Full Brackets
IOWA CITY, IOWA — The Big Ten released the bracket for each of the ten weight classes this afternoon, setting the stage for tomorrow morning's opening session. Five Illini will face seeded opponents to open their 2016 Big Ten Championships slate, while Zane Richards will open with a bye in the first round of the 133-pound bracket.
At 125 pounds, Francis Edelen will kickoff his first Big Ten Championships with a bout against Wisconsin's Johnny Jimenez. Jimenez defeated Edelen in Madison by major decision, 13-3. The winner will take on the winner of Nico Megaludis (Penn State) and Mitch Rogaliner (Michigan).
Zane Richards, the top-seeded wrestler at 133-pounds, receives a bye in the first round. The junior will await the winner of Dom Malone (Northwestern) and Rossi Bruno (Michigan) for his round two matchup. Richards did not face Malone last month due to illness, but defeated Bruno 4-1 in Ann Arbor on January 15.
Freshman Mousa Jodeh will be making his first appearance at Big Ten Championships tomorrow when he takes on the two-seed, Tommy Thorn of Minnesota. The duo met three weeks ago to end the regular season where Thorn prevailed 6-2.
At 149-pounds, Kyle Langenderfer will get his shot at revenge against top seed Zain Retherford. Retherford defeated Langenderfer by fall on January 23 at Huff Hall. A matchup with either Wade Hodges (Maryland) or Jake Short (Minnesota) awaits the winner.
The defending Big Ten Champion at 157-pounds, Isaiah Martinez, will begin his crown defense. His path to the title will begin with TJ Ruschell (Wisconsin), a wrestler Martinez tech falled (16-1) earlier this season. Seventh-seed Tyler Berger (Nebraska) has a bye in tomorrow's first round and will await the victor.
Entering his final Big Ten Championships, Steven Rodrigues begins his quest for his first title with a match against Brendan Burnham of Maryland. The two grapplers faced each other back in November as part of the Grapple at the Garden, with Rodrigues earning a 13-8 decision. Sixth seed Austin Wilson (Nebraska) and Dean Vettese (Michigan State) round out the pod.
Unlike most of his teammates, Zac Brunson's opening match will feature two grapplers with no prior history. Third seed Brunson will face off against fourteen seed Andrew Hoselton of Purdue. #6 Micah Barnes (Nebraska)and #11 Aaron Calderon (Michigan) will determine the other half of the second-round matchup.
With the seventh seed at 184 pounds, Jeff Koepke will begin his path with unseeded Mark Colabucci of Maryland. The winner will take on Matt McCutcheon (Penn State) who has a bye in the opening round.
At 197 pounds, Andre Lee will get his first taste of the conference tournament with an opening bout against Jacob Cooper (Michigan State). Lee fought tough against Cooper back in mid-January, but ultimately fell to the freshman 9-6. The winner will likely face top-seeded Morgan McIntosh of Penn State.
Rounding the Illini competitors is Brooks Black at heavyweight. His first-round opponent will bring back some memories for him and Illini fans, as he faces Conan Jennings. Black's pin of Jennings on February 7 notched an exhilarating 25-24 comeback win over the Wildcats of Northwestern. Ohio State's Kyle Snyder awaits the winner in round two.
For complete coverage of Illinois wrestling throughout the Big Ten Championships, go to fightingillini.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter and Instagram.
