March 15, 2007

After one full day of wrestling at the 2007 NCAA Championships, Illinois is in 15th place with two wrestlers in the quarterfinal round and five in wrestlebacks. With a victory in the quarters, Jimmy Kennedy (133) and Mike Poeta (157) will automatically earn their first All-America honor. Gabe Flores (125), Cassio Pero (141), Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165), John Dergo (184) and Patrick Bond (197) are still alive in the consolation bracket.

True-freshman and ninth-seeded Jimmy Kennedy became the first Illini wrestler in the quarterfinals after he edged No. 8-seeded Tyler McCormick (Missouri), 3-2. With the match tied 2-2 at the end of regulation, Kennedy picked up a point and the victory with over two minutes of riding time. Kennedy hopes that a third time is a charm when he meets top-seeded Nick Simmons of Michigan State tomorrow.

Sophomore and fifth-seeded Mike Poeta (157) will also wrestle in the quarterfinals tomorrow after defeating Oklahoma's William Rowe, 8-3. Poeta came out firing with a pair of first period takedowns, and added another in the third en-route to the victory. The win sets up a rubber-match between Poeta and fourth-seeded C.P. Schlatter (Minnesota). The two grapplers have met twice this season, each coming away with a victory.

"Every match is a battle and our guys have been battling all day." Said head coach Mark Johnson. "We've been wrestling tough and I'm proud to see that. You wouldn't be able to tell that we're a young team because we've kept our poise and composure all day. That's the kind of attitude that kept us on the winning side of those close matches."

Tomorrow's third session starts at 11:00 a.m. (EST) with quarterfinal action as well as wrestlebacks.

Media Coverage

On Friday and Saturday, ESPNU, ESPN360 and ESPN will combine for extensive live coverage of the NCAA Wrestling Championships. Friday, ESPNU will open with over five hours of coverage, with the quarterfinals and the semifinals at 11 a.m. (EST) and 7 p.m., respectively. Saturday at 10 a.m., ESPNU will telecast the Championship Medal Round for the first time in television history, while ESPN will air the finals at 8 p.m. ESPN360, ESPN's customized broadband service, will complement the ESPNU and ESPN telecasts by providing live coverage of all four mats during the quarterfinals, giving users the option to select the match they want to see. In addition, ESPN360 will also provide live coverage of all post-match press conferences during the semifinals and final rounds.

Team Standings

1. Minnesota	34.0
2. Missouri	29.5
3. Iowa St.	27.5
4. Penn St.	24.0
5. Iowa		20.0
6. Cornell	19.0
7. Oklahoma St.	18.0
8. Edinboro	17.5
T9. Hofstra	17.0
T9. Northwestern
15. ILLINOIS	14.5

Weight-by-Weight Results

125: No. 8-seed, #7 Gabe Flores (Jr., Madera, Calif.)
1st Round: Won by dec. Eric Hoffman (N. Dakota St.), 2-0
2nd Round: Lost by fall to No. 9-seed Obenson Blanc (Lock Haven), 4:54
Up Next - Consolation 2nd Round: No. 10-seed Nick Fanthorpe (Iowa St.)
133: No. 9-seed, #9 Jimmy Kennedy (Fr., Ingleside, Ill.)
1st Round: Won by dec. Seth Ciasulli (Lehigh), 7-4
2nd Round: Won by dec. No. 8-seed Tyler McCormick (Missouri), 3-2
Up Next - Quarterfinals: No. 1-seed Nick Simmons (Michigan St.)
141: No. 12-seed, #12 Cassio Pero (Sr., Chicago Heights, Ill.)
1st Round: Won by forfeit. Daryl Cocozzo (Edinborough)
2nd Round: Lost by dec. to Don Fisch (Rider), 7-5
Up Next - Consolation 2nd Round: Darren Kern (Bloomsburg)
157: No.5-seed, #5 Mike Poeta (So., Highwood, Ill.)
1st Round: Won by dec. Chase Pami (Cal Poly), 5-3
2nd Round: Won by dec. William Rowe (Oklahoma), 8-3
Up Next - Quarterfinals: No. 4-seed C.P. Schlatter (Minnesota)
165: #14 Roger Smith-Bergsrud (So., Lake Bluff, Ill.)
1st Round: Won by dec. Bryan Tice (Cal. St. Full.), 3-2
2nd Round: Lost by maj. dec. to No. 4-seed Travis Paulson (Iowa St.), 10-2
Up Next - Cosolation 2nd Round: Stephen Dwyer (Nebraska)
184: No. 11-seed, #11 John Dergo (Fr., Morris, Ill.)
1st Round: Lost by dec. to Ryan Burke (NIU), 4-3
Consolation 1st Round: Lior Zamir (Penn)
Up Next - Consolation 2nd Round: No. 12-seed Rocco Caponi (Virginia)
197: #13 Patrick Bond (R-Fr., Chesapeake, Va.)
1st Round: Won by dec. Cornelius Murray (VMI), 4-3
2nd Round: Lost by dec. to No. 2-seed Josh Glenn (American), 3-0
Up Next - Consolation 2nd Round: Timothy Morrison (Rider)
HWT: John Wise (So., Pittsfield, Ill.)
1st Round: Lost by dec. to Matt Koz (Chatt.), 5-2
Consolation 1st Round: Lost by dec. to Colton Nichols (Cal St. Bak.), 10-4 - Wise eliminated