CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – WIN Magazine released their preseason rankings this week, and the Orange and Blue will begin the season in 10th place nationally, two spots ahead of their finish at NCAA Championships last spring. The Illini accumulated points across six weight classes for a total of 42 points.
Reigning Big Ten and National Champion, Isaiah Martinez, will begin his quest to repeat with a No. 1 ranking in the 157-weight class. Last season, Martinez went undefeated as a redshirt-freshman, first to accomplish the feat since Cael Sanderson (Iowa State, 1999). For his efforts, Martinez was named Freshman of the Year by the Big Ten, InterMat, and Amateur Wrestling News. The grappler led Division I in wins by technical fall, with 11, and won 24 of his 35 duals by major decision or greater.
Redshirt-Junior, Zane Richards will begin his 2015-16 campaign slotted at No. 6 as he looks to build off of his fifth-place finish at Big Ten Championships and a 1-2 record at last year's NCAA Championships. The Carbondale, Ill. native set a career-high in wins (28), and was ranked as high as No. 2 last season after beginning the season with 15 consecutive wins.
Zac Brunson will start the 2015-16 season ranked No. 6 among his 174-pound counterparts. Last year, Brunson qualified for NCAA Championships for the second straight year, posting a 3-2 record in St. Louis last March. He also collected a sixth-place finish at Big Ten Championships and earned Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on November 18, 2014.
At 149 pounds, Caleb Ervin debuts in the rankings at No. 15. Ervin was an NCAA Qualifier in 2013 and placed eighth at Big Ten Championships. He sat out last season due to injury and looks to regain his form in 2015-16.
Jeff Koepke, a 2015 NCAA Qualifier, checks in at No. 17 in WIN's 184-pound rankings. The senior will set his sights on climbing up the Big Ten ranks after a sixth-place finish last season and a total of three wins over top-15 opponents.
Rounding out the preseason rankings is Brooks Black in the heavyweight division, a redshirt-sophomore from Dover, Pennsylvania. He will begin the season with a a No. 14 ranking, four spots higher than his peak ranking last year. 2015 saw Black finish in the top-10 at Big Ten Championships and qualify for NCAA Championships as a freshman.
