Updated Brackets

ST. LOUIS – Two-time NCAA Champion Isaiah Martinez is one match away from returning to the NCAA final, as the redshirt junior defeated Oklahoma State's No. 8 Chandler Rogers, 9-5, to advance to the NCAA semifinals. Martinez will wrestle No. 4 seed Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin in the semifinal bout.  The Orange and Blue retain four wrestlers in consolation brackets entering Friday's evening session that begins at 7 p.m. central time on ESPN.

"I think my performance in this tournament has been a little lackluster so far," said Martinez after defeating Rogers. "But, in this tournament sometimes it's just about advancing."

The 165-pound bracket will look the same as the Big Ten semifinals, as No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan) and No. 3 Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) will wrestle opposite Martinez and Jordan on Friday night. Martinez and Jordan have yet to wrestle this season, while Martinez has defeated both Massa and Joseph twice this year.  

Martinez led wire-to-wire against the Rogers in the quarterfinal, beginning with a takedown just over a minute into the match. Leading 2-1 and starting the second period on top, Martinez quickly tilted the Cowboy for a four count, stretching his led to 6-1. After an escape by Rogers cut the lead to 6-2, Martinez added a third-period takedown to push the lead to 8-2. Rogers earned a takedown midway through the final frame, but Martinez held him at bay for the final minute to advance.

By advancing to the semifinals, Martinez clinches his third straight All-America honor and improves to 13-0 at NCAA Championships. With 97 career victories, Martinez needs one more to tie Carl Perry for 25^th on Illinois' all-time wins list.

In the other three quarterfinal matches involving Illini wrestlers, No. 8 Zane Richards, No. 10 Zac Brunson and No. 11 Emery Parker each suffered defeats and will look to bounce back this evening in the consolation bracket.

Following a victory over defending champion Myles Martin on Thursday evening, No. 11 Emery Parker took No. 3 Sammy Brooks on the brink of defeat before being pinned with 59 seconds left in the match. After Brooks escaped to take a 1-0 lead in the second period, Parker got in on Brooks' legs to take a 2-1 lead into the third with 1:40 in riding time. After Brooks negated riding time to start the third, Parker got to his feet and tried to take Brooks down to the mat for the reversal. However, the Hawkeye All-American was quick to recover and turned Parker for the fall.

Like Parker, No. 8 Zane Richards pushed top-seeded Nathan Tomasello (Ohio State) for a full seven minutes in his 133-pound quarterfinal match, but fell on the short end of a 3-1 decision. The Illini redshirt senior broke a scoreless tie with an escape in the second period, but an escape and takedown by Tomasello in the third period proved to be the difference.

The fourth Illini in quarterfinal matches this morning, No. 10 Zac Brunson, was pinned by No. 2 seed Brian Realbuto in 1:12 seconds. The redshirt senior will look to battle back tonight in the consolation bracket.

Langenderfer went 1-1 on day two of NCAA Championships, finishing 2-2 in the tournament. The redshirt junior won his first match by a 9-1 major decision against Casey Sparkman (Kent State), but dropped his second match to May Bathea (Penn), 4-3, in the third round of wrestlebacks.

Travis Piotrowski dropped his second-round consolation match by a 5-2 decision to No. 9 seed Joshua Rodriguez (NDSU), ending his run at NCAA Championships. The first Illini to advance to NCAA Championships as a true freshman since Jackson Morse in 2011, Piotrowski finishes the season with a 19-15 record on the season.

For complete coverage of Fighting Illini wrestling, go to FIGHTINILLINI.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter and Instagram.

Friday Semifinal Matches:
165: (1) Isaiah Martinez (ILL) vs. (4) Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin)

Friday Consolation Matches:
133: (8) Zane Richards (ILL) vs. (14) Mitch McKee (Minnesota)
174: (10) Zac Brunson (ILL) vs. Jadaen Bernstein (Navy)
184: (11) Emery Parker (ILL) vs. (9) Nate Jackson (IND)

Illini Championships Notes

• Martinez earned his third straight All-America honor with a 9-5 decision against (9) Chandler Rogers of Oklahoma State. He improves to 13-0 all-time at NCAA Championships. He'll wrestle Bo Jordan tonight for a spot in tomorrow's 165-pound title bout.
• The semifinal victory was Martinez's 30^th of the season and 97^th of his career, putting him one shy of Illinois' top-25 all-time wins list. Carl Perry is 25^th on the list with 98 wins.
• Emery Parker's upset of No. 6 Myles Martin is his highest-ranked victory this season. The win is the 30^th of the season, tying him with Brunson for the team lead.
• Brunson's victory over Jake Residori (SIUE) on Thursday night marked the 30^th of the season, setting a new career season-high. His previous high was 29 wins in 2014-15.
• Zane Richards' two victories so far gives him 109 for his career, passing former Illini B.J. Futrell for 13^th all-time.
• Zac Brunson recorded two victories on Thursday, giving him 105 for his career and moving him into a tie for 19^th all-time with Jon Dergo, Mike Poeta and Kevin Puebla.

Team Scores:

1.Penn State – 74.0
2.Ohio State – 59.0
3.Iowa – 58.0
4.Oklahoma State – 47.5
5.Cornell – 47.0
6.Missouri – 43.5
7.Minnesota – 39.0
8.Virginia Tech – 35.0
9.Wisconsin – 29.0
10.Nebraska – 27.0
10.Lehigh – 25.0
12.Virginia – 22.5
13.Illinois – 22.0
14.Arizona State – 21.0
15.Northern Iowa – 20.0

Match-By-Match Results (number in parentheses indicates seed)

125 // Travis Piotrowski // Freshman // 1-2 - Eliminated

133 // (8) Zane Richards // R-Senior // 2-1

149 // Eric Barone // R-Freshman // 0-2 - Eliminated

157 // Kyle Langenderfer // R-Junior // 2-2 - Eliminated

165 // (1) Isaiah Martinez // R-Junior // 3-0

174 // (10) Zac Brunson // R-Senior // 2-1

184 // (11) Emery Parker // R-Sophomore // 2-1