He got pinned in his last regular season match. He lost to Sebastian Rivera at Midlands. He entered the Big Ten Championships ranked as a No. 2 seed instead of the coveted No. 1.

But Spencer Lee showed something important on the first day of the Big Ten Championships: he’s back.

The defending national champion bounced back in a big way in Sessions 1 and 2, going 2-0 with a fall and a major decision to rack up ever-important bonus points for Iowa.

“I wrestled a full match and I wrestled hard,” Lee said. “My mindset was just keep scoring points; maybe I could’ve scored a couple more, maybe I was a little tentative, I’m not sure. Overall, I’m pretty happy with my performance and I feel like I had a lot more in the tank and I was ready to keep going.”

Lee has had to sit with his loss at the hands of Oklahoma State’s Nick Piccininni for almost two weeks now. For someone as focused on being at the top of their game at all times like Lee, that’s not an easy thing to do.

He has seen disappointments this season, albeit only two losses, but the energy Lee displayed on Saturday could make an opponent quake in their shoes if they aren’t up to the challenge.

“Spencer Lee, he’s one of these guys that he wants to prove something to somebody, and I think he’s starting to prove some things to himself that are very positive,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. “He wants to prove things to people on the outside and maybe his opponents, but he’s starting to prove something to himself.

“I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag too much there, but it’s pride for him. There’s a lot of pride.”

Although he went through setbacks earlier in the season, it seems as if Lee is back on track now.

Saying an athlete is “peaking” during the championship is common. But for Lee and his Hawkeye squad, it’s a mindset they hold throughout the season.

After a first session in which Iowa started off hot and cooled down, it needed to get up to speed fast in Session 2. Thanks to Lee and 165-pounder Alex Marinelli, the Hawkeyes now have two grapplers in the finals and five more with an opportunity to take home a bronze medal.

“I believe our coaches do an amazing job of peaking us and getting us ready mentally,” Lee said. “But what’s peaking? Peaking is a mindset. Tom says that all the time… We always say the most important match is the next one. I’m not saying we peak every match, but you got to get ready to go like it’s the biggest match every time out, and that’s just how we focus and how we roll.”

Lee’s performance on Day 1 set him up for a date in the finals with Rivera, who toppled Lee, 7-3, on Dec. 29.

After losing in the semifinals at the Big Ten Championships last season, Lee hasn’t had a chance to win a Big Ten title. Now, he’s ready for his chance.

“I’m prepared, I’m ready to go. I believe in everyone around me and they believe in me,” Lee said. “I love this sport, and that’s the ultimate thing of it: you’ve got to love what you do, and I love this sport.”