Wrestling picks off 2 top recruits

April 20, 2016

Iowa head coach Tom Brands and assistant coach Ryan Morningstar react during the 174 pound bout of Session V of the 2015 Division 1 Wrestling Championships at the Scottrade Center on Saturday, March 21, 2015 in St. Louis, Missouri. Kokesh defeated Evans 6-4 in overtime. (The Daily Iowan/Rachael Westergard)

The Iowa wrestling team got a huge boost on Wednesday as Spencer Lee (2017) and Gavin Teasdale (2018), both of Pennsylvania, declared they would head to the Hawkeyes.

“After a long recruiting process, I’m excited to say I will be joining my former FR teammate @kem_dawg65 [current Iowa wrestler Michael Kemerer] at the University of Iowa,” Lee wrote on Twitter.

Lee and Kemerer both attended Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania. A No. 1 overall recruit according to Flowrestling and InterMat, Lee — who projects as a 125-pounder — could be the heir to Thomas Gilman.

Also an accomplished freestyle wrestler, Lee has won world championships at the junior and cadet levels.

Teasdale is slightly less heralded but only by a smidge. He’s the No. 3 overall ranked wrestler and is also from Pennsylvania. Projected as a 133-pounder, he is another huge recruiting win for the Hawkeyes.

Kemerer is the only Hawkeye wrestler from Pennsylvania on the roster, but anytime a top recruit doesn’t go to Penn State, it’s a huge win for the Iowa coaching staff.

— by Jordan Hansen