Iowa/NIU Match Notes

Promotional Informaton

CHAMPAIGN,Ill.— After dropping their first match of the season against Ohio State, the tenth-ranked Fighting Illini return to the mat on Friday, January 8 as they host #2 Iowa as part of the 'Great Escape.' The Orange and Blue are 3-4 all-time when hosting the Great Escape, but have never faced the Hawkeyes during in promotion's history. Both matches this weekend will be streamed online, with Friday's match on fightingillini.com and Sunday's match at Northern Illinois on ESPN3.com.

On Friday, kids eighth grade and younger can take part in a youth clinic before the match, beginning at 5 p.m. Preregistration for the event is encouraged, but kids may also register at Huff Hall before the event begins. In addition to the pre-match clinic, kids can participate in face painting and other kid-friendly activities, while the first 1,000 fans entering Huff Hall will receive a foam finger.

Quick Hits:

* Isaiah Martinez notched his 10th technical fall of the season in just his 15th match after leading all of the NCAA with 11 last season. His 15-0 start has stretched his consecutive win streak to 57.

* Junior Zac Brunson has already set a career-high in pins this season with 8 in his first 13 duals. The Eugene native compiled 6 in his first three seasons on campus. 

* The Fighting Illini enter the New Year with five wrestlers ranked in the top-20 in their respective classes, four of whom are ranked inside the top-10. No. 1 Isaiah Martinez (15-0), No. 3 Zane Richards (14-0), No. 6 Steven Rodrigues (13-1) and No. 4 Zac Brunson (13-0) have combined for a perfect 53-1 record through the season's first two months.

* Steven Rodrigues (#6) and Zac Brunson (#4) each own the highest ranking of their careers with both of them holding claim to perfect records through the first month of the season.

* Senior Jeff Koepke earned a 15-6 major decision against Jack Rozema (Ohio State) for his 59th win of his career

* Illinois is 3-4 all-time when hosting the 'Great Escape' and will be facing Iowa for the first time in the promotions' history.

* Head Coach Jim Heffernan won three Big Ten titles and two NCAA titles during five seasons at Iowa ('82-'87), while Illini assistant Coach Mark Perry won two NCAA titles while wrestling at Iowa from 2004-2008.

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 

133: #3 Zane Richards: Junior is 1 win shy of matching the best start of his career (15-0) and is coming off a win over #15 Johnni DiJulius of Ohio State; placed 5th at Big Tens in 2015

141: Brock Ervin: Enters 6-3 in his first season competing with the team, went 21-4 while competing unattached last season

149: Kyle Langenderfer: Has a record of 5-4 this season after going 22-15 and a surprising third-place finish at Big Tens while filing in last year for injured Caleb Ervin

157: #1 Isaiah Martinez.: Stretched his consecutive wins mark to 57 with a win over #18 Jake Ryan (Ohio State); Redshirt sophomore completed for undefeated freshmen season since 1999

165: #6 Steven Rodrigues: Senior is 13-1 since moving to 165 pounds during the offseason and has scored 32 dual points so far this season.

174: #4 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 after placing 6th at Big Tens in 2015.

OR: Isaac Reinemann: Redshirt freshman made his dual debut against Ohio State after beginning the season 5-5 in tournament play.

184: #16 Jeff Koepke: The lone senior in the lineup is 12-2 on the season and 2-0 in Big Ten duals; his next win will be the 60th of his career 

197: Andre Lee: Is 10-4 in his first year wrestling in dual meets with the team after notching seven pins while going 9-3 as an unattached freshman last season. 

HWT: Brooks Black: Enters the match with a 11-3 record this season and qualifying for NCAA Championships as a redshirt freshman last spring.

Fighting Illini Headlines:

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.

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.

No. 1 Isaiah Martinez received the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week award after he notched wins 6-8 in New York on November 29.  He recorded 16 total points scored 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 this honor.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.