Pat Lugo just released on Twitter that he is going to be an Iowa Hawkeye.  Lugo has competed the last two seasons and was a two-time NCAA Qualifier at 149 lbs. for Edinboro but has not used his redshirt year yet.  As a freshman, Lugo was named the EWL Freshman of the year and he was one match shy of being an All American.  Lugo was impressive with a decision over Brandon Sorensen of Iowa in the dual meet for National Duals last February.

Lugo was a two-time State champion for South Dade High School in Homestead, Florida and was ranked eleventh at 152 lbs. coming out of high school in 2015. To add to Lugo’s resume’, he has wrestled for head coach Tim Flynn and assistant coach and former Iowa NCAA national champion Cliff Moore at Edinboro.  Coach Flynn is my favorite non-Iowa head wrestling coach in the country and I am a big fan of Cliff Moore.  Lugo will show up at Iowa knowing how to work.  Lugo is a talented athlete who has the toughness and skills to excel in the Iowa Wrestling program.

This is also important to Iowa Wrestling due to the region that Lugo is from. Even though he is a transfer, this gives Iowa a start in the deep south for recruiting.  I have mentioned several times in my blogs of the past about how wrestling is growing in the south.  This can only help Iowa’s presence in recruiting the south.

I look for Lugo to redshirt for the upcoming season and to then step in and replace Brandon Sorensen at 149 lbs. That would give the Hawks Spencer Lee at 125, Lugo at 149, and Jacob Warner at 197 as new faces to the starting lineup for the 2018-2019 season to add on to what we have in the lineup for this coming season.  That should make Iowa as a legitimate title contender for the 2019 NCAA national title.

I mentioned in my recruiting blog on Friday that Iowa Wrestling had momentum on their side.  Lugo certainly adds to that momentum.  

Look for more great news in the form of Iowa Wrestling recruiting commitments to be released very soon.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.