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Nick Lee (wrestler)

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Nick Lee
Personal information
Full nameNicholas Boone Lee
Born (1998-03-12) March 12, 1998 (age 26)
Evansville, Indiana, U.S.
Sport
CountryUnited States
SportWrestling
Event(s)Freestyle and Folkstyle
College teamPenn State Nittany Lions
ClubNittany Lion Wrestling Club
TeamUSA
Coached byCael Sanderson
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the  United States
Pan American Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Acapulco 65 kg
Grand Prix
Silver medal – second place 2023 Budapest 65 kg
US National Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Las Vegas 65 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Fort Worth 65 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Penn State Nittany Lions
NCAA Division I Championships
Gold medal – first place 2021 St. Louis 141 lb
Gold medal – first place 2022 Detroit 141 lb
Big Ten Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Lincoln 141 lb
Silver medal – second place 2020 Piscataway 141 lb
Silver medal – second place 2021 State College 141 lb
Bronze medal – third place 2018 East Lansing 141 lb
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Minneapolis 141 lb

Nicholas Boone Lee (born March 12, 1998) is an American freestyle and former folkstyle wrestler who competes at 65 kilograms. In freestyle, he is a Pan American champion and a US National champion.[1] Lee represented the United States at 65 kg at the 2023 World Wrestling Championships.

In folkstyle, Lee was a two-time NCAA Division I National champion and a Big Ten Conference champion out of the Pennsylvania State University.[2]

Career

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High school

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A native of Evansville, Indiana, Lee attended Mater Dei High School, where he was a IHSAA state champion along with his two brothers Joe and Matt.[3] In freestyle, Lee was a two-time Fargo National champion.[4]

A Penn State commit, Lee decided to forego his senior year and graduated early in order to train at the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.[5]

Pennsylvania State University

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2016–2017

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While not officially attending the Pennsylvania State University, Lee went 2–2 at the Bill Farrell Memorial International in freestyle in November 2016.[6] In February of the following year, Lee placed third at the Edinboro Open while wrestling unattached.[7] Back to freestyle, Lee placed fifth at the U20 US Nationals.[8] Lee also beat Sammy Sasso at Who’s Number 1 and Kanen Storr in the Fargo Finals to affirm his ranking of #1 in the country his senior year.

2017–2018

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Competing under a redshirt, Lee placed first at the Mat Town Open, second at the Southern Scuffle and Clarion Open, and third at the Binghamtom Open.[9] In January, Lee's redshirt was pulled, competing as a true freshman instead.[10]

After a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, Lee became an All-American with a fifth-place finish at the NCAA tournament, closing off the year at 32–7.[11] Lee then competed at the U20 US World Team Trials, placing second.[12]

2018–2019

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During the regular season of his sophomore year, Lee claimed titles from the Southern Scuffle and Keystone Classic.[13] At the Big Ten Championships he once again placed third, before repeating as an All-American with another fifth-place finish at the NCAA tournament to close off the year at 31–4.[14]

2019–2020

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In the midst of folkstyle season, Lee placed third at the 2019 US National Championships with notable wins over Olympian Frank Molinaro, US National runner-up Jaydin Eierman and NCAA runner-up Ethan Lizak, qualifying for the US Olympic Team Trials.[15]

After winning the Black Knight Invitational during regular season, Lee improved to a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships to close out the year at 20–1.[16] The NCAA championships were then cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Lee, the second-seed, and all other wrestlers unable to compete.[17]

2020–2021

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After several months off competition, Lee won two freestyle matches at the NLWC III and NLWC IV.[18] Back to folkstyle, Lee placed second at the Big Ten tournament before becoming an NCAA National champion, defeating Eierman in the finals, whom he lost to in the Big Ten finals. Lee closed out the year at 13–1.[19]

Fresh as an NCAA champion, Lee competed at the rescheduled US Olympic Team Trials in April, securing a prestigious third-place finish with a lone loss to two-time NCAA champion Jordan Oliver, and notable wins over three-time NCAA champion Zain Retherford, two-time U17 World champion Yianni Diakomihalis, NCAA champion Nahshon Garrett and U20 World finalist Mitch McKee.[20]

2021–2022

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Lee went undefeated during his senior year of collegiate wrestling, becoming a two-time NCAA champion and a Big Ten champion with a 21–0 record.[21] Lee was then named the Penn State Male Athlete of the Year, and closed off his career as a two-time NCAA champion and a four-time All-American with a record of 116–13.[22]

Back to freestyle, Lee was unable to place at the US World Team Trials Challenge tournament in May.[23] In November, Lee placed second at the Bill Farrell Memorial, notably defeating U23 World silver medalist Adlan Askarov in the first round.[24]

2023

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To start off January, Lee placed seventh at the Grand Prix Zagreb Open, defeating eventual 2023 World finalist Sebastian Rivera before falling to eventual 2023 World champion Ismail Musukaev.[25] On April, Lee became the US Open National champion, with wins over two-time Pan American champion Joseph McKenna and U20 World medalist Beau Bartlett, qualifying for Final X.[26]

At Final X, in June, Lee defeated four-time NCAA champion Yianni Diakomihalis in two close matches to make the US World Team.[27] In July, Lee made the Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial finals, with wins over World medalist Alibek Osmonov and European medalist Islam Dudaev, before falling to World medalist Tömör-Ochiryn Tulga.[28]

At the World Championships, Lee advanced with wins over European medalist Krzysztof Bienkowski, NCAA All-American Austin Gomez and U20 World champion Umidjon Jalolov, before being eliminated by returning World champion Rahman Amouzad, placing seventh in his first showing at the tournament.[29]

2024

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To start off February, Lee beat rival Yianni Diakomihalis on points in a US Pan American Qualifier wrestle-off, before Diakomihalis forfeited the next match due to injury.[30]

Lee then competed at the Pan American Championships later in the month, claiming the gold medal.[31] At the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament, Lee was defeated by Mexico's Austin Gomez and was therefore unable to qualify the weight for the United States.[32]

In April, Lee competed at the US Olympic Team Trials as the top-seed, where after defeating two-time Pan American champion Alec Pantaleo and two-time US National champion Andrew Alirez, he fell to reigning World champion and teammate Zain Retherford in two straight matches to place second.[33]

Freestyle record

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Senior Freestyle Matches
Res. Record Opponent Score Date Event Location
2024 US Olympic Team Trials 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 65 kg
Loss 36–13 United States Zain Retherford 0–5 April 20, 2024 2024 US Olympic Team Trials United States State College, Pennsylvania
Loss 36–12 United States Zain Retherford 1–2
Win 36–11 United States Andrew Alirez 11–9 April 19, 2024
Win 35–11 United States Alec Pantaleo 9–2
2024 Pan American Olympic Qualification 9th at 65 kg
Loss 34–11 Mexico Austin Gomez TF 12–22 March 1, 2024 2024 Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament

Mexico Acapulco, Mexico

2024 Pan American Championships 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win Argentina Agustin Destribats INJ February 24, 2024 2024 Pan American Continental Championships

Mexico Acapulco, Mexico

Win 34–10 Canada Jacob Alexander Torres TF 10–0
Win 33–10 Ecuador Josh Kramer TF 10–0
2024 US Pan American Qualifier 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win United States Yianni Diakomihalis FF February 3, 2024 2024 US Pan American Qualifier

United States Denver, Colorado

Win 32–10 United States Yianni Diakomihalis 12–3
2023 World Championships 7th at 65 kg
Loss 31–10 Iran Rahman Amouzad 4–7 September 18, 2023 2023 World Championships

Serbia Belgrade, Serbia

Win 31–9 Uzbekistan Umidjon Jalolov 4–3
Win 30–9 Mexico Austin Gomez Fall
Win 29–9 Poland Krzysztof Bieńkowski 6–0
2023 Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 65 kg
Loss 28–9 Mongolia Tömör-Ochiryn Tulga TF 0–10 July 13–16, 2023 2023 Polyák Imre & Varga János Memorial Tournament

Hungary Budapest, Hungary

Win 28–8 Albania Islam Dudaev 6–4
Win 27–8 Kyrgyzstan Alibek Osmonov TF 10–0
Win 26–8 Israel Josh Finesilver TF 10–0
2023 US World Team Trials 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win 25–8 United States Yianni Diakomihalis 8–8 June 10, 2023 2023 Final X Newark

United States Newark, New Jersey

Win 24–8 United States Yianni Diakomihalis 7–6
2023 US Open 1st place, gold medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win 23–8 United States Joseph McKenna 10–5 April 26–30, 2023 2023 US Open National Championships

United States Las Vegas, Nevada

Win 22–8 United States Beau Bartlett 10–10
Win 21–8 United States Matthew Kolodzik TF 12–1
Win 20–8 United States Jason Miranda TF 10–0
Win 19–8 United States Hayden Bates TF 10–0
2023 Grand Prix Zagreb Open 7th at 65 kg
Loss 18–8 Hungary Ismail Musukaev TF 0–11 February 1, 2023 2023 Grand Prix Zagreb Open

Croatia Zagreb, Croatia

Win 18–7 Puerto Rico Sebastian Rivera TF 13–2
2022 Bill Farrell Memorial 2nd place, silver medalist(s) at 65 kg
Loss 17–7 Kyrgyzstan Taiyrbek Zhumashbek Uulu TF 4–14 November 18–19, 2022 2022 Bill Farrell Memorial International

United States New York City, New York

Win 17–6 United States Pat Lugo 4–0
Win 16–6 Tajikistan Kamol Begakov 9–2
Win 15–6 Kazakhstan Askarov Adlan TF 18–8
2022 US World Team Trials DNP at 65 kg
Loss 14–6 United States Joseph McKenna TF 3–13 May 21–22, 2022 2022 US World Team Trials Challenge

United States Coralville, Iowa

Loss 14–5 United States Evan Henderson 11–12
Win 14–4 United States Matthew Kolodzik TF 12–2
Win 13–4 United States Josh Saunders 10–3
2020 US Olympic Team Trials 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win 12–4 United States Yianni Diakomihalis 16–8 April 2–3, 2021 2020 US Olympic Team Trials

United States Fort Worth, Texas

Win 11–4 United States Zain Retherford 10–4
Win 10–4 United States Nahshon Garrett TF 12–2
Loss 9–4 United States Jordan Oliver 3–8
Win 9–3 United States Mitch McKee TF 14–2
Win 8–3 United States Tariq Wilson 14–10 December 22, 2020 NLWC IV

United States State College, Pennsylvania

Win 7–3 United States Brandon Wright TF 10–0 November 24, 2020 NLWC III
2019 US Nationals 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) at 65 kg
Win United States Yianni Diakomihalis FF December 20–22, 2019 2019 US National Championships

United States Fort Worth, Texas

Win 6–3 United States Frank Molinaro TF 10–0
Loss 5–3 United States Jordan Oliver TF 0–10
Win 5–2 United States Joey Lazor TF 10–0
Win 4–2 United States Jaydin Eierman 10–6
Win 3–2 United States Ethan Lizak TF 10–0
2016 Bill Farrell Memorial DNP at 61 kg
Loss 2–2 United States Joey Lazor TF 2–12 November 9–11, 2016 2016 Bill Farrell Memorial International

United States New York City, New York

Win 2–1 United States Shelton Mack 9–8
Loss 1–1 United States Jayson Ness TF 0–10
Win 1–0 United States Alan Waters TF 15–4

References

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  1. ^ Dutta, Yashika (February 24, 2024). "Pan American Championship: Team USA's Top Ranked 65kg Wrestler Nick Lee Secures Gold". EssentiallySports. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  2. ^ "Nick Lee - Wrestling". Penn State Athletics. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  3. ^ "Greatness Runs in the Family". Penn State Athletics. December 5, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  4. ^ "Mater Dei's Lee brothers cap memorable summer of wrestling". www.courierpress.com. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  5. ^ Lindskog, Chad. "Mater Dei's Joe Lee prepares to defend state wrestling title". Courier & Press. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Pyles, Christian (November 11, 2016). "Bill Farrell Men's Freestyle Bracket Breakdown". FloWrestling. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Lindskog, Chad. "Lee brothers cementing Mater Dei wrestling legacy". Courier & Press. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  8. ^ "2017 UWW Junior Freestyle National Championships". The Guillotine. April 30, 2017. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  9. ^ Engelhardt, Gordon. "Redshirt removed, true freshman Nick Lee thriving for No. 1 Penn State wrestling program". Courier & Press. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  10. ^ Colucci, Anthony (January 13, 2018). "Penn State Wrestling Wins Seven Straight, Burns Nick Lee's Redshirt In 25-12 Win Over Michigan". Onward State. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Collegian, Sara Perlowitz | The Daily (March 29, 2018). "From redshirt to All American: How Nick Lee gave Penn State wrestling a boost as a freshman". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "Action Photos from the 2018 UWW Junior Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament". The Guillotine. May 19, 2018. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  13. ^ "Nittany Lions Win 2019 Southern Scuffle". Penn State Athletics. January 2, 2019. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  14. ^ Colucci, Anthony (March 23, 2019). "Penn State Wrestling's Lee Takes Fifth, Bravo-Young Takes Eighth At NCAA Championships". Onward State. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  15. ^ PennLive, Jim Carlson | Special to (December 23, 2019). "Nick Lee 1 of 3 Nittany Lion Wrestling Club athletes to qualify for Olympic Trials". pennlive. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "Iowa Claims Big Ten Wrestling Title". Big Ten Conference. February 27, 2024. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  17. ^ Engelhardt, Gordon. "Penn State's Nick Lee is first national wrestling champion from Mater Dei". Courier & Press. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  18. ^ Collegian, Jake Aferiat | The Daily (November 25, 2020). "Latest Nittany Lion Wrestling Club event sees Penn State rising stars, established veterans shine". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  19. ^ Scovel, Shannon. "2021 college wrestling championship: Iowa Hawkeyes take home team title | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  20. ^ Engelhardt, Gordon. "Mater Dei grad Lee third in U.S. Olympic wrestling trials, earns spot on national team". Courier & Press. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  21. ^ "Wrestler Nick Lee is Penn State's Male Athlete of the Year". www.themat.com. June 22, 2022. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  22. ^ Hancock, Aaron (March 21, 2022). "Nick Lee Wins Second Individual NCAA Wrestling Championship at Penn State". www.14news.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  23. ^ "Men's Freestyle World Team Trials Challenge Tournament preview". www.themat.com. May 18, 2022. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  24. ^ "Lee, Larkin, Nolf, Hidlay, Macchiavello, Gwiazdowski win Bill Farrell men's freestyle titles". www.themat.com. November 19, 2023. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  25. ^ "Zagreb Open Ranking Event: Team USA day-by-day rosters and preview". www.themat.com. January 31, 2023. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  26. ^ "2023 us open nick lee - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  27. ^ "Penn State Olympic RTC/NLWC Dominates at Final X". Penn State Athletics. June 10, 2023. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  28. ^ "Lee, Valencia, Snyder, Parris go for gold, Richards in for bronze at Budapest Ranking Series event". www.themat.com. July 13, 2023. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  29. ^ McKeon, Mara (September 19, 2023). "Two Former Penn State Wresters Win Gold At 2023 Wrestling World Championship". Onward State. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  30. ^ Dutta, Yashika (February 6, 2024). "Pan American Olympic Qualifiers: After Injury-Filled Wrestle-Offs, USA Wrestling Announces Final Wrestler Roster". EssentiallySports. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  31. ^ Dutta, Yashika (February 24, 2024). "Pan American Championship: Team USA's Top Ranked 65kg Wrestler Nick Lee Secures Gold". EssentiallySports. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  32. ^ "U.S. wrestlers Zane Richards and Nick Lee fail to pick up quotas in Acapulco". Olympics. March 1, 2024.
  33. ^ Stine, Andy (April 20, 2024). "Penn State Wrestling Recap: Zain Retherford Sweeps Nick Lee for the 65 KG title". Nittany Sports Now. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
[edit]
  • Nick Lee at the International Wrestling DatabaseEdit on Wikidata
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