Nick Lee Season 2020-21

Parents:  Laura and Christopher Lee
Major: POLITICAL SCIENCE
 
CAREER NOTES:
Academic: Three-time NWCA first-team National All-Academic honoree (2018, 2019, 2020)...Academic All-Big Ten (2019, 2020, 2021).
Athletic: NCAA National Champion at 141 (2021)...Four-time All-American...Placed fifth at 141 as a true freshman in 2018...Also placed fifth as a sophomore in 2019...Was to be the #2 seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships before the NCAA canceled the tournament...Named First Team All-American after 2020 tournament was canceled by the NCAA in reaction to a virus...Won the NCAA title at 141 in 2021.
 
2020-21 / SENIOR SEASON:
Season: Finished the year with a 13-1 overall record...Was a perfect 6-0 in dual meets...Posted five majors and four tech falls...Big Ten Runner-Up...Entered NCAA tournament as #2 seed, avenged Big Ten finals loss with a 4-2 (sv) win over #1 Jaydin Eierman of Iowa to win first NCAA national title...Went  5-0 in St. Louis to win title.
Indiana/Northwestern (1/30): Went 2-0 in opening day tri-dual at Northwestern, getting a tech fall against Indiana and a major vs. Northwestern. Wisconsin (2/2): Dominated Trey Escobar in a 16-1 first-period tech fall (3:00). Michigan (2/14): Notched 10-4 victory over #20 Drew Mattin. Ohio State (2/19): Lopsided 15-3 major over Dylan D’Emilio. Maryland (2/22): Majored Danny Bertoni 14-2.
Big Ten Championships (2-1, 2nd, NCAA Qualifier):  Advanced to Big Ten finals, losing tight 6-5 decision to #1 Jaydin Eierman of Iowa in the finals. Beat #3 Sebastian Rivera of Rutgers in semifinals. Went 3-0 overall. 
NCAA Championships (5-1, 1st , National Champion):  Became Penn State’s 15th four-time All-American. Won first individual national championship with 5-0 run in St. Louis.  Beat the #31, #15 and #10 seeds to advance to the national semifinals.  Dominated #3 Sebastian Rivera of Rutgers 9-3 in semis to advance to the NCAA finals for the first time. Hit inside trip in sudden victory to take down #1 Jaydin Eierman and win his first individual crown.  Won the  Amateur Wrestling News Hammer Award after the tournament.
 
2019-20 / JUNIOR SEASON:
Season: Posted a 20-1 overall record...Had four majors, seven tech falls and five pins...Went 14-0 in dual meets...Won 20 straight matches to start the season before a late loss in the Big Ten finals...Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (2/11)...Big Ten Wrestler of the Week (2/18)...Was to be the #2 seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships before the NCAA canceled the event...Named First Team All-American after 2020 tournament was canceled by the NCAA.
Navy (11/10): Pinned Navy’s Cody Trybus at the 6:16 mark in first match of Penn State’s season-opening win in Rec Hall. Army West Point Invite (11/17): Won AWP Invite title with 4-0 run, including two pins and a tech fall. Arizona State (11/22): Rolled  to 18-3 tech fall over Cory Crooks in road dual. Lehigh (12/6): 22-7 tech over Joe Lobeck at the 7:00 mark. Penn (12/8): Posted 13-4 major over Doug Zapf. Illinois (1/10): Rolled to 13-5 major over #16 Dylan Duncan. Northwestern (1/12): Posted 20-5 tech fall over Wildcat senior Alex McKenna (4:51). Rutgers (1/19): Posted lopsided 19-4 tech fall over JoJo Aragona in dual meet victory. Nebraska (1/24): Dominating 9-1 major over #8 Chad Red Jr. in Lincoln. Iowa (1/31): Downed Carter Happel, rolling to a 20-5 tech fall at the 5:53 mark. Maryland (2/2): Posted 16-0 tech fall over Hunter Baxter (5:52). Wisconsin (2/7): Dominated #7 Tristan Moran in dual victory in Madison, posting a 14-1 major with 4:29 in riding time. Minnesota (2/9): Pinned #5 Mitch McKee in the first period, getting the fast fall at the 1:56 mark.  Ohio State (2/15): Posted impressive 8-4 win over #1 Luke Pletcher, including 1:50 in riding time, to lead team to BJC Dual victory.
Big Ten Championship (3/7-8): Went 2-1 at Big Ten tournament, taking second place. Downed #6 Chad Red Jr. of Nebraska 7-5. Lost to #2 Luke Pletcher of Ohio State on a late takedown in the finals, 6-5.
 
2018-19 / SOPHOMORE SEASON:
Season: Became two-time All-American with fifth-place finish at 141 in Pittsburgh, helping lead Penn State to yet another team title...Posted 31-4 overall record, including 13-1 mark in dual meets.
Kent State (11/11): Opened season with 18-2 tech fall over Cory Simpson. Keystone Classic (11/18): Rolled to Keystone Classic title with 5-0 performance that included three techs, a major and a pin. Arizona State (12/14): Pinned Cory Crooks (2:18). Southern Scuffle (1/1-2): Won the Southern Scuffle title, rolling to the title with a pin and four majors. Northwestern (1/11): Majored Alec McKenna, 16-6, in Big Ten opener. Nebraska (1/20): Posted 5-4 win over #19 Chad Red Jr.. Michigan (2/1): Dominated #5 Kanen Storr 10-4 in dual victory in BJC. Ohio State (2/8): Handed #2 Joey McKenna his first loss of the year in Penn State’s B1G dual victory in Columbus, using a late takedown to secure a 7-6 win.
Big Ten Championships (3-1, 3rd, NCAA Qualifier): Placed third at the Big Ten Championships on March 9-10...Went 3-1 with two majors, including majors over #8 Tristan Moran of Wisconsin and #9 Mitch McKee of Minnesota...Only loss a close 5-4 decision to #3 Joey McKenna of Ohio State in semifinals.
NCAA Championships (4-2, 5th place, All-American): Became a two-time All-American with another fifth-place finish at 141 for Penn State. Went 4-2 with three pins, including a fall over #7 Mitch McKee of Minnesota in the fifth-place bout.
 
2017-18 / TRUE FRESHMAN SEASON:
Season: Became true-freshman All-American with a 6-2 performance at the NCAA Championships, placing fifth at 141...Collected a 32-7 record for the year...Had five pins, seven techs and 12 majors.
Clarion Open (11/5): Solid 4-1 outing in first open tourney, picking up three techs and a major, lone loss a tough 6-4 decision in finals to #10 Brock Zacherl of Clarion.  Binghamton Open (11/12): Went 2-1 to place third, lost in semis to #13 Yianni Diakomihalis of Cornell, also had a TF vs. a non-collegiate (which does not count as a result). Mat-Town Open (11/26): Went 4-0 to win Mat-Town Open title, including two pins, a tech and a major. Southern Scuffle (1/1-2): Unattached at 2018 Southern Scuffle and rolled to the final before taking runner-up...Went 4-1 with two pins, a tech and a major, including a pin of #7 Josh Alber of Northern Iowa in semifinals. Michigan (1/12): Made Penn State dual debut against Sal Profaci, winning 9-5 in Ann Arbor. Michigan State (1/14): Outstanding 16-1 TF (5:10) win over #20 Javier Gasca. Purdue (1/19): Dominating 14-4 major over Nate Limmex. Maryland (1/21): Dominant 22-10 major over Ryan Diehl. Minnesota (1/26): Outstanding show against #10 Tommy Thorn in a 13-3 major. Ohio State (2/3): Tough 7-6 upset loss, on riding time, to #11 Joey McKenna. Iowa (2/10): Took care of Vincent Turk 11-8 in BJC Dual. Buffalo (2/18): Pinned Nick Cassella (4:37).
 
 
Big Ten Championships (4-1, 3rd, NCAA Qualifier): Went 4-1 at first Big Ten Championship to place third and earn a trip to the NCAA Championship as a true freshman...Had three majors at Big Tens, including one over #16 Cole Weaver of Indiana and #15 Nate Limmex of Purdue for third-place.
NCAA Championships (6-2, 5th Place, All-American): Went 6-2 at NCAA Championships as a true freshman, earning All-American honors...Placed fifth as the #8 seed, wrestling all the way back to fifth after losing his first bout...Downed the #9, #10, #16, #12 and #5 seeded wrestlers in the process.
 
HIGH SCHOOL / PERSONAL:
Lee was a state, cadet and junior champion...An Indiana state champ at Mater Dei, also winning a USAW Cadet Freestyle National Championship...Won the USAW Junior Freestyle National Championship...Brothers Joe and Matt are also  Lion wrestlers.
 
LEE MATCH-BY-MATCH
2020-21
Date      Wt.   Result          Opponent                                           Place Record
1/30      141   W, 16-1        Cayden Rooks, Indiana (TF; 5:00)             dual       1-0
1/30      141   W, 12-2        Frankie Tal-Shahar,  Northwestern (maj.)    dual       2-0
2/2        141   W, 16-1        Trey Escobar, Wisconsin (TF; 3:00)           dual       3-0
2/14      141   W, 10-4        #20 Drew Mattin, Michigan                      dual       4-0
2/19      141   W, 15-3        Dylan D’Emilio, Ohio State (major)             dual       5-0
2/22      141   W, 14-2        Danny Bertoni, Maryland (major)               dual       6-0
3/6        141   W, 16-1        Dylan D’Emilio, Ohio State (TF; 3:20)         B1G       7-0
3/6        141   W, 8-6 (sv)     #3 Sebastian Rivera, Rutgers                  B1G       8-0
3/7        141   L, 5-6           #1 Jaydin Eierman, Iowa                 B1G (2nd)       8-1
3/18      141   W, 18-0        #31 Julian Flores, Drexel (TF; 2:33)         NCAA       9-1
3/18      141   W, 14-3        #15 Clay Carlson, S. Dakota St.(maj.)     NCAA     10-1
3/19      141   W, 11-3        #10 Zach Sherman, North Carolina        NCAA     11-1
3/19      141   W, 9-3          #3 Sebastian Rivera, Rutgers                NCAA     12-1
3/20      141   W, 4-2 (sv)     #1 Jaydin Eierman, Iowa                NCAA (1st)     13-1
 
2019-20
Date      Wt.   Result          Opponent                                           Place Record
11/10     141   WBF            Cody Trybus, Navy (6:16)                        dual       1-0
11/17     141   WBF            Quinn Devaney, Maryland (2:42)              AWP       2-0
11/17     141   WBF            Marco Macrino, Bloomsburg (1:29)          AWP       3-0
11/17     141   W, 18-0        Drew Martin, Central Michigan (TF; 3:32)   AWP       4-0
11/17     141   W, 11-5        Dresden Simon, Central Michigan    AWP (1st)       5-0
11/22     141   W, 18-3        Cory Crooks, Arizona State (TF; 4:28)        dual       6-0
12/6      141   W, 22-7        Joe Lobeck, Lehigh (TF; 7:00)                  dual       7-0
12/8      141   W, 13-4        Doug Zapf, Penn (major)                         dual       8-0
1/10      141   W, 13-5        #16 Dylan Duncan, Illinois (major)             dual       9-0
1/12      141   W, 20-5        Alec McKenna, Northwestern (TF; 4:51)     dual     10-0
1/19      141   W, 19-4        JoJo Aragona, Rutgers (TF; 7:00)             dual     11-0
1/24      141   W, 9-1          #8 Chad Red Jr., Nebraska (major)           dual     12-0
1/31      141   W, 20-5        Carter Happel, Iowa (TF; 5:53)                 dual     13-0
2/2        141   W, 16-0        Hunter Baxter, Maryland (TF; 5:52)           dual     14-0
2/7        141   W, 14-1        #7 Tristan Moran, Wisconsin (major)          dual     15-0
2/9        141   WBF            #5 Mitch McKee, Minnesota (1:56)            dual     16-0
2/15      141   W, 8-4          #1 Luke Pletcher, Ohio State                   dual     17-0
2/23      141   W, 7-3          Sal Profacci, American                           dual     18-0
3/7        141   WBF            #33 Parker Filius, Purdue (0:37)               B1G     19-0
3/7        141   W, 7-5          #6 Chad Red Jr., Nebraska                     B1G     20-0
3/8        141   L, 5-6           #2 Luke Pletcher, Ohio State           B1G (2nd)     20-1
 
2018-19
11/11     141   W, 18-2        Cory Simpson, Kent State (TF; 3:44)         dual       1-0
11/18     141   W, 16-0        Tucker Ribman, Harvard (TF; 3:51)             KC       2-0
11/18     141   W, 18-3        Dominick Gallo, VMI (TF; 5:41)                  KC       3-0
11/18     141   WBF            Grant Aronoff, Penn (4:07)                        KC       4-0
11/18     141   W, 20-3        Anthony Brito, Appalachian St. (TF; 3:00)    KC       5-0
11/18     141   W, 17-9        Josh Finesilver, Duke (major)               KC (1st)       6-0
11/30     141   W, 15-5        Matt Kalonia, Bucknell (major)                  dual       7-0
12/2      141   W, 23-10      Ryan Pomrinca, Lehigh (major)                 dual       8-0
12/14     141   WBF            Cory Crooks, Arizona State (2:18)             dual       9-0
1/1        141   WBF            Julian Flores, Drexel (4:14)                     Scuff     10-0
1/1        141   W, 15-4        Carmine Ciotti, Edinboro (major)              Scuff     11-0
1/1        141   W, 12-4        Aiden Murphy, Chattanooga (major)         Scuff     12-0
1/1        141   W, 11-3        Cole Matthews,  Pittsburgh (major)          Scuff     13-0
1/2        141   W,  18-4       Kyle Shoop, Lock Haven (major)             Scuff     14-0
1/2        141   W, 6-3          Real Woods, Stanford                     Scuff (1st)     15-0
1/11      141   W, 16-6        Alec McKenna, Northwestern (major)        dual     16-0
1/13      141   L, 10-12(sv2)    Tristan Moran, Wisconsin                        dual     16-1
1/20      141   W, 5-4          #19 Chad Red Jr., Nebraska                   dual     17-1
1/25      141   W,  17-6       Nate Limmex, Purdue (major)                   dual     18-1
1/27      141   W, 13-3        Kyle Luigs, Indiana (major)                       dual     19-1
2/1        141   W, 10-4        #5 Kanen Storr, Michigan                        dual     20-1
2/8        141   W, 7-6          #2 Joey McKenna, Ohio State                 dual     21-1
2/15      141   W, 19-7        Austin Eicher, Michigan State (major)         dual     22-1
2/17      141   W, 17-2        Abdullah Assaf, Illinois (TF; 3:48)               dual     23-1
2/24      141   W, forf.         Forfeit, Buffalo                                      dual     24-1
3/9        141   W,  8-3         #16 Max Murin,  Iowa                            B1G     25-1
3/9        141   L, 4-5           #3 Joey McKenna, Ohio State                 B1G     25-2
3/10      141   W, 11-3        #8 Tristan Moran, Wisconsin (major)         B1G     26-2
3/10      141   W,  12-4       #9 Mitch McKee, Minnesota (major)   B1G (3rd)     27-2
3/21      141   WBF            #30 Nate Limmex, Purdue (3:38)           NCAA     28-2
3/21      141   WBF            #19 Sa’Derian Perry, Old Dominion (3:42) NCAA     29-2
3/22      141   W, 4-1          #22 Max Murin, Iowa                           NCAA     30-2
3/22      141   L, 3-4           #2 Joey McKenna, Ohio State               NCAA     30-3
3/23      141   L, 9-13         #9 Dom Demas, Oklahoma                  NCAA     30-4
3/23      141   WBF            #7 Mitch McKee, Minnesota (3:22)  NCAA (5th)     31-4
 
2017-18
11/5      141   W, 16-4        Dominic Means, UPJ (major)                     CUP       1-0
11/5      141   W, 18-3        Chance Driscoll, Kent St. (TF; 5:46)           CUP       2-0
11/5      141   W, 17-2        Ryan Peters, Buffalo (TF; 4:05)                  CUP       3-0
11/5      141   W, 16-1        Kyle Shoop, Lock Haven (TF; 3:55)            CUP       4-0
11/5      141   L, 4-6           #10 Brock Zacherl, Clarion               CUP (2nd)       4-1
11/12     141   W, 15-4        Brian Courtney, Virginia (major)                  Bing       5-1
11/12     141   L, 7-12         #13 Yianni Diakomihalis, Cornell                Bing       5-2
11/12     141   W, 21-5        Dane Heberlein, Binghamton (TF)        Bing (3rd)       6-2
11/26     141   WBF            Haroldo Nesbeth, F&M (1:58)                    LHU       7-2
11/26     141   W, 24-9        Braden Stahlnecker, Bloomsburg (TF)         LHU       8-2
11/26     141   W, 19-5        Brian Courtney, Virginia (major)                  LHU       9-2
11/26     141   WBF            Rob Cleary, Rutgers (1:47)                 LHU (1st)     10-2
1/1        141   W, 18-3        Garrett O’Shea, Air Force (TF; 4:55)           Scuff     11-2
1/1        141   WBF            Evan Cheek, Cleveland State (2:58)          Scuff     12-2
1/1        141   W, 15-5        Russell Rohlfin, CSU-Bakersfield (major)     Scuff     13-2
1/2        141   WBF            #7 Josh Alber, Northern Iowa (6:51)          Scuff     14-2
1/2        141   LBF             Kaden Gfeller, Oklahoma St. (4:50)           Scuff     14-3
1/12      141   W, 9-5          Sal Profaci, Michigan                               dual     15-3
1/14      141   W, 16-1        #20 Javier Gasca, Michigan St. (TF; 5:10)     dual     16-3
1/19      141   W, 14-4        Nate Limmex, Purdue (major)                     dual     17-3
1/21      141   W, 22-10       Ryan Diehl, Maryland (major)                     dual     18-3
1/26      141   W, 13-3        #10 Tommy Thorn, Minnesota (major)         dual     19-3
1/28      141   W, 5-2          Michael Van Brill, Rutgers                         dual     20-3
2/3        141   L, 6-7           #11 Joey McKenna, Ohio State                 dual     20-4
2/10      141   W, 11-8        Vincent Turk, Iowa                                  dual     21-4
2/18      141   WBF            Nicholas Cassella, Buffalo (4:37)                dual     22-4
3/3        141   W, 12-2        Mike Van Brill, Rutgers (major)                   B1G     23-4
3/3        141   W, 13-3        #16 Cole Weaver, Indiana (major)              B1G     24-4
3/3        141   L, 6-10         #14 Michael Carr, Illinois                          B1G     24-5
3/4        141   W, 8-3          Vince Turk, Iowa                                    B1G     25-5
3/4        141   W, 15-5        #15 Nate Limmex, Purdue (major)       B1G (3rd)     26-5
3/15      141   LBF             Ryan Diehl, Maryland (2:12)                    NCAA     26-6
3/15      141   W, 7-3          #9 Josh Alber, Northern Iowa                  NCAA  27-616
3/16      141   W, 5-0          #10 Mason Smith, Central Michigan         NCAA     28-6
3/16      141   W, 13-5        #16 Cole Weaver, Indiana (major)            NCAA     29-6
3/16      141   W, 13-6        #12 Tyler Smith, Bucknell                      NCAA     30-6
3/16      141   W, 12-4        SaDarian Perry, E. Michigan (major)          NCAA     31-6
3/17      141   L, 4-12         #2 Jaydin Eirmann, Missouri                   NCAA     31-7
3/17      141   W, 9-7 (sv)     #5 Kevin Jack, NC State                 NCAA (5th)     32-7