Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch – 2017-18 | 2018 UWW World Cup | Season Tickets | Hawk Talk Monthly — December 2017
IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa redshirt freshman Alex Marinelli has been named Big Ten Conference Wrestler of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday.
Marinelli, ranked No. 13 in the country at 165 pounds, picked up a pair of wins in his collegiate debut last weekend at Rutgers and Maryland.
Marinelli scored a pair of takedowns against No. 9 Richie Lewis to help Iowa rally past Rutgers, 23-15, in front of a record crowd of 6,754 on Dec. 8. He recorded a pair of takedowns against Lewis, who two weeks ago won a freestyle world title at the U23 World Championships. Marinelli’s final takedown 39 seconds into the first sudden-victory period clinched a 6-4 decision.
Two days after recording his first career win, Marinelli earned his first career fall, pinning Maryland’s Brendan Burnham in 2:00.
The Big Ten Conference weekly honor is the first of Marinelli’s career and the second for Iowa this season. Michael Kemerer won the award Nov. 28.
The seventh-ranked Hawkeyes return to the mat Dec. 29-30 at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. The two-day event is hosted by Northwestern at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
