While a freshman at Saint Louis School, he placed second in the Hawaii state
tournament and later captured three straight titles to cap off his
career. A three-time captain at Saint Louis School, under coaches Todd
Los Banos and Scotty Gonsalves, Lee placed fifth at the national high
school tournament as a senior. He became the first wrestler ever from
Hawaii to win a junior national championship by claiming both the freestyle
and the Greco-Roman titles in 2001 after being named an All-American
in both competitions as a junior. His impressive accomplishments in college include: • 2003 National Champion (125) • All-American (2002,2003, 2004) • EIWA Champion (2002, 2003, 2004) • Most Outstanding Wrestler - EIWA Championships (2004) • EIWA Wrestler of the Year (2003) • Ivy League Wrestler of the Year (2003) • All-Ivy First Team (2003, 2004) • EIWA Freshman of the Year (2002) • Ivy League Rookie of the Year (2002) • NYS Freshman of the Year (2002) At Cornell University: 2003-04: Never in the history of the Ivy League had a wrestler earned All-America
honors three times. That changed after Lee captured fifth place at
NCAAs in his first year at 133 pounds. Lee entered the NCAA tournament
as the top seed and cruised into the quarterfinals before falling 6-3
to eventual national champion Zach Roberson (Iowa St.). Lee became
only the fifth Cornell wrestler to earn three EIWA championships after
earning Most Outstanding Wrestler honors by cruising to the title with
three bonus wins, including a fall. He posted a perfect 17-0 record
in dual matches and enters his senior year with a 33-match win streak
in dual competition. After defeating two-time defending national champion
Johnny Thompson (Oklahoma St.), 5-2, at the National Duals, Lee posted
7-4 win over Illinois' Mark Jayne at the NWCA All-Star Classic. He
suffered his lone regular-season loss in the opening match at Midlands
before reeling off seven straight wins, including his second of the
year over national runner-up Josh Moore (Penn St.), to take third place
in impressive fashion. 2002-03: He recorded a perfect 34-0 season at 125 pounds, capping it off with
a national championship and All-America honors. Seeded second
at NCAAs, he did not allow a point in his first two matches
and followed that up with a 3-2 decision over 10th-seeded
Tony Black of Wisconsin in the quarterfinals before defeating
third seeded Ben VomBaur of Boise
State, 5-3, in the semifinals. Lee earned a 6-4 victory over
the top-seeded and previously unbeaten Chris Fleeger of Purdue
in the finals. En route
to his second EIWA title, he posted four wins, including a 3-1
victory over Penn's Matt Valenti in the title match. He captured
the 125 title
in three regular season tournaments, including the prestigious
Midlands tournament, where he defeated three ranked opponents
along the way.
After a perfect Ivy season that included three major decisions,
Lee became the first Cornellian since David Hirsch in 1994
to earn the
Ivy League Wrestler of the Year Award. 2001-02: Lee turned in arguably the most impressive season ever by a Cornell
freshman, compiling a 33-9 record at 125 pounds and earning All-America
honors with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA championships. Lee reached
the national quarterfinals as the No. 11 seed and defeated Chris Rodrigues
of North Carolina in the seventh-place match to become Cornell's first
freshman All-American. He won the EIWA title as the bracket's third
seed, upsetting Mason Lenhard of Penn, 5-2, and Mario Stuart of Lehigh,
6-2. Lee was crowned Most Outstanding Wrestler at the New York state
championships and he compiled a 4-1 record in Ivy League dual competition,
helping him become the first Cornellian since 1992 to receive the Ivy
League Rookie of the Year Award.
We are very proud of Travis and his accomplishments in the classroom, on the
wrestling mat, and his representation of the true “Saint Louis Gentleman”.
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