Match Notes
CHAMPAIGN, Ill.— The Fighting Illini return home after splitting a road trip against Michigan and Michigan State. Last Friday, the Illini dropped a 25-14 match to #9 Michigan. Although the Illini led 14-8 after 165, the Wolverines rolled off 17 unanswered points in the final four bouts to overcome the visiting Illini. The Orange and Blue responded with a win on Sunday at Michigan State backed by six matches ending in bonus points for the Illini. Coach Heffernan's squad enters this weekend's bout with a 2-3 record in the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions find themselves, not only as one of the favorites to win the Big Tem but, as one of the favorites to win the NCAA Championship in New York come March. In dual play, the grapplers from Happy Valley enter the weekend a perfect 10-0, and 5-0 in Big Ten play. Of their 10 wins, four of them have come against ranked opponents including back-to-back wins last weekend against #11 Nebraska and at #25 Northwestern. Individually, Cael Sanderson's team has ranked wrestlers at 9 of the 10 weights, including Morgan McIntosh (197), Bo Nickal (174), and Zain Retherford (149) who each are the top-ranked wrestler in their weight class, according to InterMat.
Series History Against Penn State: ILL Leads 9-5
Illinois and Penn State will meet for the 15th time on Saturday with the Illini holding the all-time advantage, 9-5. The two teams last met almost two years ago to the day. On January 24, 2014, the Nittany Lions came to Champaign and defeated the Orange and Blue by a score of 31-3. The lone victor on the evening for the Illini was red-shirt freshman #11 Zane Richards who defeated #19 Jimmy Guilbon in sudden victory, 3-1. Current Penn State wrestlers Nico Megaludis, Zain Retherford and Morgan McIntosh each earned victories that day against the Ilini, scoring a total of 10 points for the team.
Cael Sanderson and Isaiah Martinez
For the first time in a dual meet, Isaiah Martinez will wrestle Cael Sanderson's team, the man who had last gone undefeated as freshman before Martinez did so last year. In 1999, Cael Sanderson began his illustrious career at Iowa State with a perfect freshman season, winning a national championship at 184 pounds. Sanderson would go on to win 159 straight matches, never losing during his four-year career, and win four national championships. He is regarded throughout collegiate wrestling as the best of all-time.
After finishing his red-shirt season in 2013-14 season with seven straight wins, Martinez followed it up with 35 straight wins in 2014-15 to win the NCAA Championship. On his way to glory, Martinez won 24 of his 35 matches by major decision or greater and notched an NCAA-leading 11 technical falls. In 2015-16, the defending champion has found ways to increase his dominance, earning a technical fall or pin in 17 of his 19 matches. His 14 technical falls once again leads the nation, and he has increased his winning streak to 54 matches (61 counting his last seven matches as a true-freshman).
Weekend Matchups to Watch
Saturday's matchup will pit some of the best wrestlers in the country against each other with no pre-match history between them:
157: #1 Isaiah Martinez (ILL) vs. #3 Jason Nolf (PSU)
Defending national champion, and owner of 54 straight wins, Isaiah Martinez will look to defend his title as the nation's best wrestler at 157 pounds against red-shirt freshman Jason Nolf. After leading the NCAA in tech falls (11) last season, the red-shirt sophomore has already totaled 14 in his first 19 matches this season. On the other side of the mat, Nolf leads the top-ranked Nittany Lions with nine pins and six technical falls. In Nolf's 10 dual matches this season, the first-year starter has averaged five points per match. This will be the first meeting between the two grapplers.
174: #1 Zac Brunson (ILL) vs. #2 Bo Nickal (PSU)
Brunson wrestled for the first time in 2016 last Sunday, winning by tech fall 18-0, after missing the previous four matches due to injury. Prior to the injury, Brunson racked up 13 consecutive wins to start the 2015-16 season with a career-high eight pins. The red-shirt junior won the Reno Tournament of Champions title after beating Nate Jackson (Indiana) in the championship bout. Nickal enters after being ranked No. 1 at 174 for most of the season, but fell behind Brunson after his lone loss to Nate Jackson (Indiana). The duo does not have any previous matches against each other.
133: #2 Zane Richards (ILL) vs. #6 Jordan Conaway (PSU)
Currently pegged as the second-best wrestler at 133 pounds, Richards enters 19-0 on the season, including 3-0 against ranked opponents. To date, the highlight of Richards season came when he upset #1 Cory Clark (Iowa) on January 8 at Huff Hall with a 5-3 win in overtime. Saturday, Richards will face off against Conaway who enters the match at 17-2, and 5-0 during Big Ten play. The senior wrestled at 125 pounds last season, earning All-American status and placing third at Big Ten Championships.
Quick Hits:
*Isaiah Martinez earned his 13th and 14th technical falls of the season after leading all of the NCAA with 11 last season. His 19-0 start, 4-0 against ranked opponents, has stretched his consecutive win streak to 54 (61 counting red-shirt freshman season)
* Junior Zac Brunson has already set a career-high in pins this season with 8 in his first 14 duals, tied for third in the nation. He returned to the mat against Michigan State with an 18-0 tech fall after missing four duals due to injury. The win was the 90th of his career.
*No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (19-0), No. 2 Zane Richards (18-0), No. 4 Steven Rodrigues (17-1) and No. 1 Zac Brunson (14-0) have combined for a 68-1 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.
*Steven Rodrigues matched his 2014-15 total of wins (17) against Michigan State on Sunday, beating Dean Vettese.
*Zane Richards has scored a career-high 60 points during dual play this season, while Isaiah Martinez leads the team with 65 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
2015-16 Headlines:
Brunson Returns, Illini Cruise Past Spartans
The Fighting Illini got one of the nation's top wrestlers back this afternoon and used it to propel the team to a 32-10 victory over Michigan State. Brunson, the team's leader in pins, had missed four straight matches due to injury. As a team, the Illini scored bonus points in six matches, winning seven of the ten bouts this afternoon. With the win, Illinois improves to 2-3 in Big Ten play, while Michigan State drops to 0-4.
Late Michigan Surge Downs Illini 25-14
The Fighting Illini started off strong against the Wolverines with wins in four of their first six matches, including a 18-3 tech fall by Martinez over #9 Brian Murphy. Unfortunately, Michigan surged in the final four matches, scoring 17 points to win 25-14.
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 and 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.
