The Exeter, Pennsylvania native was a three time all - state wrestler in Pennsylvania for Exeter high school. DeSanto finished fifth in the state and was a runner - up as a junior before heading into his senior year. As a senior DeSanto made the decision to wrestle the same weight as future teammate Spencer Lee who was going after his fourth Pennsylvania state title. In a vision quest like run, DeSanto defeated Lee with a late takedown to win his state title, handing Lee his first and only high school loss. DeSanto would wrestle as a true freshman for the Drexel Dragons compiling an overall record of 29-7 with a ranking as high as fourth in the nation.
Spencer & Austin: Wrestletown, USA
Mar 13, 2024
Spencer Lee and Austin DeSanto wrestled in the Pennsylvania high school state finals as juniors and seniors, splitting the two matches. Spencer went to Iowa and DeSanto to Drexel. After getting kicked off the team at Drexel for behavioral issues, Spencer was the driving force in recruiting Austin to Iowa.
The two became best buddies and pushed each other to be great but both had to deal with adversity along the way.
Spencer faced immense pressure and scrutiny on top of being plagued with injury after injury. Austin dealt a number with emotional control issues.
Through a lot of hard work and dedication the duo were both able to overcome the obstacles in front of them and were able to help guide the Hawkeyes to their first NCAA team title in over a decade.
