May 1, 2024
Hawkeye Faithful,
Thank you for taking the time to check in with us here in your inbox! We have a BIG MONTH ahead of us!
First and foremost, Spencer Lee is in hot pursuit of an Olympic berth; he travels to Istanbul, Turkey next week to qualify for the Paris Games. Spencer is coming off a very good performance at the Olympic Team Trials and is feeling good about having control over his own fate!
Second, we are only 3 days away from our Annual Banquet! This year’s event will be both in person and online. Guests attending our event in person will enjoy dinner, live and silent auctions, 2023-24 highlight video, talks from Dan Dennis, Terry Brands, and Head Coach Tom Brands, the presentation of the Rob McReynolds Passion Award. Our silent auction is NOW OPEN online. Bidding closes at 7:30 pm on Saturday, May 4th!
And third… It’s time to move!!! The Goschke Family Wrestling Training Center and the Bob & Kathy Nicolls Wrestling Room are nearing completion and our move-in date is imminent.
It’s been such an amazing project for our team and this community. Thank you to everyone who donated to this project and for believing in our vision! We are also so thankful for the work Justin Wainwright and McComas-Lacina Construction team has done. “It’s a unique project, and everyone wants to be a part of it,” Wainwright says. “We love having the wrestlers and Coach Brands stop by, so there’s a lot of excitement here.”
Two weeks ago, Spencer Lee, Tony Cassioppi, and Alex Marinelli competed in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Tournament in State College, Pennsylvania. Lee brought home gold after defeating Nico Megaludis (8-0), Zane Richards (13-6) and former Hawk, Thomas Gilman (6-3, Fall 5:58).
Under normal circumstances, Spencer would be an Olympian after winning this mini tournament and best-of-three series but the U.S. has yet to qualify his weight class (57kg) for the Olympic games. The last Olympic qualifying tournament is on May 9-12 in Istanbul, Turkey. Spencer will need to place in the top three of this tournament to officially be an Olympian! If he reaches the finals, he automatically qualifies for the Games and the final bout will not be contested.
Spencer, Tom Brands, Daniel Dennis, Chad Beatty, and training partner Drake Ayala depart Sunday, May 5th for Istanbul. There are currently 30 athletes registered in the 57kg field. All entries and event details can be found here! Spencer will compete on Saturday, May 10.
Qualifying for the Olympic Team Trials (OTT) is a great accomplishment and is one of the toughest competitions in the world. The U.S. had 12 World and Olympic medalists competing for just 6 Olympic spots. Although Tony Cassioppi and Alex Marinelli failed to place, we are very proud of their accomplishments and efforts this season!
Following the OTTs, Marinelli announced his retirement from wrestling. Alex is staying in Iowa City with his wife, Moriah and daughter, Lillian. Alex is currently the head coach of the Iowa City Wrestling Club and Moriah is the Director of Wrestling Operations for the Hawkeyes.
The Bull wrestled for the Hawkeye Wrestling Club for the past 2 years. In that time, he placed at nearly every event he entered and had a major impact on our undergrads here in Iowa City. THANK YOU, ALEX!!!
Help us celebrate our team this weekend at our Annual Banquet! This fundraiser event and other events like it are what make it possible for our team to send athletes, coaches, and staff to important events like the Olympic Team Trials and Istanbul, Turkey!
Attendees will enjoy dinner, live and silent auctions, the 2023-24 highlight video, talks from Dan Dennis, Terry Brands, and Head Coach Tom Brands, the presentation of the Rob McReynolds Passion Award, and more!!
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