Feb. 3, 2002
The No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini wrestling team (9-2 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) bounced back from a loss at Michigan to split the Big Ten weekend by beating up on Penn State (5-7, 2-1), 25-10, on Sunday afternoon at Huff Hall.
The match started with a Penn State major decision at 141 pounds when Scott Moore shut out Eric Novak of Illinois, 8-0. The Illini bounced back with five consecutive victories starting at 149 with a 7-4 victory by No. 19 Ryan Berger. No. 19 Griff Powell followed with a 7-3 win at 157 pounds.
No. 2 Matt Lackey won by forfeit at 165 pounds to continue the Illinois run. Brian Glynn won a tight battle against Doc Vecchio at 174 pounds, 7-4. No. 20 Jason Potter ran the Illinois win streak to five with a dominating 11-3 major decision at 184 pounds. Penn State finally turned the tables in the 197 match when Pete Mielnik defeated Tyrone Byrd, 5-4, cutting the Illini's lead to 19-7.
No. 4 heavyweight John Lockhart got Illinois back on track with a 8-4 win over Pat Cummins of Penn State. Twan Pham, ranked No. 19 at 125 pounds, defeated Justin Kast of Penn State, 8-5. The match concluded with Penn State's third win of the afternoon when Scott Moore defeated Chad Hay at 133 pounds, 7-2.
"I thought we wrestled well," said Head Coach Mark Johnson. "We are still not where we need to be, but that was a good rebound from Friday night."
With his two wins this weekend, heavyweight John Lockhart is now tied for fourth place all-time with 112 career victories. Griff Powell also climbed the charts this weekend, getting career win number 93, putting him in 12th place. Matt Lackey now has 69 career wins, good for 24th place.
The Illini's next match will be Friday night at Huff Hall against Wisconsin.
Final results:
No. 13 Illinois 25, vs. No. 24 Penn State 10
Match started at 141 pounds
125 No. 19 Twan Pham (ILL) defeated Justin Kast (PSU), 8-5
133 Josh Moore (PSU) defeated Chad Hay (ILL), 7-2
141 Scott Moore (PSU) major decision Eric Novak (ILL), 8-0
149 No. 19 Ryan Berger (ILL) defeated Nate Wachter (PSU), 7-4
157 No. 18 Griff Powell (ILL) defeated James Woodall (PSU), 7-3
165 No. 2 Matt Lackey (ILL) wins by forfeit
174 Brian Glynn (ILL) defeated Doc Vecchio (PSU), 7-4
184 No. 20 Jason Potter (ILL) major decision Curt Thompson (PSU), 11-3
197 Pete Mielnik (PSU) defeated Tyrone Byrd (ILL), 5-4
Hwt No. 4 John Lockhart (ILL) defeated Pat Cummins (PSU), 8-4
