Nov. 21, 2002
Illini to Open Season at Missouri Open
The University of Illinois wrestling team will open the 2002-03 season at the annual Missouri Open in Columbia, Mo. The tournament format allows the team to compete 19 wrestlers at the 10 weight classes.
At the 2001 Open four returning Illini were crowned weight class champions. Matt Lackey won the 165-pound weight class and three won in the freshman division: Kyle Ott at 125, Alex Tirapelle at 157 and Tyrone Byrd at 184.
Illinois wrestlers competing at the Missouri Open are: 125 - Kyle Ott, Twan Pham; 133 - Mark Jayne, Dominic Valvano; 141 - Cal Ferry; 149 - Eric Novak, Kelly Madden, Tony Pedrosa; 157 - Alex Tirapelle, Anton Dietzen; 165 - Matt Lackey, Anthony Castillo; 174 - Brian Glynn, Peter Friedl, Ben Hay, Joe Paun; 197 - Tyrone Byrd, Jason Vincens; HWT - Chris Little. In the freshman division the Illini will compete: 133 - Joel Karr, Cassio Pero; 141 - Michael Martin, Jim Comfort; 157 - Mike Klimek; 165 - Tim Quirk; 174 - Matt Winterhalter; 184 - Matt Harding; 197 - Lou Puracchio.
NCAA Qualifiers Fall at Wrestle-Offs
The Illini held their annual wrestle-offs intrasquad meet on Sat., Nov. 9 in front of a crowd of 500 spectators to determine the 2002-03 starting lineup. Three freshman, Kyle Ott, Alex Tirapelle, and Peter Friedl defeated previous NCAA qualifiers, Twan Pham, Ryan Berger, and Brian Glynn. Here are the results from the 2002-03 intrasquad match:
125: Kyle Ott dec. Twan Pham, 6-2
133: Mark Jayne major dec. Cassio Pero, 15-7
141: Cal Ferry major dec. Jim Comfort, 16-4
149: Anthony Pedrosa dec. Paris Fotos, 4-2
157: Alex Tirapelle dec. Ryan Berger, 4-3
165: Matt Lackey dec. Anthony Castillo, 13-6
174: Peter Friedl dec. Brian Glynn, 6-3
184: NO MATCH
197: Tyrone Byrd dec. Jason Vincens, 7-1
Hwt: Mike Behnke dec. Chris Little, 4-3
Lackey Looks to Climb the Career Charts
Illinois senior 165-pounder Matt Lackey currently has 82 career wins, which ranks 19th in school history, and is looking to move up the charts. With four wins this weekend, Lackey will be tied with 118-pounder Lindsey Durlacher for 86 wins and the 18th spot on the all-time career wins list. Lackey is currently ranked No. 1 in his weight class.
1. Adam Tirapelle 149 1997-2001 127
2. John Lockhart HWT 1999-2002 122
3. Ernest Benion 158 1994-97 121
4. Steve Marianetti 134/150 1992-95 120
5. Eric Seibert 150 1994-98 112
6. Jevon Herman 177 1994-98 110
7. Pat Quirk 197 1997-2001 107
8. Jon Llewellyn 106 1987-91 106
9. Kevin Puebla 126 1975-80 104
10. Griff Powell 157 1998-2002 102
11. Carl Perry 126/141 1996-2000 98
12. Nate Patrick 184 1998-2001 96
13. Kirk Azinger 142/150 1984-88 91
Seth Brady Hwt 1993-97 91
15. Bill Zeman 165 1996-2000 88
Jon Vaughn 134/142 1993-97 88
Karl Roesler 190/Hwt 1995-99 88
18. Lindsey Durlacher 118 1993-97 86
19. Gary Matlock 118 1973-77 82
Matt Lackey 165 1999-2002 82
21. Kevin Pancratz Hwt 1973-77 80
22. Steve Hankenson 150 1985-89 79
23. Keith Healy 134 1984-88 70
Ben King 174 1997-2001 70
25. Bruce Cochran 150 1978-81 67
Illinois Ranked Ninth by NWCA
Illinis Wrestling received its highest rankings of the preseason this fall. Head Coach Mark Johnson's squad was ranked ninth in the NWCA poll as well as 10th and 12th from other preseason sources. With six returning NCAA qualifiers, Johnson is looking to improve on last year's 10th-place NCAA finish. W.I.N. Magazine and The Wrestling Mall ranked Illinois 10th, while InterMat has the squad at 12th. In individual rankings, all preseason sources put Illiniois 165-pound senior Matt Lackey at the top of his weight class. Lackey is a two-time All-American and placed second in the 2002 NCAA tournament. Fellow NCAA qualifiers Twan Pham (Sr., 125 lbs.), Ryan Berger (Sr., 149 lbs.), Brian Glynn(So., 174 lbs.), and Jason Potter (Jr., 184 lbs.) are ranked in their respective weight classes. Along with five of six NCAA qualifiers being ranked, Johnson's highly touted freshmen Alex Tirapelle (Fr., 157), Pete Freidl (Fr., 174) and Kyle Ott (Fr., 125) achieved spots in the polls. 133-pounder Mark Jayne is also currently ranked by W.I.N. Magazine. Here is how the 2002-03 Illini faired in the polls:
Wt. Wrestler AWN WIN TWM INW
125 Twan Pham 10th 11th 14th NR
125 Kyle Ott NR NR NR 10th
133 Mark Jayne NR 20th NR NR
149 Ryan Berger 10th 12th 14th 11th
157 Alex Tirapelle 14th 16th NR 14th
165 Matt Lackey 1st 1st 1st 1st
174 Brian Glynn 14th 14th 15th NR
174 Pete Friedl NR NR NR 16th
184 Jason Potter 7th 5th 7th 6th
Six Top-10 Finishes -- 10 Years
After a 10th-place finish in the 2002 NCAA Championships, Mark Johnson's record at Illinois looks phenomenal. He has led the Illini to six Top-10 finishes and eight Top-12 at the national tournament. In the last 12 years Illinois has crowned seven national champions and had 12 NCAA finalists, 27 All-Americans and 83 NCAA qualifiers. Most recently, future Olympian-hopefuls Adam Tirapelle and John Lockhart came away with national championship titles in 2001. Both three-time All-Americans, Tirapelle and Lockhart are training for the Olympic Games. Tirapelle is aiding the Illini as a graduate assistant, while pursuing hisMaster's in Business Administration. Lockhart plans on entering medical school in the fall of 2003. Assistant Coach Carl Perry, new to the Illini coaching staff, was also a former Illini champion under Johnson. Perry was a two-time All-American and a two-time team captain for the Illini.
