CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini wrestling sends seven wrestlers to NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Missouri, March 16-18. The Orange and Blue are led by top-seeded Isaiah Martinez at 165 pounds and four-time NCAA qualifiers Zane Richards (133) and Zac Brunson (174). Travis Piotrowski (125), Eric Barone (149) and Emery Parker (184) will be making their NCAA Championships debut, while Kyle Langenderfer (157) returns for his second appearance after qualifying at 149 pounds in 2015.
| NCAA Championships Schedule and TV Information |
| Thursday, March 16 |
Session I |
11 a.m. CT |
ESPNU / ESPN3 |
|
Session II |
6 p.m. CT |
ESPNU / ESPN3 |
| Friday, March 17 |
Session III |
10 a.m. CT |
ESPNU / ESPN3 |
|
Session IV |
7 p.m. CT |
ESPN / ESPN3 |
| Saturday, March 18 |
Session V |
10 a.m. CT |
ESPNU / ESPN3 |
|
Session VI |
7 p.m. CT |
ESPN / ESPN3 |
The ESPN family of networks will carry NCAA Championships in its entirety; beginning with the opening rounds on Thursday morning and continuing through the finals round on Saturday night. For the first time in NCAA Championships history, the evening session of each day will be broadcast live on ESPN. ESPNU will carry the day sessions, while ESPN3.com will provide live coverage of each mat throughout the six sessions.
Live Results
Trackwrestling will once again be providing live results for each individual match at trackwrestling.com.
Quick Hits
*The Fighting Illini send seven wrestlers to NCAA Championships: No. 1 seed Isaiah Martinez (27-0), No. 8 seed Zane Richards (25-4), No. 10 Zac Brunson (28-8), No. 11 Emery Parker (28-8), Eric Barone (10-9) and Kyle Langenderfer (23-8).
*Isaiah Martinez (27-0) is seeking to become the first Illini ever to win three NCAA titles and the first Illini to win an NCAA title at two different weight classes. Martinez is a perfect 10-0 in his career at NCAA Championships.
*Seniors Zane Richards and Zac Brunson have qualified for all four NCAA Championships in their Illini careers. Richards placed fourth last year at Madison Square Garden to earn his first All-America honor.
*Five Illini are currently ranked in their respective weight classes according to Intermat: #1 Isaiah Martinez (27-0), #7 Zane Richards (25-4), #10 Zac Brunson (28-8), #11 Emery Parker (28-8) and #16 Kyle Langenderfer (23-8). Illinois is ranked #12 in InterMat's pre-championships power index.
*Zac Brunson tied the Big Ten Championships record for fastest pin with a 16-second fall of Braxton Cody (Northwestern). With 19 career pins, the Illini senior is just one pin shy of cracking the school's career pins top-10 list.
*Zane Richards and Zac Brunson both rank in the top-25 on Illinois' all-time wins list. Richards is tied for 15th with 107 wins, while Zac Brunson ranks 22nd with 103 wins. With 94 career wins, Isaiah Martinez is four wins shy cracking the wins list by tying former Illini Carl Perry (1997-2000).
*The Illini have recorded 11 individual NCAA titles, 21 finals appearances, 57 All-America honors and 164 NCAA Championships qualifiers under Coach Heffernan since he arrived as an assistant in 1992.
Meet Notes
Illinois Championships History
In the last 25 years, Illinois has been one of the most successful and consistent wrestling programs in the country. With Coach Heffernan on staff since 1992, the Illini have crowned 11 national championships, had 21 finals appearances, 57 All-Americans and 164 NCAA qualifiers.
All-time, the Illini have had 24 individual national championships, including one each of the last four years.
RPI and Coaches' Rankings
Seven Illinois wrestlers are ranked in either the RPI Rankings or the Coaches' Poll heading into conference tournaments.
Illini in the Field
125 Pounds - Travis Piotrowski
The first Illini true freshman to qualify for NCAA Championships since Jackson Morse in 2011. The Crystal Lake, Illinois native is 18-13 on the season and is coming off a fourth-place finish at Big Ten Championships after entering the tournament unseeded. Piotrowski has wins over four ranked opponents this season, including #19 Johnny Jimenez (Wisconsin) and #16 Conor Youtsey (Michigan) at conference championships.
133 Pounds - No. 8 seed Zane Richards
Making his fourth appearance at NCAA Championships, the 2016 All-American ranks 15th all-time on Illinois' career wins list with 107 victories and a 14th in career win percentage (.814). This season, Richards went 25-4 and placed fourth at Big Ten Championships to earn the No. 8 seed at NCAAs. The senior's biggest win of the season came against No. 4 Stevan Micic on January 20 in Champaign.
149 Pounds - Eric Barone
One of three Illini to make their NCAA Championships debut, Barone placed 8th at Big Ten Championships went 6-3 in Big Ten duals. Barone's best victory of the season came in Tempe, Arizona when the Illini grappler defeated Josh Maruca in Illinois' dual against Arizona State.
157 Pounds - Kyle Langenderfer
After missing the tournament last season, Langenderfer has bounced back with a career-high 23 wins this season at his new weight class. Ranked as high as No. 12 this season, Langenderfer has a pair of wins against top-10 foes #9 Brian Murphy (Michigan) and No. 6 Josh Shields (Arizona State). Langenderfer placed eighth at Big Ten Championships and won seven of his nine Big Ten duals.
165 Pounds - No. 1 seed Isaiah Martinez
The two-time champion at 157-pounds, Martinez looks to become the first Illini to win three NCAA titles in his career, and first to win one at two different weight classes. With a 94-1 career record, Martinez is four wins shy of entering Illinois' all-time career wins list. A redshirt junior, Martinez has compiled an unblemished 27-0 record, including seven wins over ranked wrestlers. The Lemoore, California native is 11-0 against the 165-pound field, including two wins against both No. 2 seed Logan Massa (Michigan) and No. 3 seed Vicenzo Joseph (Penn State).
174 Pounds - No. 10 seed Zac Brunson
In his final tournament wearing the Orange and Blue, Brunson enters his fourth NCAA Championships seeking his first All-America honor. With 103 career wins, the Eugene, Oregon native is tied for 22nd on Illinois' all-time list. Illinois' best at getting someone on their back, the Illini senior has tallied 19 career pins. His 16-second pin of Braxton Cody (Northwestern) in the opening round of Big Ten Championships tied the conference championships record for fastest fall. Tied for the team lead in wins (28), Brunson is two wins shy of reaching the 30-win plataeu for the first time in his career.
184 Pounds - No. 11 seed Emery Parker
Taking over 184-pounds this season, Parker is tied with Brunson for the team lead in wins (28). Parker placed fifth at Big Ten Championships, notching his fifth and sixth pins of his season along the way. The Wadsworth, Illinois native has been ranked since December 7 and owns upset victories over #13 Jordan Ellingwood (Central Michigan) and #11 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers).
