Iowa Wrestling signed prize recruits Spencer Lee and Jacob Warner will be competing in the prestigious Ironman wrestling tournament in Ohio this weekend. I believe it is pretty much accepted that the Ironman is the toughest high school wrestling tournament in the country every year. Some are calling the 2016 edition of the Ironman as the toughest ever and for good reason. It is great to know that future Hawkeyes will be the headliners for one of the toughest high school wrestling tournament ever held.
How tough is the Ironman that is put on by Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, OH? Ten of the top fifteen teams in the country including top ranked Blair Academy will be there. Also, eighteen of the top fifty teams in the nation will be there as well. This is of course a way tougher tournament than any State tournament. The Ironman may be tougher at some weights than Junior Nationals.
Spencer Lee is a two-time Ironman defending champion and will be competing at 126. Lee, from Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, Pennsylvania, is on track to become the greatest high school wrestler in the history of the United States. Lee is looking to become a four time Pennsylvania state champion and has won three straight WORLD titles. I also named Spencer Lee as the biggest recruit in the history of Iowa wrestling.
Jacob Warner of Washington, IL placed second at 182 at the Ironman last season. Warner went on to make our Cadet World Team in Freestyle and Greco-Roman and placed third at the Freestyle World Championships. Warner has moved up to 195 where he will be the favorite. Warner is my pick as the second best recruit in the class of 2017 behind only future teammate Spencer Lee.
Lee and Warner are both ranked number one at their weight in the country. There will an additional four other top ranked wrestlers in the country competing at the Ironman as well as three wrestlers ranked second in the country. When you think about the individual wrestlers along with teams like Blair, Wyoming, St. Paris Graham, and St. Eds, it is staggering. Wrestlers from 89 schools from all over the country will be there. It is from my understanding that the teams from out of state will only send their top wrestlers. I see that Martin Luther King in California is listed so I will be watching to see if former Iowa Wrestling verbal commit Luke Troy will be competing.
Competition begins on Friday and you can follow all of the results on www.Trackwrestling.com.
I will keep you posted on my blog and on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/IowaWrestlingFan/
