Travis Lee (wrestler)
Encyclopedia
Travis Lee is a former NCAA
wrestler at the 125 lbs and 133 lbs weight class from Cornell University
. Lee was the first individual NCAA wrestling champion
from Hawaii
, winning titles in 2003 and 2005 at 125 lbs and 133 lbs, respectively.
Lee's first sport was judo
, in which he won national junior titles. As a wrestler he won three state high-school championships and the 2001 junior national titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. His wins are 143-13, the most of any Cornell wrestler. He won the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association four times, and was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a two-time Wrestler of the Year. He won the 2003 and 2005 NCAA wrestling championships, losing in the semi-final in 2004, and came back from injury to win the Dave Schultz Memorial International in February 2007 with the New York Athletic Club. A further injury at the Independence Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan the following month led Lee to retire from wrestling.
Lee is from Liliha, Honolulu, and he graduated from Saint Louis School
, Honolulu. He graduated in biological and environmental engineering from Cornell in 2005, and gained a Masters degree in Engineering in 2006. At Cornell, he was also a member of the Quill and Dagger
society. After he graduated he helped coach the Cornell wrestling team and the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club. He worked at Kionix
as a bioengineer in 2007. He is now a systems engineer at Life Technologies
.
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
wrestler at the 125 lbs and 133 lbs weight class from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. Lee was the first individual NCAA wrestling champion
NCAA Wrestling Team Championship
The NCAA Wrestling Team Championship was first officially awarded in 1929 and began to be continuously awarded on an annual basis in 1934 except during World War II 1943-1945. In 1928 and from 1931 to 1933, there was only an unofficial title. Oklahoma A&M, now Oklahoma State, won the 1928, 1931...
from Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, winning titles in 2003 and 2005 at 125 lbs and 133 lbs, respectively.
Lee's first sport was judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
, in which he won national junior titles. As a wrestler he won three state high-school championships and the 2001 junior national titles in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. His wins are 143-13, the most of any Cornell wrestler. He won the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association four times, and was the Ivy League Rookie of the Year and a two-time Wrestler of the Year. He won the 2003 and 2005 NCAA wrestling championships, losing in the semi-final in 2004, and came back from injury to win the Dave Schultz Memorial International in February 2007 with the New York Athletic Club. A further injury at the Independence Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan the following month led Lee to retire from wrestling.
Lee is from Liliha, Honolulu, and he graduated from Saint Louis School
Saint Louis School
Saint Louis School, located in the town of Kaimuki in Honolulu, Hawaii, is a historic Roman Catholic college preparatory school for boys founded in 1846 to serve the needs of early Hawaiian Catholics in the former Kingdom of Hawaii...
, Honolulu. He graduated in biological and environmental engineering from Cornell in 2005, and gained a Masters degree in Engineering in 2006. At Cornell, he was also a member of the Quill and Dagger
Quill and Dagger
Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent collegiate societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones of Yale University...
society. After he graduated he helped coach the Cornell wrestling team and the Finger Lakes Wrestling Club. He worked at Kionix
Kionix
Kionix, Inc. is a global MEMS inertial sensor manufacturer. Headquartered in Ithaca, New York, USA, Kionix is a wholly owned subsidiary of ROHM Co., Ltd. of Japan. Kionix developed high-aspect-ratio silicon micromachining based on research originally conducted at Cornell University...
as a bioengineer in 2007. He is now a systems engineer at Life Technologies
Life Technologies
Life Technologies is a global biotechnology company headquartered in Carlsbad, California. It possesses a portfolio of more than 9 million genetic research assays and custom solutions...
.