CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini wrestling head coach Jim Heffernan and staff announced the 2017-18 wrestling schedule on Wednesday. The new season begins on November 4 with a dual at Missouri, features five home duals against Big Ten opponents and road matches against Big Ten heavyweights Iowa and Minnesota.
Schedule Notes:
- The Illini will open their season at Missouri in an outdoor meet on Nov. 4
- Home opener is Friday, January 5 versus Nebraska
- Illinois will wrestle four teams that finished in the top-10 at NCAA Championships last season (Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska & Minnesota)
- Five Big Ten home matches: Nebraska, Northwestern, Maryland, Rutgers and Wisconsin
- Four Big Ten road matches: Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue and Indiana
- Two tournaments: Roadrunner (Nov. 19) and Midlands (Dec. 29-30)
Schedule HTML | Schedule PDF
| 2017-18 Illinois Wrestling Schedule |
| Day |
Date |
Opponent |
Location (Stadium) |
Notes |
| Sat. |
Nov. 4 |
at Missouri |
Columbia, Mo. |
Held outside on Missouri softball field |
| Fri. |
Nov. 17 |
at Fresno State |
Fresno, Calif. |
First meeting since 2005-06 (2-0 all-time) |
| Sun. |
Nov. 19 |
at Roadrunner Open |
Bakersfield, Calif. |
Last competed at tournament in 2014 |
| Fri. |
Dec. 1 |
at Iowa |
Iowa City, Iowa |
Placed fourth at 2017 NCAA Championships |
| Fri.-Sat. |
Dec. 29-30 |
at Midlands |
Hoffman Estates, Ill. |
Illini are four-time champs of the event, last coming in 2012 |
| Fri. |
Jan. 5 |
Nebraska |
Huff Hall |
Finished ninth at 2017 NCAA Championships |
| Sun. |
Jan. 7 |
Northwestern |
Huff Hall |
Illinois has won each of the last five meetings dating back to 2011-2012 |
| Sun. |
Jan. 14 |
at Minnesota |
Minneapolis, Minn. |
Return six wrestlers from 7th place finish at 2017 NCAA Championships |
| Sun. |
Jan. 21 |
at Purdue |
West Lafayette, Ind. |
Illini have won nine straight duals in West Lafayette, dating back to 1994-95 |
| Sun. |
Jan. 28 |
Maryland |
Huff Hall |
5-0 all-time against Terrapins |
| Fri. |
Feb. 2 |
at Indiana |
Bloomington, Ind. |
Illini have taken each of the last five meetings against the Hoosiers |
| Sun. |
Feb. 4 |
Rutgers |
Huff Hall |
Second ever meeting at Huff Hall (ILL won 24-9 in 2015) |
| Sun. |
Feb. 11 |
Wisconsin |
Huff Hall |
Undefeated at Huff against the Badgers since 1990-91 (7-0-1) |
| Sat.-Sun. |
March 3-4 |
Big Ten Championships |
East Lansing, Mich |
Isaiah Martinez looks for Illinois-record fourth Big Ten title |
| Thurs.-Sat. |
March 15-17 |
NCAA Championships |
Cleveland, Ohio |
Illini return five NCAA qualifiers from last season |
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini wrestling, go to FIGHTINILLINI.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter and Instagram.
