CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With the 2017-18 wrestling season less than two months away, WIN Magazine released its annual preseason rankings on Thursday afternoon. The Illini were tabbed No. 14 in the country to begin the year, while five individuals were ranked in the top-20 of their respective weight classes. Senior Isaiah Martinez leads the Orange and Blue with the No. 2 ranking at 165-pounds, while No. 6 Emery Parker (184), No. 15 Travis Piotrwoski (125), No. 16 Kyle Langenderfer (157) and No. 18 Eric Barone (149) were also rated.
Routinely the top conference in the country, the Illini are joined by seven other Big Ten schools in the Tournament Power Index rankings, which projects NCAA Championship scoring based on top-eight finishes. Defending national champion Penn State begins the season atop the rankings, while 2017 Big Ten champion Ohio State checks in at number two. No. 3 Michigan, No. 8 Minnesota and No. 10 Iowa are also in the top-10, while No. 16 Rutgers and No. 20 Nebraska trail the Illini.
Illinois returns all but two starters from last year's squad, including five of the seven NCAA Championships qualifiers, led by Isaiah Martinez with his two NCAA titles and three Big Ten Championships. The Fighting Illini finished 11th at NCAA Championships last March and sixth at Big Ten Championships.
Fellow classmate, Kyle Langenderfer, will also be ranked to begin his last season with the Illini. Langenderfer moved up to 157 pounds last season and found success, setting a career-high in wins with 25 and his second NCAA Championships appearance. Ranked as high as No. 12 last season, Langenderfer earned three wins over ranked opponents, including victories over No. 6 Josh Shields (Arizona State) and No. 9 Brian Murphy (Michigan).
Joining the two seniors are three Illini, Parker, Piotrwoski and Barone, who each reached the postseason in their first year starting under Head Coach Jim Heffernan. Parker made a strong impression in St. Louis last March when he picked off No. 6 Myles Martin (Ohio State) in round two and then nearly upset third-ranked Sammy Brooks (Iowa) in the quarterfinals. Piotrowski used a big performance at Big Ten Championships, placing fourth after not being seeded, to become the first Illini true freshman to be selected to NCAA Championships since Jackson Morse did so in 2011, while Eric Barone entered the rankings in early February and received an at-large bid after placing eighth at the conference meet.
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