Purdue’s Matt Ramos defeated Iowa’s Spencer Lee in the semifinal round of the 2023 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Friday night in what can be termed as one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Wrestling history. In the final moments of the game, Ramos pinned the Iowa’s star 125-pounder and three-time NCAA champion at the BOK Center. It was one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Wrestling history.
In an interview with ESPN’s Quint Kessenich, Ramos said “We had a gameplan. We train for this every day. Spencer is the guy to beat at 125. I’ve been working for that. He’s been in my head every single day. I’ve just been striving for it. I’m an All-American now. I’m in the national finals. You have to let it fly.”
Who is Matt Ramos?
Matt Ramos was born on April 27, 2001, in Naperville, Illinois to parents Chris and Shelley Ramos. He has two siblings, a sister Brittany and a brother Brandon. Ramos graduated from Lockport High School in 2019.
In 2018, Ramos signed with the University of Minnesota and attended school there for two semesters in 2019-20. He was injured during the lone season with Golden Goppers. He took an Olympic redshirt in 2020-21, training and competing with the Gopher Wrestling Club. He was placed at the 2021 UWW Junior Freestyle Championships at 57 kg. Ramos stood seventh in the 2021 U23 Freestyle National Championships at 57 kg.
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As a redshirt freshman, Ramos finished 21-10 in his first collegiate season at 133 pounds, including a 12-3 dual record. He was named Purdue’s Most Outstanding Freshman. Ramos qualified for the NCAA Championships with an automatic bid at the Big Ten Championships.
Ramos won the 2022 US Open at 57 kg in Las Vegas, becoming Purdue’s first wrestler to win the event in at least 25 years. He finished fourth at the US World Team Trials at 57 kg.
