The saga of University of Iowa three-time NCAA champion Spencer Lee and his anterior cruciate ligaments took a painful turn last March during a technical fall victory over Devin Schroder of Purdue.

Lee’s second straight Big Ten 125-pound title – both at the expense of Schroder – came with a cost. Midway through the match he tore the ACL in his “good” left knee and there were only 11 days before the NCAA Championships. 

Unfortunately for Lee, he is no stranger to knee procedures. The 2020 and 2021 Dan Hodge Trophy winner tore the ACL in his right knee before enrolling at Iowa in 2017. After rehabbing the injury, Lee went 44-5, winning his first individual national crown at 125 pounds in 2018 and making a return trip to the NCAA finals in 2019. In the title bout as a sophomore, he blanked Jack Mueller of Virginia, 5-0, to win his second crown, but in the process, Lee re-injured his right knee.

Offseason rest and rehabilitation worked well as Lee went 18-0 before the 2019-20 season was halted because of COVID-19. He opened 2021 with six wins – all by fall or technical fall – prior to the 18-point thrashing of Schroder. But Lee knew something wasn’t quite right during the Big Ten final.

“You have to go back to when I first knew about it when he walked off the mat after his (2021) Big Ten finals match in State College, Pennsylvania,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said. “He whispered in my ear and said, ‘Hey, I think I just tore my other ACL.'"

Despite the injury, Lee captured his third NCAA title with a win by technical fall and three major decisions before topping it off with a 7-0 win over Brandon Courtney of Arizona State. Afterward, Lee famously proclaimed “excuses are for wusses,” and life seemed to move on. Although Lee missed the first four duals of 2021-22, he participated in the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Florida at the end of December where he won by technical fall, major decision and decision. 

But the pain of practice and competition became too much.

“It is not going to work. There is an injury there that doesn’t work,” Brands said.  

Brands met with media Wednesday, his first public comments on the status of Lee, who elected for reconstructive surgery on both knees and will miss the rest of the season.

“It is well documented my respect for Spencer Lee, this program’s respect, my brother’s respect (associate head coach Terry Brands), respect for the family,” Brands said. “You cannot say it enough – the sacrifices. You cannot say it enough, the courage he has and will have and will have to have. He is endeared to Hawkeye fans because of his winning ways and he is endeared to Hawkeye fans because of much, much more than that. That cements your legacy as basically a living legend. And you’re not even done competing yet. Am I overstating that? I don’t think so.”

Lee has a career record of 78-5 and has been unstoppable at the NCAA Championships when the Hawkeyes needed him most. During his three national title runs at 125 pounds, Lee is 15-0 with four major decisions, four technical falls, and three falls. 

Losing Lee, perhaps the most dominant individual in collegiate wrestling, is a blow to Iowa’s chances of a national championship repeat. He will be replaced by either redshirt freshman Jesse Ybarra (who is 5-1 this season) or true freshman Drake Ayala, who is 10-2 competing unattached. Ayala is coming off a third-place performance at the Southern Scuffle.

“Moving forward at 125 pounds, we have Jesse Ybarra, he has wrestled this year when Spencer was not on the mat,” Brands said. “We have (Drake Ayala) who has done well with his results consistently throughout the early part of this year. We have two options there and we like having options. Right now, Ybarra is going and that’s where we’re at.”

Top-ranked Iowa (6-0) hosts two Big Ten duals this weekend with No. 14 Minnesota (1-1) coming to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday, followed by No. 15 Purdue (6-1) on Sunday.