Three-time NCAA champion wrestler Spencer Lee of Iowa is shutting it down for the rest of the season to finally undergo another knee surgery.

The top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 125 pounds coming into the season, Lee has torn both of his anterior cruciate ligaments since competing for the Hawkeyes. The wear and tear on his knees has become too much for the standout senior out of Franklin Regional.

Lee could pursue a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA, which could allow him to return for the 2022-23 season.

He tore his right ACL when he was a senior at Franklin Regional but still competed on it before having reconstructive surgery after the season. His recovery was a success as he jumped into Iowa’s starting lineup as a freshman and went on to win his first NCAA title.

He re-tore his right ACL during the 2019 NCAA championships but opted to forego surgery then so he could compete in the Olympic Trials. He injured his other knee during the 2021 Big Ten championships but that knee did not respond to rehabilitation as the other one had, causing some consternation for Lee, who began this season and was off to a strong start.

“Excuses are for wusses,” was the popular phrase Lee coined after winning five matches in three days at the NCAA Championships in March. The four words ended up on T-shirts.

But the constant pain, and the monotony of the day-to-day electric stimulation, ice treatments and riding a stationary bike, became too taxing.

“It was my goal to compete this year, for this team and with my teammates that I care so much about,” Lee said in a social media statement. “But when I returned to competition it became clear I would not be able to perform as I did the prior year due to instability in both knees and extreme soreness during and after competition. As a result, by coaches, medical staff and family believe the best course of action at this time is surgery.”

Lee recently was named the Big Ten Conference co-wrestler of the week. He returned to the lineup just before Christmas at the Collegiate Duals and started 3-0, with two bonus-point wins. He outscored his opponents, 31-1, leading Iowa to a division championship, while extending the top-ranked Hawkeyes’ national-best winning streak to 24.

He has won 38 straight matches, outscoring his opponents, 463-42.

— Spencer Lee (@LeeSpencerlee36) January 2, 2022

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