Grapple at the Garden Meet Notes

Season Stats (11-23)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. –

#9 Illinois at Grapple at the Garden

Sunday, Nov. 29 // Madison Square Garden

vs. Maryland // 9:00 a.m. CT

vs. Drexel // 11:00 a.m. CT

vs. #25 Princeton // 3:30 p.m. CT // New York Athletic Club

Illinois Probable Starters

125    --                 Francis Eedelen, 0-5, Fr.

133    #6                Zane Richards, 5-0, R-Jr.

141    --                 Brock Ervin, 4-1, So.

149    #19              Kyle Langenderfer, 4-1, R-Sr.

157    #1                Isaiah Martinez, 5-0, R-So.

165       #13            Steven Rodrigues, 5-0, Sr.

174    #5                Zac Brunson, 5-0, R-So.

184    #17              Jeff  Koepke, 4-1, R-Sr.

197    --                 Andre Lee, 4-1, So.

HWT    #13            Brooks Black, 5-0, R-So.

*Rankings are listed from W.I.N Magazine

The Fighting Illini opened the home slate of the season with two dual victories over Arizona State and SIU Edwardsville. The victory over the Sun Devils was a back-and-forth battle for the first half of the duals, but Rodrigues (MD) and Brunson (Fall) put away the match , combining for 11 points as Illinois won 28-9. The Orange and Blue disposed of SIUE 41-3, a match that featured falls from Marintez, Brunson, and Black.

The Fighting Illini swept their opening weekend of competition, defeating Olivet College, Utah Valley, and Clarion by scores of 42-3, 32-6, and 34-6. The team combined for a 108 dual points, with the team combining for eight pins on the day.

The Orange and Blue moved up to No. 9 in the latest W.I.N Magazine top-25 poll after beginning the season at No. 10. Seven Illini are in the top-20 at their respective weight classes, with Richards (133), Martinez (157), and Brunson (174) in the top-10.

Isaiah Martinez and Jeff Koepke both won for the fifth time in an Illini singlet. Martinez earned his against Utah Valley's Morgan Way (TF 22-7), his 44th straight win. Koepke finished off his 50th career win against Clarion's Dominic Rigous (D 7-4).

After wrestling at 141 pounds for most of his career, Steven Rodrigues will make the jump up to 165 pounds for his senior season. Jeff Koepke also makes a switch this season, moving from 197 pounds to 184.

After going 12-11 during the 2013-14 wrestling season for Coach Heffernan, the sophomore transferred to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. He began his SIUE career last weekend with a perfect record, winning the 149-pound bracket at the Grand View Open in Des Moines, Iowa.
 

Illinois is led by defending 157-pound champion, Isaiah Martinez after his undefeated redshirt-freshman season. Joining him are Zane Richards (133), Kyle Langenderfer (149), Steven Rodrigues (165), Zac Brunson (184), Jeff Koepke (184), and Brooks Black (HWT). 

In July, the NCAA approved drop-down, neutral position stalling rules after they were experimented with last season.  The rule states that:

 "The referee will immediately begin a five-second count for stalling once the offensive wrestler positions himself with one or both hands below the buttocks of the defensive wrestler. The referee will stop the count when the offensive wrestler improves his position, moves his hold above the buttocks of the defensive wrestler or releases the hold. If the refere reaches a five-count, the offensive wrestler will be called for stalling. Additionally, if the offensive wrestler lifts the defensive wrestler's leg off the mat and both wrestlers reach the standing position, the referee will stop the five-second count. But if the offensive wrestler does not continue to attempt to return the defensive wrestler to the mat, the referee can call stalling, as in the past, without the five-second count."

For near falls, the offensive wrestler will be awarded two points if the referee gets to a two-count and four points if the referee reaches a four-count.

The Big Ten Conference enters the 15-16 campaign with ten teams inside the top-25 across multiple polls. The conference is coming off a year where Ohio State and Iowa tied for the Big Ten title, and then Buckeyes brought home the national title as well. The defending champs enter the season ranked as high as fifth (USA Today) with Iowa as high as second (W.I.N.) Joining the reigning champs will be Penn State and Michigan, both ranked among  the top-five in Intermat and USA Today to begin the season, after they posted top-five team finishes at Big Ten Championships last March. Wisconsin and Nebraska also don a top-10 ranking to begin play this year, with Illinois just behind them. The Orange and Blue will face off against eight of the nine other ranked Big Ten foes this season, five of which will come at Huff Hall.

Illinois Quick Hits:

• Isaiah Martinez won a hard fought contest against Oliver Pierce of Arizona State before grabbing his first pin of the season against Nate Higgins of SIU Edwardsville (2:52). Martinez has now won 47 straight duals. Martinez won the 2015 Big Ten Championship as well as recording 24 of his 35 victories by a major decision on his way to defeating Brian Realbuto of Cornell in the NCAA Final. Martinez was honored with Big Ten, InterMat, and Amateur Wrestling News Freshman of the Year, and 2015 Fighting Illini Freshman of the Year.
• Junior Zac Brunson (174) doubled his total pins on the season at the Illini Duals, nabbing one in both matches against No. 25 Arizona State and SIU Edwardsville. His total of four pins surpasses his season-high of 3 back in 2012-13. 
• Since switching to 165 pounds, Steven Rodrigues has started the season 5-0, his best start since his freshman year at Rutgers. The senior has won four of his five bouts by major decision or more, two of which were technical falls.
• The Fighting Illini enter the final weekend of November with seven wrestlers ranked in the top-20 in their respective classes, three of whom are ranked inside the top-six. The seven wrestlers have combined to go 37-3 to start the season. The Grapple at the Garden will serve as a preview of NCAA Championships also held at Madison Square Garden in New York.