Dec. 3, 2002

Illini Face Top Competition at Las Vegas Inv. The 10th-ranked Illinois wrestling team will face 10 Top-25 teams this weekend as they travel to the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. The Invite will be the first team scored meet of the season. The Illini will bring a lineup that includes five freshman, three sophomores and only one junior and senior.

Teams in attendance will be the defending national champions and third-ranked Minnesota, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 6 Michigan, No. 8 West Virginia, No. 12 Boise State, No. 13 Missouri and No. 15 Nebraska.

The Illini head back to Las Vegas after a one-year hiatus from the event. In the 2000 tournament, the Illinois squad took first in the field of 52 teams. Then-sophomore Matt Lackey won the 165-pound weight class and is the only current member of the squad that participated at that competition.

The following is this weekend's lineup:
125: Kyle Ott, Fr., Huber Heights, Ohio (4-0)
133: Mark Jayne, So., Elyria, Ohio (4-0)
141: Cal Ferry, Fr., Machesney, Ill. (2-2)
149: Anthony Pedrosa, Fr., Oregon, Ill. (4-1)
157: Alex Tirapelle, Fr., Clovis, Calif. (4-1)
165: Matt Lackey, Sr., Moline, Ill. (4-0)
174: Brian Glynn, So., Orland Park, Ill. (5-0)
184: Jason Potter, Jr., St. Charles, Ill. (0-0)
197: Tyrone Byrd, So., Clinton, Ill. (4-2)
Hwt: Chris Little, Fr., Mahomet, Ill. (1-2)

Illini Crown Four Champions at Missouri Open and Place 12 Wrestlers The Illini dominated in their first weekend of competition, placing 12 of 19 wrestlers at the Third Annual Missouri Open. Illinois crowned four tournament champions in Kyle Ott (125), Mark Jayne (133), Matt Lackey (165) and Brian Glynn (174). Both Ott and Glynn faced fellow teammates in the finals, pulling out the wins. Lackey, who is ranked No. 1 in every national poll, defeated No. 8 Tyrone Woodley, 6-4 in a rematch of the 2001 finals.
1st PLACE: Kyle Ott (125); Mark Jayne (133), Matt Lackey (165), Brian Glynn (174)
2nd PLACE: Twan Pham (125), Peter Friedl (174)
3rd PLACE: Anthony Pedrosa (149), Alex Tirapelle (157)
4th PLACE: Kelly Madden (149)
5th PLACE: Dominic Valvano (133), Tyrone Byrd (197)
6th PLACE: Eric Novak (149)

Lackey Looks to Climb the Career Charts
Illinois senior 165-pounder Matt Lackey currently has 86 career wins, which ranks 18th in school history, and is looking to move up the charts. With three wins this weekend, Lackey will move to 15th, passing former Illini Bill Zeman, Jon Vaughn and Karl Roesler.
1. Adam Tirapelle- 127
2. John Lockhart - 122
3. Ernest Benion - 121
4. Steve Marianetti - 120
5. Eric Seibert - 112
6. Jevon Herman - 110
7. Pat Quirk - 107
8. Jon Llewellyn - 106
9. Kevin Puebla - 104
10. Griff Powell - 102
11. Carl Perry - 98
12. Nate Patrick - 96
13. Kirk Azinger - 91
Seth Brady Hwt-7 91
15. Bill Zeman - 88
Jon Vaughn - 88
Karl Roesler - 88
18. Lindsey Durlacher - 86
Matt Lackey - 86

Illinois Ranked Ninth by NWCA
The Illinois wrestling team is ranked ninth in the latest poll released by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The Illini, who returns six wrestlers from a team that finished 10th at the 2002 NCAA Championships, are ranked anywhere from ninth to 12th in each of the four national polls. In addition to the team honors, eighth wrestlers are ranked in their respective weight classes. Senior Matt Lackey who was the runner-up at 165 pounds is ranked first, accross the board and junior 184-pounder Jason Potter is also among the Top-10. Illini freshmen Kyle Ott (125) is one of only five freshmen ranked among the Top-10 and he is joined by fellow freshman Alex Tirapelle (157) as part of an elite group of 19 first-year wrestlers in the rankings.

Six Top-10 Finishes -- 10 Years
After a 10th-place finish in the 2002 NCAA Championships, Mark Johnson's record at Illinois looks phenomenal. In 10 years at the helm, 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 and three-time All-Americans Adam Tirapelle and John Lockhart came away with national championship titles in 2001. Tirapelle is aiding the Illini as a graduate assistant, while pursuing his Master'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 national champion under Johnson. Perry was a two-time All-American and a two-time team captain for the Illini.