CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After spending three weeks away from competition, the Fighting Illini return to the mat December 29-30 for the 54th annual Ken Kraft Midlands at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois. The two-day tournament will be broadcasted live on BTN+ on December 29 and the morning session on December 30. Big Ten Network will broadcast the finals live on the evening of December 30. For tickets, go online at nusports.com. Adult general admission passes are $40. All-session passes start at $50 for upper level reserved seats, $60 for reserved.
Quick Hits
*Five Illini are currently ranked in their respective weight classes according to InterMat: #2 Zane Richards (8-0), #1 Isaiah Martinez (6-0), #12 Zac Brunson (12-2), #15 Emery Parker (14-1) #6 Brooks Black (4-1). The team checks in at No. 8 in the latest Tournament Power Index and No. 11 in the dual rankings.
*The Fighting Illini will be competing for the 41st time at the 54th annual Midlands competition. Illinois has won the team title four times (2003, 2004, 2005, 2012) and have had 11 individual champions. Martinez won the 2014 Midlands 157-pound title, while Richards and Brunson finished runner-up.
*Two Illini carry 10-match win streaks into Midlands, as No. 15 Emery Parker (14-1) and Kyle Langenderfer (10-1) have both reeled off 10 wins in a row. Parker has scored bonus points in seven of the 10 matches, while Langenderfer has six.
*Two Illini will likley move into Illinois all-time wins list during the two-day Midlands tournament, as Richards (90) and Brunson (87) are within striking distance of former Illini Tony Dallago, Kirk Azinger and Seth Brady who are tied for 25th on the all-time list with 91 wins. Alex Tirapelle holds the school record with 128 wins.
*Martinez needs just one more match to qualify for the Illinois career win-percentage rankings. His current career win-percentage of 0.986 will pass former Illini Matt Lackey's 0.896 school record once he registers his 75th career match.
*Seven Illini have won individual tournament titles so far thjs season, as Richards (133), Ervin (149), Langenderfer (157) Martinez (165) Brunson (174), Parker (184) and Black (HWT). Parker and Richards lead the team with two a piece.
*A two-time NCAA and Big Ten champion at 157-pounds, Martinez is looking to become the first Illini to win Big Ten and NCAA titles at two weight classes.
*Only two Illini remain undefeated, as Richards (8-0) and Martinez (6-0) have unblemished records. Richards went a perfect 23-0 during the regular season last year.
Illinois Midlands History
Since the inaugural Midlands in 1963, the Fighting Illini have participated in 40 of the 53 Midlands tournaments. Entering their 41st appearance in this week the Illini have won the title four times, most recently in 2012. Individually, Illini wrestlers have placed 127 times at the annual holiday tournament, while 11 Illini have been crowned champions. Isaiah Martinez is the most recent to win a title at Welsh-Ryan Arena, doing so as a redshirt freshman in 2014 on his way to an undefeated 2014-15 season.
In addition to Martinez's title, two other current Illini wrestlers have placed at Midlands. In 2014, Zane Richards (133) and Zac Brunson (174) both finished runner-up in their weight classes. Brunson also placed seventh back in 2013 at 157 pounds.
Weight Classes to Watch
133
After cruising through his first eight matches of the season, All-American Zane Richards will face a bevy of ranked opponents at Midlands. Currently ranked No. 2, Richards is joined by No. 4 Eric Montoya (Nebraska), No. 6 Seth Gross (South Dakota State), No. 7 Dom Forys (Pitt), No. 10 Ear Hall (Iowa State) and No. 11 Tyler Goodwin (Maryland). Richards enters with 3-1 collegiate record against No. 4 Montoya, as well as an exhibition victory over the Husker grappler earlier this fall at the All-Star Classic in Cleveland, Ohio. Richards has won 29 straight regular season matches, including five against ranked opponents.
165
After making a statement in his first tournament at 165 pounds with a victory over No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri), Martinez will again be tested at Midlands with six ranked wrestlers, headlined by No. 3 Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin. The 2016 national runner-up, Jordan enters with a 13-1 record, his only loss coming at the hands of Michigan freshman Logan Massa. Also in the top-10 entering Midlands is No. 7 Clark Class of Oklahoma, a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier. No. 10 Chad Walsh (Rider) No. 11 TeShan Campbell (Pitt), No. 13 Anthony Valenica (Arizona State) and No. 15 Seldon Wright (Old Dominion) will also be featured in the bracket.
184
Coach Heffernan's biggest breakthrough performance through the season's first two months has been redshirt-sophomore Emery Parker. Scoring bonus points in 11 of his 14 victories, Parker has amassed a 14-1 overall record and is ranked as high as No. 11 at the weight. However, Parker will be put to the test at Welsh-Ryan Arena as 10 other ranked wrestlers join him, including four in the top-10. The bracket also creates a potential for Big Ten dual previews, as No. 5 Myles Martin (OSU), No. 10 Nate Jackson (Indiana) and No. 12 Nicholas Gravina will each wrestler Parker in 2017.
HWT
After a successful 4-0 start to the season at the UNI Open, Jake McKiernan (SIUE) upset Brooks Black on December 7 in Illinois' first dual meet of the season. Now ranked No. 10 at heavyweight, Black will get a chance to redeem himself at Midlands with a projected seven ranked opponents in the field. Led by No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin), the bracket features three top-10 opponents including future dual meet opponent No. 4 Tanner Hall (Arizona State) who Black will wrestle in Tempe, Arizona on January 29.
Illini Notes
Martinez To Become Illini All-Time Win Percentage Leader
Isaiah Martinez (73-1) is just one match shy of qualifying for the Illinois all-time career win-percentage list. After his first match at Midlands, Martinez (0.986) will overtake Matt Lackey's (0.896) school record. Lackey went 120-14 from 2000-2003 while wrestling at 165 pounds.
Richards on the Cusp of All-Time List
Senior 133-pounder Zane Richards enters Midlands with 90 career wins, one shy of entering the all-time list in Illinois history. With this next victory, Richards will move into a tie with Tony Dallago, Kirk Azinger and Seth Brady for 25th all-time on Illinois' list. Alex Tirapelle owns the program record with 128 wins from 2003-2006. Fellow senior Zac Brunson is currently four wins shy of 91 victories.
Emery Parker Enters Ranks
In his first season as Illinois' projected starter at 184 pounds, Emery Parker checked into the InterMat rankings at No. 15 on December 6. Parker (13-1) has won individual titles at the Joe Parisi Open and again at the UNI Open. Taking over after the graduation of two-year starter Jeff Koepke, Parker has issued five tech falls and two pins while scoring bonus points in 11 of his 14 matches this season.
Coach Heffernan Inks Two to Class of 2017
Illinois Wrestling Head Coach Jim Heffernan finalized two national letters of intent Monday afternoon, as the program will welcome 125-pounder Justin Mejia and 165-pounder Johnny Mologousis for the 2017-2018 season. Both signees have Illini ties, as Mejia wrestles under Illinois all-time wins leader, Adam Tirapelle at Clovis High School and Mologousis is coached by All-American Griff Powell at Lyons Township High School.
