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How a trip to Japan got Iowa wrestling’s Spencer Lee ready for the Olympics

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How a trip to Japan got Iowa wrestling’s Spencer Lee ready for the Olympics


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IOWA CITY — There’s an alternate timeline of Spencer Lee’s wrestling career that could have ultimately played out.

Following a stunning loss in the 2023 NCAA semifinal to Purdue’s Matt Ramos to stop him from becoming a four-time collegiate champion, there was a case to be made that Lee had left everything out on the mat he could. Three NCAA titles, two Dan Hodge Trophies, a Cadet World title and a pair of Junior World titles had cost him him ACLs and deteriorated his knees to a point where Lee wondered whether he had anything left in the tank.

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Lee has never been one for excuses. His “excuses are for wusses” quote following winning a title with no ACLs in his knees became a tagline for the Hawkeye wrestling program. But even he wondered if it was maybe time to step away.

Following that loss in March, Lee finally committed to taking his long-desired trip to Japan as an escape from it all.

“I just needed to not think about wrestling,” Lee said during a press conference Thursday.

Lee was a longtime admirer of Japanese culture. Not only for its dominant wrestling, but Japanese culture in its entirety. In Japan, he stayed in Tokyo while visiting Kyoto, Osaka and other major towns along the way.

“I really enjoyed the peacefulness,” Lee said. “Just to walk around and have a lot of time to think.”

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More: Wrestling mailbag: Is Iowa wrestling falling behind in recruiting? Who to watch at Fargo

While he was wanting to avoid wrestling, he still made sure to meet up with an old friend in Takuto Otoguro, an Olympic gold medalist in 2021. The two met and became friends in the 2014 World Championships and stayed in touch throughout their careers.

When Lee spoke with Otoguro, Otoguro mentioned how hard it was prepare for another Olympics. Now that he had reached the pinnacle, what comes next was a big question. When Otoguro began training again after some time away, he told Lee he still loved it when they were in Japan, so he would try once again.

When Lee returned from his wrestling hiatus, he felt refueled, which is exactly what Iowa coach Tom Brands was hoping for. When Lee floated the idea to him, Brands and the staff “spurred” him to take some time to make the heart grow fonder.

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“You’re fanning the flames,” Brands said. “Making him burn hot inside.”

Lee would then go on to perhaps look the best he has in some time, rolling through Senior Nationals to qualify for the Olympic Trials in December 2023, defeating the United States’ best at the Trials and then qualifying the 57-kilogram weight class for the US in Istanbul and going undefeated in that run.

Across the sea, Lee’s friend Otoguro failed to qualify for the Olympics himself, but told Lee he would be seeing him soon, making Lee realize the bigger picture of why it made sense to continue on.

“He messaged me and told me that he would be on the team in 2028,” Lee said. “For me it was like, ‘I get it.’ Just because you reached that pinnacle, it doesn’t mean you’re done with your potential.”

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Spencer Lee on Olympics: ‘It would be wrong to say that I’m not representing Iowa’

Wrestler Spencer Lee meets with media ahead of his upcoming appearance in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

More: Iowa wrestling leads nation in attendance for 17th straight season, Penn State ranks second

Today’s version of Lee is a revival of what Lee was prior to all those knee injuries, before the stunning loss in his senior season. His time away in a country he longed to visit one day helped him realize there was still another level he was capable of reaching if he could find a way.

Now, Lee heads to his mother’s home country of Paris. He’s been practicing his French with the France wrestling delegation in Colorado to impress his mother and family who all were born and raised in France, all while working on his stellar par terre offense that helped him roll through the qualifying process. In total across Senior Nationals, the Olympic Trials and the Last Chance qualifier, Lee wrestled in 11 matches, outscored his opponents 107-25 with five technical falls and a pin in that time.

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Ultimately, Brands’ prodding of Lee to take some time away paid off big time for all parties, but they are turning toward the next step of this process to try to win gold. A former gold medalist himself in 1996, he’s not trying to push Lee to emulate what he did, but rather to exceed what he accomplished in Atlanta 28 years ago.

Lee will be looking to Drake Ayala, Pat Lugo and Brandon Sorensen to help as training partners. At this point, current and former Hawkeyes training with the Olympians has become a tradition, like Lee did as a teenager with Daniel Dennis furing his Olympics run in 2016.

For Ayala, it’s a massive opportunity to build upon his successful sophomore campaign when he reached the NCAA finals. Having dealt with injuries of his own the past two seasons, he’s getting a shining example of what it will take to reach his pinnacle.

“He left a little undone as well,” Brands said. “This is part of that for him but there’s also an unselfish part of that as well. He’s the right guy along with Lugo and Sorensen to go with Spencer because of their relationship.”

Now the “zero hour” is upon Lee and the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, a term Brands borrowed from Dan Gable as they prepare to try to get Iowa’s sixth gold medal from the Olympics. Brands says he has no need or desire to place pressure on Lee ahead of the Olympics, but Lee’s urgency to get out and reach the pinnacle is at an all-time high in his career.

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“You’re talking about a guy who’s a super high-octane competitor, you’re talking about a guy who gets up for the best events that are in front of him and here we are,” Brands said. “It’s time to perform.”

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23





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Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor

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Iowa State picks up commitment from Arkansas State QB Jaylen Raynor


Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.

Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.

Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.

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He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.

“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”

Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.

Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.



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Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling

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Seven Iowa High School Wrestlers Off To Dominant Starts This Season – FloWrestling


The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December. 

Drew Anderson (Riverside)  

The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23. 

Urijah Courter (West Marshall)

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Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout. 

Cooper Hinz (Jesup)

Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period. 

Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)

Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.   

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Mason Koehler (Glenwood)

The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season. 

Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)  

Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit. 

Keaton Moeller (Starmont)

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Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season. 

Iowa High School Premium Rankings

Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.





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Iowa women’s basketball vs. Penn State today: Live updates, score

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Iowa women’s basketball vs. Penn State today: Live updates, score



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As No. 14-ranked Iowa women’s basketball (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) returns from the Christmas break, the Hawkeyes will begin the bulk of their Big Ten slate today as they welcome Penn State (7-5, 0-1 Big Ten) to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa looks to rebound from its 90-64 loss against No. 1 UConn on Dec. 20, where its sloppy play (26 turnovers leading to 41 UConn points) ultimately proved to be its undoing against the Huskies.

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Entering today’s game, sophomore center Ava Heiden leads the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game on 64.4% shooting from the floor, with senior forward Hannah Stuelke (13.4) and sophomore guard Chit-Chat Wright (11.7) also averaging double-figure scoring.

Defensively, Wright leads the team in steals per game with 1.6, while Heiden tops the squad in blocks with 1.2 denials per contest.

As tipoff nears between the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions, follow along for live updates, the latest score, and highlights of the action:

Hawkeyes are on fire offensively through the first quarter of play (shooting 10-for-16 from the floor), while also dominating the defensive glass (leading 7-2 in defensive rebounds) and keeping Penn State off-synch.

Chit-Chat Wright leads everyone with 12 points on 4-for-4 from the floor, 2-for-2 from 3-point territory, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.

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Timeout Penn State.

Hawkeyes are on a roll offensively since the Nittany Lions’ appeal, with a 14-0 scoring run that forces a Penn State timeout.

Penn State’s appeal was successful on the foul call, but the shot clock violation on the Nittany Lions still stands.

Nittany Lions retain their timeout.

Timeout Penn State.

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The Nittany Lions are appealing the foul call on Gracie Merkle and the ensuing shot clock violation.

Both teams are shooting well to start the game.

On its game day availability report, sophomore Emely Rodriguez remains out. Graduate starting guard Kylie Feuerbach is also “questionable.”

Watch Iowa vs. Penn State

TV: Big Ten Network

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Tip-off Time: 3 p.m. CT

Iowa women’s basketball schedule

All times CT

  • Nov. 3 vs. Southern: Iowa 86, Southern 51
  • Nov. 9 vs. Evansville: Iowa 119, Evansville 43
  • Nov. 13 vs. Drake: Iowa 100, Drake 58
  • Nov. 16 at Northern Iowa: Iowa 74, UNI 41
  • Nov. 20 vs. Baylor (WBCA Showcase in Orlando): Iowa 57, Baylor 52
  • Nov. 22 vs. Miami (WBCA Showcase in Orlando): Iowa 64, Miami 61
  • Nov. 26 vs. Western Illinois: Iowa 86, Western Illinois 69
  • Nov. 30 vs. Fairfield: Iowa 86, Fairfield 72
  • Dec. 6 at Rutgers: Iowa 79, Rutgers 36
  • Dec. 10 at Iowa State: Iowa State 74, Iowa 69
  • Dec. 13 vs. Lindenwood: Iowa 102, Lindenwood 68
  • Dec. 20 vs. UConn (Champions Classic): UConn 90, Iowa 64
  • Dec. 28 vs. Penn State: Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
  • Jan. 1 vs. Nebraska: Big Ten Network, 1 p.m.
  • Jan. 5 at Northwestern: Big Ten Network, 7:30 p.m.
  • Jan. 11 at Indiana: Big Ten Network, 4 p.m.
  • Jan. 15 vs. Oregon: FS1, 8 p.m.
  • Jan. 18 vs. Michigan State: Big Ten Network, 7 p.m.
  • Jan. 22 at Maryland: NBC, 5 p.m.
  • Jan. 25 vs. Ohio State: Peacock, 1 p.m.
  • Jan. 29 at USC: Peacock, 8 p.m.
  • Feb. 1 at UCLA: Fox, 3 p.m.
  • Feb. 5 vs. Minnesota: Big Ten Network, 6 p.m.
  • Feb. 11 vs. Washington: BTN+, 6:30 p.m.
  • Feb. 16 at Nebraska: Fox, 11 a.m.
  • Feb. 19 at Purdue: BTN+, 6 p.m.
  • Feb. 22 vs. Michigan: Fox or FS1, 11 a.m. or 1 p.m.
  • Feb. 26 vs. Illinois: Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
  • March 1 at Wisconsin: BTN+, 2 p.m.
  • March 4-8 Big Ten Tournament

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews



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