CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini wrestling kicks off its 2018 home schedule on Friday night, January 5, with the 10th annual 'Great Escape' against No. 18 Nebraska. Illinois fans eighth grade and younger can attend a youth clinic prior to the match, while the first 500 fans into the arena will receive Illini-themed wrestling masks. Admission to the dual is free and fans are encouraged to wear orange for an 'Orange Out.'
Beginning at 6:45 p.m., Illinois wrestlers will lead a wrestling clinic for Illini fans eighth grade and under. The 45-minute clinic will provide basic fundamentals for young Illini fans and give them a chance to wrestle on the Huff Hall mat. Walk-up registration is allowed, however, fans are encouraged to pre-register participants here. A Kid Captain will be selected from the clinic to watch the team warmup in the wrestling room and take part in starter introductions.
In addition to the youth clinic and wrestling masks, free pizza will be provided prior to the match and fans can enter a raffle to win a pair of men's basketball tickets. After the dual, fans will have an opportunity to get autographs from their favorite Illini wrestlers.
The Illini will take on the Huskers at 8 p.m. central time in a dual that can be seen live on Big Ten Network. Fans can also stream the dual on BTN2Go.com.
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini wrestling, go to FIGHTINILLINI.com and follow @IlliniWrestling on Twitter and Instagram.
