Spencer Lee and Stephen Buchanan were presented with the 2025 Rob McReynolds Passion Award at the Hawkeye Wrestling Club Banquet on Saturday.
The Rob McReynolds Passion Award began in 2019 and is awarded to club members, coaches, fans and supporters of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.
Lee has already qualified for Final X in Newark, New Jersey on June 14 at 57 kg in the Best 2 of 3 bouts from winning a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics. The winners of Final X will represent Team USA at the 2025 World Freestyle Championships in Zagreb, Croatia on September 14-18.
Buchanan had a great season for the Hawks in winning the 197 lbs. NCAA title and was named as the MVP of the 2025 Iowa Wrestling team.
From HawkeyeWrestlingClub.com
Lee was a three-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge Trophy winner wrestling collegiately at Iowa from 2019-23. He became an Olympian in 2024 after winning the Olympic Trials in April and then qualifying the 57 kg weight class at the World Olympic Games Qualifier in Istanbul, Turkey, in May.
At the Paris Olympics in August, Lee became the 11th Hawkeye in program history to earn an Olympic medal.
Buchanan became the 56th Hawkeye in program history to win an NCAA championship when he captured the 197-pound title at the 2025 national tournament in Philadelphia. In his first season as a Hawkeye, Buchanan posted a 26-1 overall record and advanced to the NCAA finals for the first time in his career. He scored bonus points in 19 of his 26 wins and was named the team’s most valuable wrestler.
The Rob McReynolds Passion Award is presented annually to a member or members of the HWC community who best display the characteristics that define the late Rob McReynolds’ life as a husband, father, friend, athlete, coach, mentor, and businessman.
Those characteristics include directing endless energy toward achieving a desired outcome, inspiring others to achieve their highest potential, and providing loving support and compassion for those around him. Eligible recipients include club athletes, club coaches/staff, fans and supporters.
Congratulations to Spencer Lee and Stephen Buchanan for this deserved honor.
Rob McReynolds Award Recipients:
Stephen Buchanan, Spencer Lee (2025)
Mitch Kelly (2024)
Roy J. Carver, Dan Gable (2023)
Herb Tyler (2022)
Randy Novak (2021)
Beth & Steve Reese (2020)
Forrest Molinari (2019)
It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.
Go Hawks!
