CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini wrestling team closes out 2017 with the 55th annual Ken Kraft Midlands tournament on Friday, December 29 and Saturday, December 30. Due to ongoing the ongoing $110 million renovation to Welsh Ryan Arena in Evanston, this year's tournament will be hosted at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates. The two-day meet will be streamed live on BTN Plus and FloWrestling per subscription.
Quick Hits
*The Fighting Illini will be competing for the 42nd time at the 55th annual Midlands tournament. Illinois has won the team title four times (2003, 2004, 2005, 2012) and have crowned 12 individual champions. Isaiah Martinez won the 157-pound title at 2014 Midlands and the 165-pound bracket at 2016 Midlands.
*Isaiah Martinez is seeking to become the first Illini to win three Midlands titles. Only 42 wrestlers, inlcuding just 28 collegiate grapplers, have ever won three. Illini coach Jim Heffernan won three (1983-84, 86) at Iowa.
*Five Illini enter the weekend ranked according to InterMat's latest polls: #2 Isaiah Martinez (165), #12 Emery Parker (184), #13 Kyle Langenderfer (157), #15 Travis Piotrowski (125) and #20 Dylan Duncan (133).
*Isaiah Martinez currently ranks 24th on Illinois' all-time wins list with 101 career wins. Recording his 100th win at Fresno State on November 17, Martinez is two wins behind Griff Powell (103) and four wins behind a trio of Illini -- Kevin Puebla (105), current Illini assistant coach Mike Poeta (105) and John Dergo (105) -- for 20th place.
*Two Illini enter Midlands with an unblemished record. Sophomore Travis Piotrowski sports a 7-0 record at 125 pounds, while redshirt senior Isaiah Martinez is 3-0 at 165 pounds.
*Isaiah Martinez has won each of his three matches this season by tech fall, outscoring his three opponents 75-29. Of his 101 career victories, 42 have come by tech fall.
*Illinois features three first-year starters in their lineup this season: #20 Dylan Duncan (133), Mike Carr (141) and Xavier Montalvo (174). Duncan and Carr picked up their first Big Ten dual wins at Iowa on Dec. 1.
Illini Notes
Illinois Midlands History
Since the inaugural Midlands in 1963, the Fighting Illini have participated in 41 of the 54 Midlands tournaments. Entering their 42nd appearance this week, the Illini have won the title four times, most recently in 2012. Individually, Illini wrestlers have placed 130 times at the annual holiday tournament, while 12 Illini have been crowned champions. Isaiah Martinez has twice won the event, being crowned the 157-pound champion as a redshirt freshman in 2014 and the 165-pound champion in 2016.
I-Mar Seeks Third Midlands Title
In the 54-year history of the Midlands tournament, only 43 wrestlers have won three or more individual titles. Of the 43 grapplers, only 18 have won three while in college with the most recent coming last year when Iowa's Thomas Gilman accomplished the feat. The remaining 24 three-time winners reached their third title while wrestling for a club team following graduation. Martinez would be the first Illini to join this group. Illinois head coach Jim Heffernan is a three-time Midlands champion, winning in 1983, 1984 and 1986.
Illini to Watch
125: #15 Travis Piotrowski
One of two Illini to enter the midseason tournament without a blemish on his record. With seven straight victories to open the season, the Illini sophomore is one of seven ranked wrestlers in the Midlands field. Ranked #15 entering the weekend, Piotrowski went 2-2 last year at Midlands, highlighted by an upset of No. 18 L.J. Bentley in the second round. Of the other six ranked wrestlers, three come from Big Ten schools on Illinois' remaining schedule in No. 2 Nick Suriano (Rutgers), No. 12 Sebastian Rivera (NW) and No. 18 Luke Welch (PUR).
165: #2 Isaiah Martinez
Seeking to become just the 19th collegian to win a third Midlands title, Martinez headlines six ranked wrestlers in the bracket. Along with Martinez, Evan Wick (Wisconsin) ranks in the top-10 at 165 and will be a preview of a Feb. 11 dual at Huff Hall. Along with Wick, a couple foes from Martinez's path to last year's Midlands title will again look to challenge him this year: No. 12 Anthony Valencia (ASU) and No. 13 Alex Marinelli (Iowa). Martinez defeated both by major decisions last year, Valencia in the semifinals and Marinelli in the quarterfinals.
184: #12 Emery Parker
Despite just one loss this season, Parker will be looking to beef up his resume with wins over ranked opponents after dropping the Roadrunner Open title match to No. 8 Ricky Robertson (Wisconsin) back in November. Parker's first of a handful of ranked wins last season came at Midlands when he pinned Jordan Ellingwood of Central Michigan. Along with Robertson and Ellingwood, Nick Gravina (Rutgers) is also in the field after Parker defeated Gravina in New Brunswick last January, 8-6, in sudden victory.
Up Next
The Illini return to Champaign to host their first two duals of the season. On Friday, January 5, the Orange and Blue battle the 18th-ranked Nebraska Huskers in a 8 p.m. central time dual on Big Ten Network. A youth clinic for kids 8th grade and under will begin at 6:45 p.m., while the first 500 fans through the door will receive an Illinois wrestling masks. The Illini continue their homestand two days later when they host Northwestern at 1 p.m. on Sunday, January 7 for 'Takedown Cancer' day with pink prior to the match.
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini wrestling, go to FIGHTINILLINI.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter and Instagram.
