Alex Marinelli selected as USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week

Photo of Alex Marinelli courtesy of Iowa Athletics.

Alex Marinelli (Miamisburg, Ohio./Univ. of Iowa) has been selected as TheMat.com Athlete of the Week on Feb. 19, 2019.

A sophomore for the Hawkeyes, Marinelli, who is ranked No. 2 in the country, helped Iowa to a dominant 35-2 win over Wisconsin and clinch a share of the Big Ten regular season championship.

Marinelli faced No. 3 Evan Wick at 165 pounds. Trailing in the third period, the Hawkeye scored on a reversal to force the match into overtime. In sudden victory, Marinelli finished a single halfway through the one-minute period to win a 6-4 decision.

Marinelli improved to 19-0 on the season with a 5-0 mark against ranked opponents.

The No. 3 Hawkeyes will be back in action on Feb. 24, traveling to Stillwater, Okla., to take on the No. 2 Oklahoma State Cowboys in one of the sport’s best rivalries.

Each week USA Wrestling will select an Athlete of the Week based upon performance within wrestling for that week. The selection committee will consider any level of wrestling from youth programs through the senior level. Twitter fan votes also play a part in decision.

To nominate a wrestler for this honor please send the athlete's name, wrestling program, weekly accomplishments and career accolades to USA Wrestling Communications Coordinator Taylor Miller at tmiller@usawrestling.org.