The numbers on Spencer Lee vs. Jack Mueller, the 125-pound NCAA final
Take a look at Mueller and Lee’s season and career stats before they face off for the 125 NCAA title.
Iowa’s 125-pound Spencer Lee wrestles Northern Illinois’ Bryce West during the first session of the 2019 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA on Thursday, March 21, 2019. Lee won by technical fall, 18-0.
March 23, 2019
PITTSBURGH – Iowa’s Spencer Lee and Virginia’s Jack Mueller will meet for the first time on Saturday night as they each try for the 125-pound NCAA Championship.
Mueller is an undefeated junior who won 16-of-18 matches by eight-or-more points prior to the NCAA Championships, including five technical falls and five pins.
In the tournament, he pinned his first opponent in 1:27, won by a major decision in the second round, won a close match in the second tie-breaker in the quarterfinals, and finally beat No. 1 seed Sebastian Rivera of Northwestern, 8-2, in the semifinals.
In his career 68-12 record with Virginia between 125 and 133-pounds, he’s never lost by more than a major decision.
However, his numbers tell a better story on paper than the records of his opponents do. Out of the 33 wrestlers in the 125-pound NCAA bracket, coming into the tournament Mueller had only wrestled two of them: No. 27 seed Dack Punke from Missouri, and No. 14 seed Sean Fausz from North Carolina State, who Spencer Lee beat by a major decision in the second round.
As for Spencer Lee, he faced 11 of the 33 wrestlers during the regular season, beat nine of them initially, and avenged his loss to Nick Piccininni from Oklahoma State in the semifinals.
Besides being pinned by Piccininni in the regular season, Lee has never lost a match by more than a decision. He strives to pile on points with two major decisions, six technical falls, and seven pins on the year.
