2022 NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP

March 19, 2022

Nick Lee

Media Conference

141 pounds

Nick Lee (Penn State) d. Kizhan Clarke (North Carolina)

Q. What's going on on your head right now?

NICK LEE: My face is really beat up, which is what happens after these tournaments. [Inaudible].

Q. Get that beauty rest later?

NICK LEE: Yes, I get to rest.

Q. Heard you talking about Instagram. Tell us about it. Did you just start it?

NICK LEE: No, it was my sophomore year, and people started coming up to me, Nick you've got Instagram now because I never had social media before that. And I was like no, I don't. I go on line and there's an Instagram page on me and it was pretty convincing. And everybody that I knew was like following it. Pat, how do I get rid of this fake Instagram of me. You've got to make a real Instagram.

So now I have Instagram. I would tell you where I was that followed me but I don't know my handle is. Just look it up, Nick Lee it will come up.

Q. You went full Jason Bourne. He takes you down, he wakes you up. What was the mindset? Did you just go full laser focused and just getting the job done, went Jason Bourne on him?

NICK LEE: I wasn't asleep. He's a good wrestler so he got that takedown, good technique and everything. But I think I just stayed calm and did my thing and the results kind of took care of themselves.

Q. What do you need to do to finish off here, your career here?

NICK LEE: I'm just so grateful. Like, those wins, like I said before, it doesn't feel like me winning, I feel like the whole community, our staff, our fans, my family -- I just feel like we we're all (indiscernible) -- the best part is I get to follow RBY again so we wrestle on the same mat the whole tournament. We've got a pretty good record. That's what we've got.

Q. Did it make it easier for you guys tonight knowing you had the team title locked up and everything?

NICK LEE: I mean, it's different winning the team title in your hotel room versus my freshman year I was sitting in the back after my last match with our strength coach and Bo pinned the Ohio State guy and we went nuts.

It's a little bit different. But our team really worked for it. We did a lot between last year and this year to make sure that that was our title this year. And it's not just the guys that are starting. It's every single guy on the team. I make sure that they know that and I hope they're watching. So they know that every single person, whether you're injured all year or you're a starter you have a role to play in the national championship. That's every single person from manager, volunteer, a fan, anybody. So I just want to thank all of them.

Q. Last year your first one was won in front of a pretty much empty building. To do it in front of your fans, family how special is it how different is it feeling for you?

NICK LEE: It's a little bit different. My second one. So I kind of knew what to expect. But I'm just glad everybody could come out and enjoy it. It's such a fun sport to watch. It's such a fun sport to be involved in. The community is like no community I've ever seen. And so it's right that everyone can be here and watch.

Q. How cool was it to see some of your teammates, as you came out for the parade of champions, and two how much better did you and RBY make each other?

NICK LEE: Awesome to see my teammates. I'm glad they could make it. It's not a short drive to Detroit. I'm very appreciative. They're all national champions too. So congrats to them.

And then I've learned a lot from Roman. I won't speak for him. I hope he's learned some things from me, maybe not. But I think just in terms of our styles I think anyone can tell you, even people who have never watched the sport, you can see that our styles are different. I think it's important we learn from each other, learn each other's patterns and that's definitely made me a lot better.

Q. After envisioning your career at Penn State, is this what you're hoping? What's this career been like for you and how much does it mean to you to close it out like this?

NICK LEE: It's great. Obviously there's no better way to close it out. But I don't do a lot of envisioning of the future, to be very honest. I kind of know what I want and I go get that. And I understand that. I might achieve some things.

I might not achieve some other things; but at the end of the day, if you want to, that's the only reason you need to do it.

Q. You talked last night about being here six years, could you sum up in that time the state of the program, what it's meant to you?

NICK LEE: I mean, I came in like my senior year of high school, trained with (indiscernible), and at that time all my friends were married and had kids, which was interesting. But that was really cool. I learned from a lot of guys like Frank Molinaro and Nico Megaludis and Matt Brown, talented guys there. My freshman year of college obviously some of the best teams ever with Jason and Zain and Bo, and I want to name names -- but obviously very dominant teams.

Then there's definitely a few years where we were younger and there had to be some adjustments for younger guys to learn how our culture is, why it's a winning culture. And I really feel like we've gotten to the point where again it's just a dominant culture.

And I think that just comes from everybody understanding that whether you're a starter or not at the end of the day we want to be national champions.

That's what we achieved here this weekend, and I'm really, really proud of this team. We went through some hardships. I am so proud of every guy and love each and every one of them.