3 Iowa Wrestlers Are Top Seeds
Three Iowa wrestlers were named top seeds in their respective weight class when the NCAA released its tournament brackets Wednesday for the Division I national championships in Minneapolis on March 19-21.
Spencer Lee (125), Pat Lugo (149), and Alex Marinelli (165) are the top seeds coming off their wins in the Big Ten championships last weekend.
Lee is the two-time defending champion at 125 pounds, winning national titles in 2018 and 2019 as the No. 3 seed.
Marinelli, 20-1 this season, is the top seed at 165 for the second consecutive year.
Lugo enters the tournament with a record of 21-1.
Iowa's Michael Kemerer is a No. 2 seed at 174. Tony Cassioppi is a 3 seed at 285. Jacob Warner is a 5 seed at 197.
Iowa, ranked No. 1 nationally, is sending its entire 10-man lineup to the tournament.
FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS
(Seedings designated by #)
125 — #1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) vs. #32 Dominic LaJoie (Cornell)/#33 Antonio Mininno (Drexel)
133 — #6 Austin DeSanto (Iowa) vs. #27 Jarrett Trombley (NCST)
141 — #7 Max Murin (Iowa) vs. #26 Salvatore Profaci (American)
149 — #1 Pat Lugo (Iowa) vs. #32 Greg Gaxiola (Fresno State)/#33 Selwyn Porter (The Citadel)
157 — #8 Kaleb Young (Iowa) vs. #25 Jacob Wright (Fresno State)
165 — #1 Alex Marinelli (Iowa) vs. #32 Tyler Meisinger (Michigan)/#33 Cam Coy (Virginia)
174 — #2 Michael Kemerer (Iowa) vs. #31 Cody Hughes (Virginia Tech)
184 — #11 Abe Assad (Iowa) vs. Dylan Wisman (Missouri)
197 — #5 Jacob Warner (Iowa) vs. #28 Landon Pelham (CMU)
285 — #3 Tony Cassioppi (Iowa) vs. #30 Andrew Gunning (North Carolina)