CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Winners of six straight duals, the Fighting Illini will put their winning streak and No. 10 ranking up against defending Big Ten and NCAA champions Penn State in University Park on Friday, February 10. Two days later, the Orange and Blue will host their final meet of the regular season, as they take on Indiana at 3 p.m. The dual will be broadcast Big Ten Network.
Prior to Sunday's dual, Head Coach Jim Heffernan and staff will honor seniors Zane Richards and Zac Brunson as they wrestle for the final time at Huff Hall.
Probable Wrestlers
| #11 Illinois |
|
#2 Penn State |
| Wrestler |
Record |
Weight Class |
Wrestler |
Record |
| Travis Piotrowski |
13-10 (4-3) |
125 lbs. |
#2 Nick Suriano |
14-1 (6-1) |
| #6 Zane Richards |
19-2 (5-1) |
133 lbs. |
George Carpenter -or- Triston Law |
1-9 (0-6) -or- 0-1 (0-1) |
| Mousa Jodeh |
11-14 (2-5) |
141 lbs. |
#11 Jimmy Guilibon |
11-6 (5-2) |
| #19 Eric Barone |
8-5 (5-2) |
149 lbs. |
#1 Zain Retherford |
16-0 (7-0) |
| #12 Kyle Langenderfer |
20-4 (5-1) |
157 lbs. |
#1 Jason Nolf |
16-0 (7-0) |
| #1 Isaiah Martinez |
21-0 (7-0) |
165 lbs. |
#4 Vincenzo Joseph |
12-2 (5-1) |
| #12 Zac Brunson |
24-5 (7-0) |
174 lbs. |
#7 Mark Hall |
21-2 (3-1) |
| #12 Emery Parker |
24-4 (6-1) |
184 lbs. |
#2 Bo Nickal |
15-0 (7-0) |
| Andre Lee |
9-12 (1-6) |
197 lbs. |
#9 Matt McCutcheon |
12-3 (4-3) |
| #15 Brooks Black |
10-4 (4-0) |
HWT |
#3 Nick Nevills |
13-2 (5-2) |
| #11 Illinois |
|
Indiana |
| Wrestler |
Record |
Weight Class |
Wrestler |
Record |
| Travis Piotrowski |
13-10 (4-3) |
125 lbs. |
Elijah Oliver -or- Liam Cronin |
12-4 (4-1) -or- 7-13 (0-2) |
| #6 Zane Richards |
19-2 (5-1) |
133 lbs. |
Garrett Pepple |
10-9 (1-5) |
| Mousa Jodeh |
11-14 (2-5) |
141 lbs. |
Cole Weaver |
8-14 (1-6) |
| #19 Eric Barone |
8-5 (5-2) |
149 lbs. |
Chris Perez -or- Luke Blanton |
9-6 (5-2) -or- 9-5 (0-0) |
| #12 Kyle Langenderfer |
20-4 (6-1) |
157 lbs. |
Jake Danishek |
18-9 (4-3) |
| #1 Isaiah Martinez |
21-0 (7-0) |
165 lbs. |
Bryce Martin |
15-5 (4-3) |
| #12 Zac Brunson |
24-5 (7-0) |
174 lbs. |
Devin Skatzka |
22-7 (4-3) |
| #12 Emery Parker |
24-4 (6-1) |
184 lbs. |
#7 Nate Jackson |
26-2 (7-0) |
| Andre Lee |
9-12 (1-6) |
197 lbs. |
Norman Conley -or- Jake Hinz |
8-9 (0-3) -or- 12-11 (0-4) |
| #15 Brooks Black |
10-4 (4-0) |
HWT |
Fletcher Miller |
7-16 (0-7) |
Quick Hits
*Illinois enters the weekend having won six consecutive duals, including wins against No. 13 Michigan (1/20) and No. 19 Arizona State (1/29).
*Seven Illini are currently ranked in their respective weight classes according to Intermat: #1 Isaiah Martinez (21-0), #6 Zane Richards (19-2), #12 Zac Brunson (24-5), #12 Emery Parker (24-4), #12 Kyle Langenderfer (20-4), #15 Brooks Black (10-4) and #19 Eric Barone (8-5). The team checks in at #10 in the latest Intermat dual rankings and #10 in the tournament index. The seven ranked Illini is the most since November 23, 2015.
*Zane Richards recorded his 100th career victory on Friday, February 3 against Jason Ipsarides (Northwestern) with a 16-6 major decision. After a win on Sunday versus Luke Welch (Purdue), Richards is tied with Illini volunteer assistant Jesse Delgado (101) for 22nd all-time.
*Zac Brunson notched his 99th career win on Sunday with a 13-1 major decision against Jacob Morrissey (Purdue), putting him one win shy of becoming the 24th Illini to reach the century mark.
*Langenderfer's No. 12 ranking is tied for the highest of his career. The redshirt junior was last ranked No. 12 prior to the 2015 NCAA Championships. Lagnenderfer currently holds a six-match win streak dating back to Jan 8.
*149-pounder Eric Barone was ranked for the first time last week, checking in at No. 19 this in this week's weekly InterMat rankings. The redshirt freshman is 8-5 on the season and has won five of his seven Big Ten duals since taking over for the injured Brock Ervin.
*Isaiah Martinez officially qualified for Illinois' all-time win percentage record, overtaking Matt Lackey (0.896) with his record of 88-1 (.989). Lackey tallied 120 wins in 134 matches for a 0.896 win-percentage from 2000-03. Zane Richards (101-22) sits in 9th place on the all-time win-percentage list with a .821 mark.
Illini Notes
Illini Remain Alive in B1G Dual Title Hunt
Entering the final week of the regular season, Illinois could potentially capture a share of the Big Ten dual-meet title based on the following scenario: Illinois wins both duals against Penn State and Indiana, Penn State loses to Maryland and one loss by both Iowa and Nebraska.
Coach Heffernan To Honor Two Seniors
Prior to Sunday's regular-season finale, Head Coach Jim Heffernan and staff will recognize seniors Zac Brunson and Zane Richards as they wrestle their last matches at Huff Hall.
Brunson will leave Illinois as one of its most successful wrestlers of all-time, as the Eugene, Oregon native ranks in the top-25 all-time wins list and is two pins away from cracking the all-time pins top-10 list. Brunson has placed at all three Big Ten Championships he's competed at, including a runner-up finish last season.
Richards ranks among the best 133-pounders in Illinois history, currently ranking 22nd in wins and earned his first All-America honor last year at NCAA Championships. With a current win percentage of .821, Richards ranks ninth in Illinois history.
Richards Reaches Century Mark
133-pounder Zane Richards became the 23rd Illini to reach the 100-win plateau, doing so on Friday, February 3 with a 16-6 major decision of Jason Ipsarides. Tied with Jesse Delgado with 101 wins currently, Richards also ranks in the top-10 in terms of win percentage with a .821 mark that ranks ninth all-time.
Pinning It Down
Zac Brunson continues to move closer to joining the school's all-time career pins list. After scoring his sixth pin of the season against Maryland's Sam Rowell, Brunson is two pins away from entering the top-10 on Illinois' all-time list. With six this season, Brunson has 18 for his career, two behind No. 10 Troy Tirapelle (2006-09) who finished his career with 20. Tony Dallago owns the school record with 40 pins from 2009-13.
Penn State Series History: ILL Leads 9-6
Illinois first wrestled Penn State in 1952 and holds a 9-6 all-time advantage over the Nittany Lions. However, Penn State has won each of the last five meetings with the Illini, including a 30-15 victory at Huff Hall last season. Illinois' last victory in the series came on February 3, 2008 when the Illini defeated the eight-ranked Nittany Lions 18-15 at Huff Hall.
Indiana Series History: ILL Leads 46-41-1
Leading the all-time series against the Hoosiers, the Illini have won each of the last four meetings against Indiana including a 36-3 victory in Bloomington two years ago.
At Huff Hall, Illinois has won 10 straight home duals in the series, dating back to 1993. The last home loss to Indiana came on February 8, 1991 when the Hoosiers defeated Coach Ron Clinton's Illini, 29-9.
Matchups to Watch
No. 1 Isaiah Martinez vs. No. 4 Vincenzo Joseph
For the fifth time this season, top-ranked Isaiah Martinez will put his undefeated (21-0) record up against a top-10 opponent when he wrestles No. 4 Vincenzo Joseph. Already holding victories over No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri), No. 9 Chad Welsh (Rider), No. 2 Logan Massa (Michigan) and No. 9 Anthony Valencia (Arizona State). Martinez has 18 bonus-point victories in his 21 matches this season, including a team-high nine technical falls and five pins.
A true freshman, Joseph is 12-2 on the season with a 5-1 record in Big Ten duals. Joseph's lone Big Ten dual los came at the hands of Isaac Jordan on January 27. Jordan defeated Joseph in sudden victory, 6-4.
No. 12 Zac Brunson vs. No. 7 Mark Hall
Seeking the 100th win of his career, Brunson (24-5) will battle highly touted true freshman Mark Hall (21-2) of Penn State after Head Coach Cael Sanderson pulled the redshirt tag off Hall last month.
Brunson, a runner-up at Big Ten Championships last season, is tied with Emery Parker for the team lead in wins (24) and holds the team lead in pins (6). Undefeated in Big Ten duals, the Illini senior highlight victory came in a 2-1 decision against Michigan's Myles Amine on January 20.
In high school, Hall received the 2016 Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award and became the first t own six Minnesota State High School Championships with a 277-4 overall record. Of those 277 wins, 171 were won consecutively and 189 were by pin. Hall has also won two USA Wrestling UWW Junior National titles and the 2016 UWW Junior Freestyle World Championship in 2014.
No. 12 Emery Parker vs. No. 7 Nate Jackson
The lone ranked matchup of the dual will come at 184 pounds, as Parker (22-4) wrestles Jackson (24-2).
Parker is in his first season starting for Coach Heffernan's squad and is tied with Brunson for the team lead in wins (24). The Illini redshirt sophomore has two wins over ranked opponents, upsetting Jordan Ellingwood (Central Michigan) at Midlands and Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers) during Big Ten duals.
After making a run at NCAA Championships at 174 pounds, Jackson moved up to 184 pounds for his senior season. So far, Jackson is 24-2 with five pins and 16 victories by major decision or greater. Jackson has four wins over ranked opponents, including a 3-1 decision against Sammy Brooks at Midlands.
