IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa head coach Tom Brands and two-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee will host a news conference at the McCord Indoor Club Level of the Iowa Football Press Box on Tuesday at 1 p.m. (CT). Brands will address the upcoming 2021 season for the top ranked Hawkeyes, and representatives from WIN Magazine will present Lee the 2020 Hodge Trophy.
Lee was named winner of the 2020 WIN Magazine/Culture House Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by ASICS. The award is presented annually to the nation’s most dominant college wrestler, on March 31, 2020. He earned 51 of a possible 56 first-place votes and became the third Hawkeye to win the award since its inception in 1995. Mark Ironside was honored in 1998 and Brent Metcalf earned the award in 2008. Ironside and Metcalf were both NCAA champions.
Lee dominated the 125-pound weight class in 2020, outscoring opponents, 234-18. He scored bonus points in 17 of 18 wins, recorded four first-period falls and nine technical falls, and averaged 5.0 team points per match.
Lee was 18-0 overall last season. He won his first conference title, was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Year, the AAU James E. Sullivan Award winner and the NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler. He was the top-seed at 125 pounds and going for his third straight national title before the 2020 NCAA Championships were called off March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Entering 2021, Lee is the top ranked 125-pounder for the top ranked team in the country.