Michigan/Michigan State Match Notes

CHAMPAIGN,Ill.— After snapping a two-match losing streak on Sunday at Northern Illinois, the Fighting Illini will travel for their first Big Ten road trip of the season. On Friday at 6 p.m., the Orange and Blue will face ninth-ranked Michigan before concluding the weekend in East Lansing with a Sunday dual at noon against Michigan State. The Wolverines feature seven ranked wrestlers, including three in the top-10: #9 Brian Murphy (157), Max Huntley (197), and Adam Coon (HWT). Michigan State enters the weekend winless in dual matches this season. Both Matches can be seen live on BTN Plus with a paid subscription:

Michigan: http://www.btn2go.com/game/illinois-at-michigan-on-20160115

Michigan State: http://www.btn2go.com/game/illinois-at-michigan-st-on-20160117

Fighting Illini Probables (Rankings from W.I.N Magazine)

125: Francis Edelen: True freshmen earned his first career victory against Jhared Simmons (Maryland) at the Grapple at the Garden; lost Sunday at NIU 5-4 to fall to 1-10 on the season.

133: #2 Zane Richards: Junior beat #1 Cory Clark of Iowa last Friday (1/8) and owns a career-best start to the season with a record of 16-0. Earned his 90th career win by forfeit against Austin Eicher (NIU)

141: Brock Ervin: Won his first match against a ranked opponent when he beat #12 Steve Bleise of Northern Illinois 14-12. He is 7-4 on the season. 

149: Kyle Langenderfer: Has a record of 5-6 this season after going 22-15 and a surprising third-place finish at Big Tens

157: #1 Isaiah Martinez: Stretched his consecutive wins mark to 59 with a win over Austin Culton (NIU); Has 12 tech falls in 17 matches; Completed the first undefeated freshmen season since Cael Sanderson in 1999

165: #4 Steven Rodrigues: Senior is 15-1 since moving to 165 pounds during the offseason and has scored 39 dual points so far this season.

174: #1 Zac Brunson: Has already set a career high this season with a team-high eight pins to go along with a perfect 13-0 record; Has missed the last three matches due to injury

OR: Emery Parker: Redshirt freshman is 4-2 on the season, and placed second at the Reno Tournament of Champions earlier this season.

184: #16 Jeff Koepke: The lone senior in the lineup is 13-3 on the season and 2-1 in Big Ten duals; he notched his 60th career win against Quinton Rosser of NIU  

197: Andre Lee: Is 10-5 in his first year wrestling in dual meets after notching seven pins while going 9-3 as an unattached freshman last season.

HWT: Brooks Black: 2015 NCAA Championships Qualifier enters the match with a 13-4 record this season; Earned his second pin of his season against Arthur Bunce of NIU on Sunday (1/10)

Quick Hits

*Isaiah Martinez notched a career-high 12th technical fall of the season in just his 17th match, after leading all of the NCAA with 11 last season. His 17-0 start, 3-0 against ranked opponents, has stretched his consecutive win streak to 59.

* Junior Zac Brunson has already set a career-high in pins this season with 8 in his first 13 duals. Isaac Reinemann (0-3) has filled in during Brunson's injury, but Emery Parker will replace Reinemann after making weight this week.

*No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (17-0), No. 2 Zane Richards (16-0), No. 4 Steven Rodrigues (15-1) and No. 1 Zac Brunson (13-0) have combined for a 61-1 record this season.

*Steven Rodrigues (#4) and Zac Brunson (#1) each own the highest ranking of their careers. Zane Richards matches his highest ranking (#2) after defeating No. 1 Cory Clark (Iowa) On Jan. 8.

*Senior Jeff Koepke earned his 60th win of his career on Sunday, while Zane Richards earned his 90th victory by forfeit

*Zane Richards has scored a career-high 51 points during dual play this season, while Isaiah Martinez leads the team with 55 dual points scored.

*The Illini moved up to 5th in the latest WIN Magazine's Tournament Power Index with four Illini ranked in the top-8, and a projected points total of 70. Penn State leads the rankings with six in the top-8 and a project 91.5 points.

*Emery Parker will fill in for the injured Zac Brunson (13-0) after making weight this week.

Fighting Illini Headlines:

Orange and Blue get back on track, Beat NIU 27-14

The Orange and Blue stepped outside of the rugged Big Ten today when they traveled to take on Northern Illinois today in Dekalb, Illinois. Once there, the Illini got back to their winning ways with a strong performance, beating the Huskies 27-14, snapping their two-match losing streak. The victory was jump-started by a pin from Brooks Black to open the match and an upset of No. 12 Steve Bleise by Brock Ervin.

Illini Can't Escape #2 Iowa, Lose 26-12

In front of a season-high crowd of 1,451 the Fighting Illini dropped their second straight match to a top-10 opponent to begin Big Ten play in 2016. Although the Orange and Blue overcome a 12-3 deficit to start the match to tie it at 12-12 heading into the 174-pound bout, Iowa reeled off four straight victories to seal the 26-12 victory at Huff Hall on Friday night.

Illini Drop B1G Opener to No. 6 Ohio State

The Orange and Blue dropped their Big Ten opener at Huff Hall on Sunday, falling to sixth-ranked Ohio State 22-17. The Illini scored bonus points in three of their four victories and led the Buckeyes 13-11 heading into the 165-pound match, but dropped three of the final four bouts.

Five Illini Win in Reno

The Orange and Blue had five individual champions at the Reno Tournament of Champions with Zane Richards (133), Isaiah Martinez (157), Steven Rodrigues (165), Zac Brunson (174) and Jeff Koepke (184) all besting their respective weight classes. The dominance, paired with three second-place finishes, spurred the Illini to a first place team finish, besting second-place Central Michigan by 33 points.

Martinez Garners Big Ten Honor

No. 1 Isaiah Martinez received the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week award after notching wins 6-8 in New York on November 29. He recorded 16 total points against Maryland, Drexel, and No. 25 Princeton, but his biggest moment came with the Illini down 9-5 against Princeton. Martinez sparked a 15-0 run with a 17-2 technical fall against Francesco Frabozzi to regain the lead for the Orange and Blue. This is the second time Martinez's has received the honor.

Veterans Lead #9 Illini to Sweep in New York

The Fighting Illini improved to 8-0 on the season with three victories as part of the Grapple at the Garden, beating a Big Ten foe and a top-25 opponent. After beating Maryland (34-9) and Drexel (31-9) at the Garden, the Orange and Blue took down No. 25 Princeton at the NY Athletic Club. Trailing 9-5 entering 157 pounds, Martinez, Rodrigues, Brunson, and Koepke combined for 15 points to put away the Tigers 20-15, the team's second top-25 win on the season.

Orange and Blue Down No. 25 ASU and SIUE

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 Martinez, Brunson, and Black.

Illini Sweep at EMU Duals

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.

Rodrigues / Koepke Switch Weight Classes

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.

Illini Return Seven Starters from 14-15

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). 

New Stalling & Near Fall Rules for 15-16 Season

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 referee 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.

B1G Teams Come to Huff Hall in 2016

With a veteran squad, the Fighting Illini will play host to a Big Ten Conference slate that is one of the best in recent memory. The home schedule begins with consecutive top-10 matchups against 2015 Co-Big Ten and NCAA Champion Ohio State (Jan. 3) and Co-Big Ten Champion Iowa (Jan. 8). Later in the month the Orange and Blue will welcome in top-ranked Penn State for a January 23 dual on Big Ten Network. The Illini wrap up the regular season with home meets against preseason top-25 Northwestern and Minnesota, Feb. 7 and 12 respectively.