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BLOOMINGTON, IND. – Fighting Illini wrestlers Isaiah Martinez (165) and Zac Brunson (174) advanced to the semifinal round of the 2017 Big Ten Championships at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Martinez and Brunson both recorded pins during session one, highlighted by Brunson's 16-second fall that tied the fastest pin in Big Ten Championships history. Six other Illini remain alive in wrestlebacks heading into session two tonight at 5 p.m. Illinois is currently tied with Wisconsin for sixth place in the team score with 28.5 team points.
The two Illini semifinalists will face a pair of Penn State wrestlers tonight. Martinez draws No. 4 seed Vincezno Joseph, while Brunson is pitted against No. 2 seed Mark Hall.
The top seed at 165 pounds, Isaiah Martinez advanced to his third straight Big Ten Championships semifinal with a major decision in round one and a pin in round two. After only leading Northwestern's Johnny Sebastian 11-8 midway through the second period, Martinez finished the match on a 13-5 run to win by major decision, 24-13. The Illini two-time conference champion carried the momentum into his quarterfinal match where he made quick work of Michigan State's eighth-seeded Drew Hughes, pinning the Spartan freshman in 0:58 for his sixth fall of the season.
On his way to the semifinals, Brunson tied the record for the fastest pin in Big Ten Championships history in the opening round of the tournament, earning the fall against Northwestern's Braxton Cody in 16 seconds. The time ties former Nebraska Husker Robert Kokesh who pinned Taylor Massa (Michigan) in the 174-pound quarterfinals in 2015. Brunson advanced to tonight's semifinal with six opening-period points on his way to a 7-1 decision against Ryan Christiensen of Wisconsin in the quarterfinals.
In addition to Martinez and Brunson, six Illini remain alive in the consolation brackets entering session two: No. 4 seed Zane Richards (133), No. 5 Kyle Langenderfer (157), No. 6 Emery Parker (184), No. 6 seed Brooks Black (HWT), No. 7 Eric Barone (149) and Travis Piotrowski.
No. 4 seed Zane Richards, No. 5 seed Kyle Langenderfer (157) and No. 6 seed Emery Parker (184) each advanced to the quarterfinal round with major decision victories before dropping their second match of the tournament.
No. 6 seed Brooks Black (HWT) and No. 7 seed Eric Barone (149) received opening-round byes, but dropped their quarterfinal matches to higher seeded opponents.
Making his Big Ten Championships debut, true freshman Travis Piotrowski lost a tough 10-8 sudden victory match to No. 5 seed Conor Youtsey (Michigan) in the opening round, but bounced back to shutout Brandon Paetzell (Rutgers), 8-0, in the consolation bracket.
Mousa Jodeh (141) and Andre Lee (197) both dropped their first two matches of the tournament and have been eliminated.
Illini Notes:
- Isaiah Martinez advanced to his third Big Ten Championships semifinal. Martinez is 11-0 all-time at Big Ten Championships with two titles at 157 pounds.
- Zac Brunson advanced to his second straight Big Ten Championships semifinal. The 174-pounder pinned Alex Meyer (Iowa) last year in the semifinal to reach the title match.
- Brunson's second victory of the day passed Jesse Delgado (2011-15) for 23rd on Illinois' all-time wins list.
- Brunson's opening round pin (0:16) of Braxton Cody (Northwestern) tied the Big Ten Championships record for fastest pin. The 16 seconds ties Robert Kokesh's pin of Taylor Massa (Michigan) in the 174-pound quarterfinals in 2015.
- The fall is Brunson's 19th of his career, putting him one pin outside of the top-10 on Illinois' all-time list. Troy Tirapelle (2006-09) is 10th in school history with 20 pins.
Team Scores:
1.Penn State – 70.0
2.Ohio State – 68.0
3.Iowa – 55.5
4.Minnesota – 52.0
5.Michigan – 47.0
6.ILLINOIS – 28.5
6.Wisconsin – 28.5
8.Nebraska – 26.0
9.Indiana – 20.0
10.Michigan State – 19.0
11.Rutgers – 17.5
12.Maryland – 16.5
13.Purdue – 7.0
14.Northwestern – 4.0
Match-By-Match Results (number in parentheses indicates seed)
125 // Travis Piotrowski // Freshman // 1-1
|
| Round |
Result |
| Round 1 |
Lost by dec. (5) Conor Youtsey (Michigan), 10-8 (SV-1) |
| Cons. Round 1 |
Won by major dec. Brandon Paetzell (Rutgers), 8-0 |
| Cons. Round 2 |
vs. Johnny Jimenez (Wisconsin) |
133 // (4) Zane Richards // R-Senior // 1-1
|
| Round |
Result |
| Round 1 |
Won by major dec. (13) Garrett Pepple (Indiana), 16-7 |
| Quarterfinals |
Lost by major dec. (5) Stevan Micic (Michigan), 12-4 |
| Cons. Round 2 |
vs. (11) Jason Ipsarides (Northwestern)
|
141 // Mousa Jodeh // Sophomore // 0-2 - Eliminated
|
| Round |
Result |
| Round 1 |
Lost by fall (3) Tommy Thorn (Minnesota), 2:19 |
| Cons. Round 1 |
Lost by dec. (11) Cole Weaver (Indiana), 3-1 |
149 // (7) Eric Barone // R-Freshman // 0-1
|
| Round |
Result |
| Round 1 |
Bye |
| Quarterfinals |
Lost by dec. (2) Brandons Sorensen (Iowa), 2-0 |
| Cons. Round 2 |
vs. Nate Limmex (Purdue) |
157 // (5) Kyle Langenderfer // R-Junior // 1-1
|
| Round |
Result |
| Round 1 |
Won by major dec. (12) Austin Thompson (Michigan St.), 17-3 |
| Quarterfinals |
Lost by major dec. (5) Jake Short (Minnesota), 11-2 |
| Cons. Round 2 |
vs. (11) Jake Ryan (Ohio State) |
165 // (1) Isaiah Martinez // R-Junior // 2-0
|
| Round |
Result |
| Round 1 |
Won by major dec. Johnny Sebastian (Northwestern), 24-13 |
| Quarterfinals |
Won by fall (8) Drew Hughes (Michigan State), 0:58 |
| Semifinals |
vs. (4) Vincenzo Joseph (Penn State) |
174 // (3) Zac Brunson // R-Senior // 2-0
|
| Round |
Result |
| Round 1 |
Won by fall Braxton Cody (Northwestern), 0:16 |
| Quarterfinals |
Won by decision (11) Ryan Christiensen (Wisconsin), 7-1 |
| Semifinals |
vs. (2) Mark Hall (Penn State) |
184 // (6) Emery Parker // R-Sophomore // 1-1
|
| Round |
Result |
| Round 1 |
Won by major dec. Tanner Lynde (Purdue), 16-8 |
| Quarterfinals |
Lost by dec. (3) Nate Jackson (Indiana), 6-4 |
| Cons. Round 2 |
vs. (13) Shwan Shadaia (Michigan St.) |
197 // Andre Lee // R-Sophomore // 0-2 - Eliminated
|
| Round |
Result |
| Round 1 |
Lost by dec. (8) Christian Brunner (Purdue), 2-5 |
|
Cons. Round 1
|
Lost by dec. Jackson Striggow (Michigan), 1-5 |
HWT // (6) Brooks Black // R-Junior // 0-1
|
| Round |
Result |
| Round 1 |
Bye |
| Quarterfinals |
Lost by fall (3) Nick Nevills (Penn St.), 4:46 |
| Cons. Round 2 |
vs. (5) Collin Jensen (Nebraska) |
