Ten Hawkeye wrestlers earn All-American honors
Nine were named first-team All-Americans.
Members of the Iowa wrestling team pose for a photo after winning the team title during the final session of the Big Ten Wrestling Tournament in Piscataway, NJ, on Sunday, March 8, 2020. Iowa won the team title with 157.5 points.
April 18, 2020
The National Wrestling Coaches Association announced Friday that 10 Iowa wrestlers have earned All-America honors for the 2020 NCAA wrestling season.
Nine Hawkeyes — Spencer Lee, Austin DeSanto, Max Murin, Pat Lugo, Kaleb Young, Alex Marinelli, Michael Kemerer, Jacob Warner, and Tony Cassioppi — were named first-team All-Americans. Abe Assad was named a second-team All-American.
Typically, the NWCA names its All-America teams based on a wrestler’s performance at the NCAA Championships. Because the national tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, All-America honors were based on each wrestler’s overall body of work through the conference tournaments.
“Officially naming All-Americans is the right thing to do,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said in a release. “Our guys were consistent and earned their results. They earned their seed at the national tournament. They were dominant and based on their entire body of work they deserved to be recognized.”
Iowa was the only Division I school in the country with 10 All-Americans, and the only team with nine first-teamers. This is the seventh time in school history, and the first since 1995, that nine Hawkeyes earned first-team All-America honors. This is the first time in program history that all 10 Hawkeyes were named to an All-America team.
Iowa’s 10 All-Americans combined for a record of 184-29. They scored bonus points in 90 matches and defeated 79 ranked opponents.