ROCHESTER, Minn. – Illinois redshirt senior wrestler Isaiah Martinez earned a spot on Team USA for Under-23 World Championships with an 8-2, 7-6 sweep of Chance Marsteller (Titan Mercury) in the 74kg (163 lbs) best-of-three series on Sunday afternoon. Team USA will compete at U-23 World Championships November 21-26 in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
With only two wrestlers entering at 74 kilograms, Martinez and Marsteller automatically advanced to the weight's best-of-three finals.
In bout one, Marsteller drew first blood, taking a 2-0 lead over the Illini senior. Midway through the period, Martinez leveled the score with a takedown to create a tie entering the second frame. Martinez broke the tie early in period two, notching two takedowns early. Leading 6-2, the two-time NCAA champion sealed the first bout with his fourth takedown to win 8-2.
The two 74kg grapplers again traded blows to open the second bout. Marsteller opened with the lead, 2-0, before Martinez notched back-to-back takedowns to take his first lead of the bout. Marsteller bounced back with two takedowns of his own to take a 6-5 advantage into the final period. Needing to score to keep Marsteller from forcing a winner-take-all third bout, Martinez scored a takedown with 32 seconds remaining to win the match.
The 74kg/163lbs division will begin competition at U-23 World Championships on Sunday, November 26 at 3 a.m. central (10 a.m. local time). The finals are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. central (6 p.m. locally). For more information on the event, click here.
Also competing at U.S. Team Trials on Sunday was Illini redshirt freshman Dylan Thurston in the 65kg division. Thurston finished competition with a 1-2 record, earning his victory by a 9-0 decision against Logan Smith (Mat Savvy Wrestling).
Head coach Jim Heffernan's squad begins the 2017-18 season on November 4 with an outdoor dual at Missouri, contested on the University of Missouri's softball field.
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini wrestling, go to FIGHTINILLINI.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter and Instagram.