got him on his stomach, and arm-barred, stepped over the head, pin.”
Michael Kemerer and Abe Assad followed with decisions at 174 and 184. Kemerer won 9-6 in his first mat action since Dec. 8. Assad, fresh off a runner-up finish at Midlands, won 6-2 in his college debut.
“If I told you I didn’t have nerves I’d be lying to you,” Assad said. “Everyone has nerves. Even matches when I’m at open tournaments I still get a little nervous before every match. Obviously here the nerves are heightened more, but I knew that if I went out there and wrestled loose and tried to score points, good things are going to happen.
The second half opened with an 8-3 decision from Jacob Warner at 197, and closed with a 6-0 shutout from Max Murin at 141.
Somewhere in between, the Hawkeyes needed just six minutes, 18 seconds to get through 285, 125, and 133. Cassioppi registered a fall in 20 seconds at 285. Lee followed with a 15-0 technical fall in three minutes, 16 seconds at 125, and DeSanto ended the 133 bout with a fall in two minutes, 42 seconds.
“I told Terry that I feel like this team is so much better than we were tonight,” said Marinelli. “We wrestle up to our opponents a lot, and we cannot wrestle down. No matter the ranking we need to go out there and kick butt and take care of business no matter what. We have to go out there and do what we know how to do.”
Iowa returns to the mat Sunday at No. 18 Purdue. The dual begins at 3 p.m. (CT) at Holloway Gymnasium.
NOTABLES
- Freshman Abe Assad made his official collegiate debut. He became the fourth Hawkeye in the Tom Brands era to wrestling as a true freshman, and just the second to wrestle in his first year removed from high school (Spencer Lee, 2018). Nathan Burak (2013) and Justin Stickley (2017) wrestled as true freshmen but both deferred college enrollment by one year after graduating high school.
- Spencer Lee (15-0), Austin DeSanto (9-0), Alex Marinelli (19-0), and Tony Cassioppi (2-0) are undefeated in their careers in Big Ten duals.
- Lugo improved to 11-0 and extended his career-high win streak to 11.
- Alex Marinelli improved to 11-0 with his team-high sixth pin of the season. He has pinned six of his last eight opponents.
- Tony Cassioppi’s fall in 20 seconds is a career best and the fastest of any Hawkeye this season.
- Spencer Lee improved to 7-0 with seven bonus-point wins.
- Austin DeSanto notched his ninth win of the season, and seventh bonus-point win.
- Max Murin improved to 9-0, extending his career-long winning streak.
#1 IOWA 41, Indiana 0
149 — #1 Pat Lugo (IA) dec. Graham Rooks (IND), 10-6; 3-0
157 — #6 Kaleb Young (IA) dec. Fernando Silva (IND), 11-4; 6-0
165 — #2 Alex Marinelli (IA) pinned David Tunon (IND), 5:34; 12-0
174 — #3 Michael Kemerer (IA) dec. Jacob Covaciu (IND), 9-6; 15-0
184 — Abe Assad (IA) Jake Hinz (IND), 6-2; 18-0
197 — #5 Jacob Warner (IA) Nick Willham (IND), 8-3; 21-0
285 — #4 Tony Cassioppi (IA) pinned Rudy Streck (IND), 0:20; 27-0
125 — #1 Spencer Lee (IA) tech. fall Liam Cronin (IND), 15-0; 32-0
133 — #2 Austin DeSanto (IA) pinned Jonathan Moran (IND), 2:42; 38-0
141 — #7 Max Murin (IA) Eddie Bolivar (IND), 6-0; 41-0
Records: Iowa (5-0, 2-0), Indiana (0-2, 0-1)
Attendance: 1,914
