Feb. 23, 2002
The No. 10 Illinois Fighting Illini (11-3 Overall, 4-2 Big Ten) mark the end of the 2002 regular season this afternoon when they host No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes (15-4, 5-2) for senior day.
Illinois did not face Iowa last season, but the last time the two faced each other was a lopsided win by the Hawkeyes, 27-9, in Iowa City. Iowa's last visit to Huff Hall was a memorable upset by the host Illini when former Illinois great Carl Perry won his last match to upset the highly favored Hawkeyes, 20-16, in 1999. Coach Johnson is 1-3 lifetime against Iowa. Overall, Iowa holds a 40-25-1 advantage over Illinois. The two teams first met in 1920.
After Illinois' 18-13 win over Purdue on Friday, the Iowa-Illinois bout on today will likely be for sole possession of third place in conference and added momentum going into the Big Ten Championships in two weeks.
No. 10 Illinois vs. No. 3 Iowa
Sunday, February 24, 2002 -- Huff Hall -- Champaign, Ill.
125 No. 16 Twan Pham, Ill. vs. No. 8 Luke Eustice, Iowa
133 No. 14 Chad Hay, Ill. vs. No. 6 Cliff Moore, Iowa
141 Eric Novak, Ill. or Mark Jayne, Ill. vs. No. 19 Marc Juergens, Iowa OR
Luke Moffit, Iowa
149 No. 18 Ryan Berger, Ill. vs No. 1 Mike Zadick, Iowa
157 No. 18 Griff Powell, Ill. vs. No. 10 Matt Anderson, Iowa
165 No. 2 Matt Lackey, Ill. vs. Cory Connell, Iowa OR Jason D'Agata, Iowa OR Ben Shirk, Iowa
174 Brian Glynn, Ill. or Anthony Castillo, Ill. vs. No. 7 Tyler Nixt, Iowa
184 No. 14 Jason Potter, Ill. vs. No. 6 Jessman Smith, Iowa
197 Tyrone Byrd, Ill. vs. Trey Clark, Iowa
Hwt No. 4 John Lockhart, Ill. vs. No. 1 Steve Mocco, Iowa
Illini Homestand to be Televised on Three-State Cable Network: Both matches this weekend (vs. Purdue on Friday and today's match vs. Iowa) will be televised on a tape-delay basis by Insight Media Advertising.
"Illinois wrestling has a broad appeal to our viewers throughout East Central Illinois," said Tara Gallahue, General Manager, Media Advertising Sales. "We are absolutely thrilled to bring Illinois athletics to this regional cable market and we're looking forward to expanding our relationship with Illinois athletics in the coming years."
Both matches will be shown on the Fighting Illini Wrestling Television Network in the following communities. Check your local listings for air dates and air times in each market:
Sunday, February 24 vs. Iowa
Champaign-Urbana (Insight Cable Channel 2)
Decatur, Springfield, Quincy, Iowa City, Iowa, Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
Waterloo, Iowa, and the Quad Cities
UPSET SPECIALS: This year's team has had mulitple individual upsets during this year's Big Ten schedule. Unranked 197-pounder Tyrone Byrd knocked off No. 17 Pat DeGain of Indiana, 10-4, on February 10. Two days before, 133-pound Chad Hay pulled a shocker against No. 4 Kevin Black of Wisconsin, 5-4. 125-pound Twan Pham scored two straight upsets by beating No. 17 Tony Black of Wisconsin, 10-6, and then knocking of No. 15 Greg Shaefer of Indiana, 8-6. Jason Potter, the Illini's 184-pounder, scored a major upset at Minnesota when he defeated No. 4 Damion Hahn, 12-8. Potter also beat No. 13 Ralph DeNisco of Wisconsin, 7-5.
ILLINOIS ROOKIES: Head Coach Mark Johnson proclaimed this a rebuilding year, but for what was supposed to be a difficult season, Illlinois wrestlers new to the starting lineup have immediately contributed. The Illini boast seven new starters from last year's team who was 12-2 and finished fifth in the NCAAs. The seven new starters combined for 59 wins going into this season and included three freshmen and a transfer from Northern Illinois. Now five of the seven are ranked in the top 20 of their respective weight classes and should make noise headed into the Big Tens and NCAAs. This year's newcomers to the starting lineup:
125-Twan Pham, 133-Chad Hay, 141-Eric Novak, 141-Mark Jayne, 149-Ryan Berger, 174-Brian Glynn, 174-Anthony Castillo, 184-Jason Potter, 197-Tyrone Byrd
LOOK OUT NCAAs: Junior Matt Lackey has torn up the Big Ten and national field this season. Ranked No. 2 at 165 pounds, Lackey boasts a 29-1 overall record and has rattled off 14 straight victories, including a 3-1 decision over highly-ranked Tyrone Lewis of Oklahoma State at the NWCA duals. Lackey is 7-0 in the Big Ten and has his eyes on improving on his second place Big Ten finish and third place NCAA finish in 2001.
ILLINOIS HONORS: Senior 133-pound Chad Hay grabbed the Big Ten's attention in the week of February 11 when he was awarded the Big Ten wrestler of the week after a two-win weekend against Wisconsin and Indiana. Hay upset No. 4-ranked Tony Black of Wisconsin, 10-6, and finished off the week by defeating Brian Smiley of Indiana, 5-2. Hay was the first Illinois wrestler to receive such honors this season.
SENIOR DAY: Today's dual against Iowa marks the final home match of the season, thus representing the last home meet for Illinois seniors. The Fighting Illini will celebrate senior day by recognizing three graduating seniors on this year's squad. This year's seniors: Chad Hay, John Lockhart, and Griff Powell.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS: The University of Illinois host this year's Big Ten Championships on March 9-10 at the Assembly Hall. Illinois had two Big Ten champions from last year's tournament, graduates Nate Patrick and Pat Quirk. Current Illini who placed in last year's event are Matt Lackey and John Lockhart, who finsihed second at 165 pounds and heavyweight, and Griff Powell, who placed third at 157 pounds. Illinois' second place finish at last year's event was their best finish since 1957-58. Head Coach Mark Johnson was given the Coach of the Year award by the Big Ten.
Since 1926, the Big Ten has crowned the Illini champions 16 times which puts Illinois behind only Iowa in total championships. Illinois is ranked fifth in the Big Ten in individual champions since 1926 with 57.
This year's event will likely see eight teams in the Top 25 and almost half of all ranked individuals in the nation. The Big Ten championships are a good guage for NCAA success, as the NCAAs have crowned 23 Big Ten teams as champions and over 250 individual champions since 1928, including last year's champion.
