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‘Excuses are for wusses’: post-match interview with Iowa wrestler is going viral

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Spencer Lee might just be the toughest student-athlete in all of college sports right now. The Iowa wrestler and three-time national champion has proven that on the mat, but perhaps even more with a post-match interview on Saturday.

After winning his third national championship on Saturday, Lee gave an interview to talk about adding another individual title to his personal collection. That’s when the star in the 125-pound weight class provided one of the greatest interviews in sports.

“Eight days ago I tore my ACL in my other knee. I’m wrestling with no ACLs,” Lee said. “You know, whatever man. I didn’t want to tell anyone because that’s excuses. Excuses are for wusses. That’s a tough term for me. I can barely wrestle, I can barely shoot, I can’t sprawl. But you know what? I believed in my coaching staff and everyone that believed in me and here I am.”

That’s right, Lee won a national title without an ACL. That’s an almost impossible accomplishment, especially in the sport of wrestling.

In addition to Lee’s third championship, Iowa locked up the team title on Saturday, edging out Penn State and Oklahoma State. The Hawkeyes have won 24 national titles, including four under head coach Tom Brands. It was the program’s first since 2010.

Below is the interview with Lee that everyone is watching:

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB