Scoresheet | Highlights | Coach Heffernan Interview | Black Interview

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois wrestling team came out strong and performed well up and down the lineup against Maryland on Friday evening. The Illini, the fourth-ranked team in W.I.N. Magazine's Tournament Power Index, took control of the bout early and never looked back, shell shocking the Terrapins, 32-3. Illinois improves to 10-4 (4-3 Big Ten), while the Maryland falls to 5-12 (0-6 Big Ten).

The dual got off to a fantastic start for the home squad, as #2 Isaiah Martinez and #8 Jackson Morse each recorded second-period technical falls to give the Illini an early 10-0 lead. Martinez defeated Lou Mascola, 20-4, at 157 pounds, while Morse took down Tyler Manion by a score of 18-2 at 165 pounds. The technical fall by Martinez was his eighth of the season, adding to his NCAA Division I leading total.

The rest of the Illinois lineup continued to add to the double-digit lead, as the Illini would go on to win nine of the 10 weight classes. At 174, #8 Zac Brunson earned a 4-1 decision over Josh Snook, and #18 Nikko Reyes added a 6-2 victory over Tony Gardner in the 184-pound matchup. Jeff Koepke came away with a 4-3 decision over Rob Fitzgerald at 197 pounds, while Brooks Black also came away with a one-point win over All-American Spencer Myers at heavyweight. Black used an escape in the final seconds of the first tiebreaker to grab the upset.

"Brooks had a big win," noted head coach Jim Heffernan. "That guy was an All-American a couple of years ago. He's a great athlete, a starting defensive end for their football team. It wasn't the prettiest win but he found a way to win."

At 125 pounds, #1 Jesse Delgado made his along awaited return to the Illinois lineup after being sidelined due to injury for over two months. Delgado faced Josh Polacek in what amounted to a feeling out process for the two-time defending NCAA and Big Ten champ. Delgado came away with a 3-2 decision.

"Jesse will be fine," Heffernan assured. "It's been awhile since he has competed so I think he was just feeling himself through a little bit. He's one of the most competitive people I have ever been around so I'm not very concerned about it."

#2 Zane Richards earned Illinois' third extra-point victory of the night in the 133-pound bout, defeating #16 Geoffrey Alexander, 14-4. #13 Steven Rodrigues earned a 3-2 decision over Shyheim Brown at 141 pounds for Illinois' final points of the night. In the bout's final matchup, Maryland's Ben Dorsay scored a last-second takedown on Kyle Langenderfer to win 3-1 and prevent the shutout.

The Illini will head to Purdue on Sunday, Feb. 1 for a 2 p.m. ET start. That contest will be aired live on the Big Ten Network.

"We need to find ways to win matches," Heffernan concluded. "We can't sit back and wait. We have to wrestle aggressively, we have to wrestle offensively and we have to attack them. If we wrestle hard, we'll put ourselves in a position to win the match."

#4 Illinois 32, Maryland 3
157: #2 Isaiah Martinez (ILL) over Lou Mascola (MARY) (TF 20-4, 4:32)
165: #8 Jackson Morse (ILL) over Tyler Manion (MARY) (TF 18-2, 4:15)
174: #8 Zac Brunson (ILL) over Josh Snook (MARY) (Dec 4-1)
184: #18 Nikko Reyes (ILL) over Tony Gardner (MARY) (Dec 6-2)
197: Jeff Koepke (ILL) over Rob Fitzgerald (MARY) (Dec 4-3)
285: Brooks Black (ILL) over #13 Spencer Myers (MARY) (TB1 2-1)
125: #1 Jesse Delgado (ILL) over Josh Polacek (MARY) (Dec 3-2)
133: #2 Zane Richards (ILL) over #16 Geoffrey Alexander (MARY) (MD 14-4)
141: #13 Steven Rodrigues (ILL) over Shyhiem Brown (MARY) (Dec 3-2)
149: Ben Dorsay (MARY) over Kyle Langenderfer (ILL) (Dec 3-1)