Lugo Wins Athlete Of The Week Honor
Iowa All-American and Hawkeye Wrestling Club member Pat Lugo was named USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week on Tuesday.
Lugo had three step-outs and a second-period takedown to defeat former Ohio State All-American Luke Pletcher, 5-0, at the co-main event of last weekend’s Rumble on the Rooftop in Chicago. It was one of the first wrestling events since March, when the sport shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event was the wrestlers’ first competition since their senior NCAA seasons were cut short because of the pandemic.
Lugo was the Big Ten champion at 149 pounds last season and was going into the NCAA championships as the top seed in his weight class. Lugo also won an individual title at the Midlands Championships, and finished the season with a 21-1 record. He won 12 matches over ranked opponents.
USA Wrestling selects its Athlete of the Week based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee considers any level of wrestling from youth programs through the senior level and Twitter fan votes also play a part in decision.