Dec. 13, 2008

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Seven wrestlers for the No. 8 Fighting Illini won both of their matches as Illinois dominated Findlay, 32-6, and McKendree, 39-9, in front of 845 fans Saturday at Huff Hall. No. 2 Jimmy Kennedy (133), No. 6 John Wise (HWT), No. 11 Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165), No. 11 John Dergo (174), No. 17 Jordan Blanton (184), B.J. Futrell (125) and Grant Paswall (157) each went undefeated in the Illini's pair of victories.

"It was a pretty dominant team performance," Illinois coach Mark Johnson said. "All of the guys who won both their matches looked good and we had some impressive individual performances. We just have to continue to work on getting healthy and getting our full lineup out there."

Futrell and Smith-Bergsrud got the Illini off to a strong start as Futrell pinned Findlay's Nick Weisjhan in 3:29 on one mat, followed shortly by Smith-Bergsrud's technical fall over McKendree's Arben Balazi on the other mat. Kennedy followed Futrell with a technical fall and Dergo scored a pin after Smith-Bergsrud's performance as Illinois went up 11-0 on both mats.

No. 17 Jordan Blanton scored a pin in 1:18 at 184, but on the other mat, Ryan Prater dropped a hard-fought 7-6 decision at 141. True-freshman Eric Terrazas fought back on that mat with a 7-5 win at 149, but the Illini streak on the other mat ended when Patrick Bond fell, 3-2, at 197.

Wise responded with a pin in 1:55 at heavyweight, though, and Paswall earned a 9-2 win to end the first session on both mats. Next up, Illinois' lighter weights finished the dual against McKendree, as Futrell notched a 21-9 major decision and Kennedy registered a pin in 5:37. Redshirt-freshman Zeke Rowan dropped a 5-4 decision at 141 on a last-second three-point near-fall and Terrazas lost a 4-2 decision at 149, but Paswall finished the dual with a pin in 1:55 to seal the victory, 39-9.

In the third session, the Illini heavier weights finished the dual with Findlay, starting with Smith-Bergsrud's 5-1 win at 165. Dergo followed with a 24-7 technical fall and Blanton scored a 7-4 win. Bond dropped a 4-0 decision, but Wise capped the 32-6 win with an 11-1 major decision.

Illinois has two weeks off for final exams and the holidays before heading to Midlands at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill., on Dec. 29-30.

Illinois 39, McKendree 9
165: #11 Roger Smith-Bergsrud (ILL) tech. fall Arben Balazi (MU), 23-8 (4:49), (5-0)
174: #11 John Dergo (ILL) pinned Andrew Cheesman (MU), 0:51 (11-0)
184: #17 Jordan Blanton (ILL) pinned Tom Edwards (MU), 1:18 (17-0)
197: Andrew Sanchez (MU) dec. Patrick Bond (ILL), 3-2 (17-3)
HWT: #6 John Wise (ILL) pinned Andrew Davis (MU), 1:55 (23-3)
125: B.J. Futrell (ILL) maj. dec. Tyler Orr (MU), 21-9 (27-3)
133: #2 Jimmy Kennedy (ILL) pinned Wade Lowe (MU), 5:37 (33-3)
141: Jermaine Waye (MU) dec. Zeke Rowan (ILL), 5-4 (33-6)
149: Ryan Jahn (MU) dec. Eric Terrazas (ILL), 4-2 (33-9)
157: Grant Paswall (ILL) pinned Matt Beasley (MU), 1:55 (39-9)

Illinois 32, Findlay 6
125: B.J. Futrell (ILL) pinned Nick Weisjhan (UF), 3:29 (6-0)
133: #2 Jimmy Kennedy (ILL) tech. fall Alex Shumaker (UF), 24-9 (5:11) (11-0)
141: Josh Falk (UF) dec. Ryan Prater (ILL), 7-6 (11-3)
149: Eric Terrazas (ILL) dec. Sean Dong (UF), 7-5 (14-3)
157: Grant Paswall (ILL) dec. Michael Lybarger (UF), 9-2 (17-3)
165: #11 Roger Smith-Bergsrud (ILL) dec. Justin Shannon (UF), 5-1 (20-3)
174: #11 John Dergo (ILL) tech. fall Jeff Havelka (UF), 24-7 (5:33) (25-3)
184: #17 Jordan Blanton (ILL) dec. Hiram Smith (UF), 7-4 (28-3)
197: Andy Zalaiskalns (UF) dec. Patrick Bond (ILL), 4-0 (28-6)
HWT: #6 John Wise (ILL) maj. dec. Travis Clark (UF), 11-1 (32-6)

Findlay 39, McKendree 6
165: Justin Shannon (UF) tech. fall Arben Balazi (MU), 15-0 (2:47) (5-0)
174: Jeff Havelka (UF) dec. Andrew Cheesman (MU), 9-3 (8-0)
184: Hiram Smith (UF) pinned Tom Edwards (MU), 2:35 (14-0)
197: Andy Zalaiskalns (UF) dec. Andrew Sanchez (MU), 3-2 (17-0)
HWT: Travis Clark (UF) pinned Andrew Davis (MU), 2:36 (23-0)
125: Nick Weisjhan (UF) maj. dec. Tyler Orr (MU), 13-4 (27-0)
133: Wade Lowe (MU) pinned Alex Shumaker (UF), (3:30) (27-6)
141: Josh Falk (UF) maj. dec. Jermaine Waye (MU), 11-3 (31-6)
149: Sean Dong (UF) maj. dec. Ryan Jahn (MU), 15-4 (35-6)
157: Michael Lybarger (UF) maj. dec. Matt Beasley (MU), 14-4 (39-6)