WATCH: Matt Ramos stuns Spencer Lee, fans in disbelief at NCAA Wrestling Tournament
Matt Ramos conquered the 125-pound king. The Purdue star and No. 4 seed pinned No. 1 Spencer Lee (Iowa) late in the third period to send the BOK Center into an absolute frenzy.
Unlike any upset in recent memory, Ramos knocked off the three-time national champ who looked for history this week in Tulsa. Only five wrestlers ever won four NCAA titles in their careers.
Lee missed out after he was stunned by a Big Ten foe in Ramos. Watch the madness below
Not only that, but the mother of Lee broke her glasses after the stunning loss.
Ramos will take on last year’s runner-up Pat Glory (Princeton). He defeated Nebraska’s Liam Cronin.
Lee was on the precipice of history and Ramos, who nearly upset Lee earlier in the year, finally stuck him when it mattered most. Ramos threw Lee in the first period to his back to score first and the entire arena nearly erupted into a frenzy then.
Lee frequently played with danger on his back, but Ramos could not finish it off. Nearly at the buzzer, he did to seal the deal with authority.
More on the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships
The 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championships were held March 16-18 at the BOK Center in Tulsa (Okla). The tournament consists of 330 wrestlers in total across 10 weight classes. Each weight class features wrestlers seeded No. 1 through No. 33.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Phil Longo Fired
Wisconsin announces firing of OC
- 2
AP Poll Shakeup
New Top 25 shows big fallout from Saturday
- 3
JuJu Lewis
Elite QB decommits from USC
- 4New
5-star QB flip
Texas A&M commit Husan Longstreet flips to USC
- 5
Coaches Poll
Big changes to updated Top 25
Over the course of the three-day tournament, wrestlers can achieve national champion status by going 5-0 in their bracket, through Saturday night’s finals. The top eight placewinners in each bracket are considered All-Americans.
Losing one match does not eliminate a wrestler from competition. The consolation bracket is designed to determine the remaining spots on the podium (third through eighth place).
Since there are 33 wrestlers in each weight, the competitors seeded No. 32 and 33 compete in a “pigtail bout” prior to the first round to determine who matches up against the No. 1 seed in Round 1.
Losing the pigtail drops the wrestler to the consolation bracket where there is still opportunity to finish as high as third place in the weight class.
The 2024 NCAA Wrestling Tournament is set to take place in Kansas City (Mo.).