CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois Wrestling announced on Thursday that the season-opening dual against Missouri on November 3 will take place at Grange Grove, weather permitting. The dual will begin at 12:30 p.m. on the south end of Grange Grove, and takes place a few hours before Illinois football hosts Minnesota at 2:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium. In the case of inclement weather, the dual will take place at Huff Hall at 12:30 p.m.
The Grapple in the Grove will be the first-ever dual for Fighting Illini wrestling at Grange Grove. Illinois enters the match ranked No. 17 in InterMat's preseason dual-meet rankings, while Missouri comes in ranked No. 10. The dual, beginning at 12:30, will start moments after the conclusion of Illini Walk.
Parking lots open at 7 a.m. as part of the normal football game day procedure. Passes are required for admittance to all parking lots adjacent to Memorial Stadium. Game-day purchase parking is available in Research Park and to the east of the Ubben Basketball Complex off St. Mary's Drive (lot 46 and 47) and Florida Ave (lot 49). For more information regarding parking on football game days, view the Game Day Guide and Parking Map.
Fighting Illini Wrestling also announced its full promotional schedule for the 2018-19 season on Thursday. The Orange and Blue host five home duals this season. Along with Grapple in the Grove, other promotions include Ladies Night, Tuff 'N Huff, The Great Escape and Senior Night/Hail To the Orange Night.
Promotional Schedule HTML
| 2018-19 Illinois Wrestling Promotional Schedule |
| Day |
Date/Time |
Opponent |
Promotion |
| Sat. |
Nov. 3/ 12:30 p.m. |
Missouri |
Grapple in the Gorve |
| Fri. |
Jan. 18/ 7 p.m. |
Minnesota |
Ladies Night- Pre-Dual self-defense class for first 50 ladies to register, Free Illini wine glass for ladies |
| Fri. |
Jan. 25/ 8 p.m. |
Iowa |
Tuff 'N Huff- Fraternity Arm Wrestling Tournament, 65-inch, 4K T.V. to winning fraternity of arm wrestling tournament, Tuff 'N Huff T-shirts, |
| Fri. |
Feb. 1/ 8 p.m. |
Ohio State |
The Great Escape- Pre-Dual youth wrestling clinic, 2-point takedown foam fingers, Post-Dual autographs |
| Sun. |
Feb. 17/ 1 p.m. |
Penn State |
Senior Night/Hail to the Orange Night- Hail to the Orange T-shirts, Hail to the Orange Rally towels |
For complete coverage of Fighting Illini Wrestling, visit FightingIllini.com, follow the Illini on Twitter (@illiniwrestling) and Instagram (illiniwrestling) and like Fighting Illini Wrestling on Facebook.
