Matt Ramos vs Spencer Lee - 125 lb Semifinals - 2023 NCAA Championship

The most insane upset in wrestling history since Gable lost to Owings. We just witnessed history…

As a Hawkeye through and through I'm gutted to see Lee's run come to an end! But all credit to Ramos what a win man now go get the chip 🏆 👏

Hours before this match, Ramos had an interview and said he had a plan. You can really see him execute it here.
1) He chooses neutral in 3rd instead of bottom (Lee chose top in 2nd) because Lee's tilt is so deadly
2) He uses his Greco-Roman experience to full advantage. In their duel meet match earlier this year, Ramos dominated on his feet, but Lee pinned him as soon as he got on top.
3) He uses an excellent standing Granby roll twice to get escapes into immediate counter-attacks.
4) He is constantly pushing into Lee, then changing direction to throw him off balance. Even in the cases where this didn't score him points, it is obviously effective, often sending Lee onto his butt or into a desperate scramble.

I would have loved to watch Lee make history tomorrow night. He's such an exciting wrestler to watch, and such a darn nice guy, that you can't help but cheer for him. I wish he had gotten the happy ending he seemed destined for. But on the other hand, this feels like the first chapter in a story just as exciting.

What a weapon on his feet. He knew to stay off bottom to start the 3rd. Take that chance with a neutral start. Smarts and confidence there. A great career for Lee.

Good win, hard fought battle. He earned that win and he’s going to earn this NCAA championship.

Edit: congrats to Pat Glory well deserved.

I’m not gonna lie this was the best semifinal ncaa match I ever seen

Ramos is lethal. I’ve not seen someone so capable of feet to back takedowns in a long time

That was perfect escape and then straight onto the attack! Spencer Lee great great wrestler! But all the praise to Ramos! Great match altogether.

Wow! I love Lee. But that was a fantastic match and a prime example of what makes wrestling great!

That move to catch Lee was amazing. I watched it over and over.

Wow what a match. Just incredible determination by both wrestlers. 👏 congratulations Matt.

Amazing. Put him on his back twice, and the way he got that escape and came back aggressive and went for it was amazing. Seemed to catch Lee off guard.

Congrats to Ramos. I gotta say it’s insanely tough to continue competing at a high level with two torn ACLs even after surgery. You can tell it has affected him. He doesn’t move as good as before and gets gassed quickly. Even if he can’t get his 4th title, he’s still an unbelievable wrestler. Hats off to Matt Ramos tho.

I admire Lee for many reasons, least of which is his ability to tilt up just about anyone in the world, whenever he wants. But I am heart broken he didn’t answer the call for two more matches to let everyone in the world know what kind of man he is, win or lose, that is what wrestling teaches us, courage to do what we do not want to do!!

History repeated unfortunately. Spencer has been a joy to watch. To see him come up short of a 4 time state Champ and NCAA champ is heartbreaking

The whole crowd cheers for Spencer… but Ramos refuses. An incredible match.

What a move! Wow! Great finish. Did not see that coming. Ramos recovered his energy during that challenge.

Wow you hear coaches of the sport talk about "character building" all the time & god damn does this drama epitomize it. This match and Spencer Lee's journey reminded me of all the highs and lows and humility of this crazy amazing beautiful sport. The older you get the more you understand the greatness of this sport. It's sad for Lee but damn thank you Spencer for helping all of us fall in love with this sport all over again. That was the most dramatic & exciting television I've seen in years. I was shook!

Absolutely unreal. Gives everyone else in the field confidence that they can achieve the impossible.

Unreal, sending shockwaves through college wrestling. Just wow.