CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois wrestling head coach Jim Heffernan has inked four state champion wrestlers to National Letters of Intent, three coming from within the state of Illinois. Local product Justin Cardani (Champaign Centennial) is joined by brothers Zac and Danny Braunagel (Belleville Althoff), while coach Heffernan and staff reaffirm four-time California state champion Justin Mejia's commitment from November 2016. The four will join the Illini for the 2018-2019 season.
"Overall, all four of these guys can and will help us," said head coach Jim Heffernan. "All have strong work habits, and most importantly want to be at Illinois. "Mike Poeta and Jeremy Hunter did a great job recruiting these guys, and they will all have an impact on our program."
- 2017 IHSA Class 1A State 170 Pound Champion
- 2016 IHSA Class 1A State 170 Pound 5th Place
- 2017 Illinois Greco-Roman State Champion Junior 170 Pounds
- 2017 Illinois Freestyle State Runner-Up Junior 170 Pounds
- 2017 IHSA Class 1A 152 Pound Champion 152 Pounds
- 2016 IHSA Class 1A 152 Pound Runner-Up
- Ranked the No. 1 152-pounder in the state of Illinois
- Undefeated (47-0) junior season
Coach Heffernan's Take: "Zac and Danny are exceptional workers, love to compete and most importantly want to be at Illinois. We have seen these guys progress over the past several years and like their toughness. As much success as they have had, they still have a strong upside and with the way they work, we know they have outstanding careers."
- 2017 IHSA Class 2A 106 Pound Champion
- Undefeated (45-0) 2016-17 junior season
- 2017 Illinois Freestyle and Greco-Roman 106 Pound Champion
- 2016 Illinois Freestyle 106 Pound State Champion
- First Champaign Centennial wrestler to win state title
Coach Heffernan's Take: "Justin has grown up around our program, and we have known him for a long time. He has really good skills as a wrestler, and a fantastic work ethic. We are really excited to be able to keep him close to home to continue his career."
- Ranked No. 42 overall by FloWrestling, No. 4 at 126 pounds in 2017 Class
- Ranked No. 2 at 120 pounds by InterMat in 2016
- Second four-time California state champion (106, 113, 120 and 126)
- Member of Clovis' 2014 and 2015 state titles
- 168-1 overall record
- Scored bonus points in 123 of his 168 wins: 89 pins, 20 tech falls and 17 major decisions
- Placed runner-up at 2016 FloNationals
- Doc Buchanon Invite champion
Coach Heffernan's Take: "Justin is a very gifted kid and has had great success throughout his high school career. He has a ton of experience at the highest levels and will be a strong contributor to our program."
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini wrestling, go to FIGHTINILLINI.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter and Instagram.
