Westmoreland campus clippings: Spencer Lee receives award before Iowa football game
Iowa senior wrestler Spencer Lee was honored virtually in April as co-winner of the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Award, which recognizes the nation’s most outstanding amateur athlete.
He actually got his hands on the award over the weekend, accepting it in person.
Lee, a Franklin Regional alum, was presented the Sullivan Award on Saturday afternoon before the Hawkeyes’ home football game against Wisconsin at Kinnick Stadium.
A two-time NCAA champion, Lee shared the award, which has been around since 1930, with Oregon basketball standout Sabrina Ionescu. This is just the third time the award has had co-winners.
The 125-pounder is the fifth wrestler to win the Sullivan, joining John Smith (1990), Bruce Baumgartner (1995), Rulon Gardner (2000) and Kyle Snyder (2017).
Lee also won the 2020 Hodge Trophy, wrestling’s version of the Heisman Trophy.
He went 18-0 during the regular season and outscored his opponents, 234-18. After winning a Big Ten title, he earned the No. 1 seed for the NCAA championships but the event was canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
He also was named the NCAA Most Dominant Wrestler and Big Ten Wrestler of the Year.
The Olympic trials also were postponed. Lee qualified after winning the U.S. Senior Men’s Freestyle National Championship.
Women’s basketball
Saint Joseph’s: Alayna Gribble (Norwin), a grad transfer from Pitt, began a new chapter in her basketball career Sunday as she started in the Hawks’ season opener and contributed 13 points, three 3-pointers and five rebounds in 30 minutes. Saint Joseph’s defeated Lincoln, 72-64.
Gribble missed the 2019-20 season at Pitt because of concussions. She was granted a medical disqualification. Before that, she played in 52 games for the Panthers, including 15 starts, and scored 371 points. When she left the program, she ranked 10th in career 3-pointers made with 96. She tied a school record with seven 3s in a game.
Gribble is the all-time leading scorer at Norwin with 1,782 points and led the Knights to back-to-back WPIAL championships.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
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