2021 NCAA champion Nick Lee (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com; Graphic/Anna-Lee Marie)
Welcome to a new recurring feature from InterMat as we lead into the 2021-22 collegiate season. We are about 50 days away from the start of the new season, so what better way to ring in the new year than to use that time to count down the top-50 current collegiate wrestlers. Each day a new wrestler will be released.
These rankings have been compiled by members of the InterMat staff and used a combination of collegiate achievements, with 2021 accomplishments carrying more weight than past years, along with win-loss records and notable wins. While we are counting down the top-50 wrestlers based primarily on collegiate accomplishments, it is impossible to totally ignore achievements in the international settings, so they did factor in slightly, too.
Before getting to the next wrestler on the list, look at the wrestlers previously profiled:
#50 - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State)
#49 - Ben Darmstadt (Cornell)
#48 - Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State)
#47 - Kaleb Young (Iowa)
#46 - Rocky Elam (Missouri)
#45 - Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska)
#44 - Brandon Courtney (Arizona State)
#43 - Brock Mauller (Missouri)
#42 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State)
#41 - John Poznanski (Rutgers)
#40 - Brayton Lee (Minnesota)
#39 - Travis Wittlake (Oklahoma State)
#38 - Parker Keckeisen (Northern Iowa)
#37 - Tariq Wilson (NC State)
#36 - Jacob Warner (Iowa)
#35 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State)
#34 - Tony Cassioppi (Iowa)
#33 - Vito Arujau (Cornell)
#32 - Patrick Glory (Princeton)
#31 - Max Dean (Penn State)
#30 - Keegan O'Toole (Missouri)
#29 - Mike Labriola (Nebraska)
#28 - Nino Bonaccorsi (Pittsburgh)
#27 - Austin DeSanto (Iowa)
#26 - Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh)
#25 - Evan Wick (Cal Poly)
#24 - Alex Marinelli (Iowa)
#23 - Ryan Deakin (Northwestern)
#22 - Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers)
#21 - Sammy Sasso (Ohio State)
#20 - Trent Hidlay (NC State)
#19 - Stevan Micic (Michigan)
#18 - Hayden Hidlay (NC State)
#17 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech)
#16 - Michael Kemerer (Iowa)
#15 - Mason Parris (Michigan)
#14 - Shane Griffith (Stanford)
#13 - AJ Ferrari (Oklahoma State)
#12 - Carter Starocci (Penn State)
#11 - Jaydin Eierman (Iowa)
#10 - Myles Amine (Michigan)
#9 - Daton Fix (Oklahoma State)
#8 - Roman Bravo-Young (Penn State)
#7 - Austin O'Connor (North Carolina)
#6 - Aaron Brooks (Penn State)
#5 - David Carr (Iowa State)
Next up is…
#4 Nick Lee (Penn State)
Weight: 141 lbs
Year: Senior
Career Record: 97-13
Hometown: Evansville, Indiana
College Accomplishments: 2021 NCAA Champ, 2x Big Ten Runner-Up, 2019 NCAA 5th Place, 2018 NCAA 5th Place, 2020 NWCA First-Team All-American
2021-22 Preseason Ranking: #2 at 141 lbs
Competing as a true freshman, Nick Lee immediately had some success with a runner-up finish at the season-opening Clarion Open. Lee earned a spot in the finals after tech falling Kyle Shoop (Lock Haven). He finished the tournament with a loss to Brock Zacherl (Clarion).
A week later, at the Bearcat Open, Lee ran into fellow true freshman Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) and was on the wrong end of a 12-7 decision. That bout took place in the semis and Lee wound up in third place.
Lee's breakout event was the Southern Scuffle, where he notched bonus-point victories over the likes of returning national qualifiers Josh Alber (Northern Iowa), Evan Cheek (Cleveland State), and Russell Rohlfing (CSU Bakersfield). In the finals, Lee was pinned in the second period by redshirting freshman Kaden Gfeller (Oklahoma State).
Post-Scuffle, Lee really hit his stride with six consecutive wins over conference foes; four came via bonus points, one of which was a 13-3 major decision over All-American Tommy Thorn (Minnesota). Lee's brief winning streak was halted in a 7-6 shootout loss to Joey McKenna (Ohio State).
At his first Big Ten Championship, Lee fell in the semis to Mike Carr (Illinois) and finished in third place. That finish was good enough for the eighth seed at the 2018 NCAA Championships.
In his first NCAA Tournament match, Lee was greeted rudely by Ryan Diehl (Maryland), who shocked the freshman with a first-period fall. To Lee's credit, he didn't hang his head; he battled back through the consolations with five straight wins, locking up a place in the top-six. His road to All-American status included wins over #9 Alber, #10 Mason Smith (Central Michigan), #16 Cole Weaver (Indiana), and #12 Tyler Smith (Bucknell).
After majoring Sa'Derian Perry (Eastern Michigan) in the consolation quarterfinals, Lee fell to Jaydin Eierman (Missouri), also by major decision. He closed out his freshman campaign with a win in sudden victory over Kevin Jack (NC State) for fifth-place.
Lee's sophomore year started off on fire. He won his first 14 matches of the 2018-19 season with bonus points. That streak stopped in the Southern Scuffle finals against redshirting freshman Real Woods (Stanford), by the score of 6-3.
Just two matches later, Lee suffered a stunning defeat to Wisconsin's Tristan Moran in dual meet action, 12-10 in sudden victory.
In early February, Lee logged his most significant win of the regular season. He posted a 7-6 win over McKenna in Penn State's 28-9 rout of Ohio State.
At the Big Ten Championships, Lee had the opportunity to exact revenge and get served some himself. He fell to McKenna by a point in the semifinals, but had the chance to meet Moran, again. This time Lee won by major decision, 11-3, on his way to third place. This time, his third-place finished netted the third seed at the 2019 NCAA Championships.
There were no first-round upsets this time at the NCAA Championships. Lee started his tournament with back-to-back falls against Nate Limmex and Perry. He clinched his second career set of All-American honors by downing Max Murin (Iowa) 4-1. That set the stage for another meeting with McKenna in the NCAA semifinals. Once again, the bout went to McKenna, 4-3.
In the consolation semifinals, Lee had a difficult matchup with Dom Demas (Oklahoma). The inside-trip master was able to open up his offense in a 13-9 win. For the second consecutive year, Lee finished up in fifth-place, this time after pinning Mitch McKee (Minnesota).
In 2019-20, Lee went through the entire regular season without tasting defeat. He won 15 of his first 16 bouts by bonus points, including wins over returning AA's McKee and Chad Red (Nebraska). His 17th match came against Ohio State and, once again, he picked up a massive win against the Buckeyes. Lee handed Luke Pletcher his first loss of the year, 8-4, in the Nittany Lions 20-16 win over Ohio State.
Just like in 2019, Lee's Ohio State opponent was able to exact revenge at the Big Ten Championships, this time in the finals as Pletcher turned the tables with a 6-5 win. Lee's 20-1 record and a runner-up finish at the B1G tournament was good enough for the second seed at the 2020 NCAA Championships. That tournament never happened as it was canceled at the beginning of the Covid outbreak. Notable contenders on Lee's half of the bracket included #3 Real Woods, #6 Red, #7 Murin, #10 McKee, and #11 Zach Sherman (North Carolina). Lee was named a first-team All-American by the NWCA.
During the shortened 2021 regular season, Lee didn't clash with any of the top contenders in the conference. He managed to top bonus point status in five of those six contests.
At the 2021 Big Ten Championships, held on the campus of Penn State, Lee was given the second seed, which meant he'd have to contend with returning 133 lb B1G champion Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers), in the semis. Lee prevailed 8-6 in extra time during an excellent bout. The Big Ten final featured Lee against new Iowa Hawkeye, Jaydin Eierman (Iowa). The two engaged in an action-packed bout that saw Eierman finish on top, 6-5.
That put Lee in as the second seed at the 2021 NCAA Championships. Lee had to travel what proved to be a challenging path at nationals, though you wouldn't know from his results. His second and third opponents (Sherman and South Dakota State's Clay Carlson) ended up meeting each other for seventh place later in the tournament. Again he'd meet Rivera in the semis. This time, the bout was more one-sided as Lee got his hand raised after a 9-3 win.
Lee had gotten over the hump and made it to the NCAA finals against Big Ten foe Eierman. This time it was Lee who came up clutch with a 4-2 win in sudden victory. It was Lee's third NCAA All-American honor and made him one of four national champions for Penn State.
A little bit over a month later, Lee was back in action at the Olympic Team Trials. After losing Jordan Oliver in his second match, Lee stormed through the consolations to claim third place and earn a spot on the national team. His consi run included wins over NCAA champion Nahshon Garrett, Penn State legend Zain Retherford, and two-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis.
Strengths: Lee has always been known for his high motor and gas tank. His pace and volume of attacks routinely force opponents to wilt. Lee can strike with various leg attacks, especially high c's and inside reach singles. For all the marbles, in sudden victory of the NCAA finals, Lee responded with an inside trip. While Lee is dangerous on his feet, he's also always a threat to score on the mat. Lee is constantly looking for either a cross wrist tilt or a wing and claw. He is even able to get back points from those moves against top-level opponents.
2021-22 Outlook: Lee starts the year ranked #2 in the nation, behind Diakomihalis. Not only will Lee have to worry about Yianni and Eierman, but also Stevan Micic (Michigan), who will be a very tough conference opponent. Their Big Ten bracket will likely be the deepest of the tournament. Even so, Lee can rise to the top at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships.
2021 NCAA champion Nick Lee (Photo/Tony Rotundo; WrestlersAreWarriors.com)
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now