CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois competes for the first time in 2019 this weekend, opening its Big Ten schedule with duals at Michigan State and Michigan beginning at 6 p.m. CT on Friday January 11 and Saturday January 12. Both matches can be streamed via BTN2Go.
Probable Wrestlers
| #14 Illinois |
|
#5 Michigan |
| Wrestler |
Record |
Weight Class |
Wrestler |
Record |
| #14 Travis Piotrowski |
10-5 |
125 lbs. |
#11 Drew Mattin -or- Austin Assad |
10-4; 8-2 |
| #20 Dylan Duncan |
8-4 |
133 lbs. |
#3 Steven Micic |
5-0 |
| #5 Mike Carr |
4-2 |
141 lbs. |
#6 Kanen Storr |
15-1 |
| Christian Kanzler |
2-6 |
149 lbs. |
Malik Amine |
6-3 |
| #12 Eric Barone |
13-5 |
157 lbs. |
#14 Alec Pantaleo |
9-3 |
| #17 Joey Gunther |
15-6 |
165 lbs. |
#7 Logan Masa |
8-3 |
| Carver James |
13-5 |
174 lbs. |
#3 Myles Amine -or- Reece Hughes |
10-1; 3-5 |
| #2 Emery Parker |
7-0 |
184 lbs. |
JT Correll |
0-0 |
| Andre Lee |
14-6 |
197 lbs. |
Jackson Striggow -or- Andrew Davison |
8-4; 7-2 |
| Deuce Rachal |
7-8 |
HWT |
Mason Paris |
19-3 |
Rankings from FloWrestling
Quick Hits
*No. 14 Fighting Illini wrestling beigns their Big Ten schedule this weekend with road duals at Michigan State and Michigan. The Michigan State dual in East Lansing will begin at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, Jan. 11. UI will then head to Ann Arbor for a clash with the fifth-ranked Wolverines on Saturday, Jan. 12 that will also start at 6 p.m. CT.
*Illinois looks to make it five consecutive victories against the Spartans on Friday. The Illini defeated the Spartans at Huff Hall in the last meeting on January 27, 2017. Michigan State leads the all-time series 40-19-3.
*The Illini trail the all-time series against the Wolverines, with Michigan holding a 42-25-1 advantage. The Orange and Blue got the best of Michigan in their last dual at Huff Hall on January 20, 2017 defeating the Wolverines 34-6.
*Redshirt senior Emery Parker and redshirt sophomore Mike Carr are both slated to return to the Illinois lineup at Michigan State. The two Illini are nationally ranked by Flowrestling second at 184-pound and fifth at 141-pounds, respectively.
*Last time out, the Illini placed ninth out of 35 teams at the 56th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on Dec. 29-30. Five Illini placed at the tournament: Junior Travis Piotrowski (125, fifth place), redshirt junior Eric Barone (157, fifth place), redshirt sophomore Dylan Duncan (133, sixth place) unattached freshman Justin Cardani (125, sixth place) and redshirt junior Joey Gunther (165, seventh place)
*Along with Parker and Carr, four more Illini hold spots in the latest national rankings from Flowrestling: No. 12 Eric Barone at 157-pounds, No. 14 Travis Piotrowski at 125-pounds, No. 17 Joey Gunther at 165-pounds and No. 20 Dylan Duncan at 133-pounds.
*Next up, the Illini host their first dual at Huff Hall of the season against No. 8 Minnesota next Friday at 6 p.m. CT.
Illini Notes
Last Time Out
The Illini took fifth place out of 35 competing teams at the 56th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships on December 29 and 30 at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill. UI had five wrestlers place at the annual year-end tournament: Junior Travis Piotrowski (125, fifth place), redshirt junior Eric Barone (157, fifth place), redshirt sophomore Dylan Duncan (133, sixth place) unattached freshman Justin Cardani (125, sixth place) and redshirt junior Joey Gunther (165, seventh place). The finishes by Piotrowski, Barone and Gunther were the best of their veteran careers at Midlands.
Sizing Up The Spartans
The Spartans enter Friday's Meet with a 4-2 overall record and a 1-0 mark in the Big Ten after defeating Indiana, 16-15 at Jenison Field House on December 7. Michigan State is led by nationally-ranked wrestlers at 125 and 184-pounds. Rayvon Foley ranks No. 8 at 125 and has a 19-1 record this season, while Cam Caffey enters No. 20 with an 18-1 record at 184-pounds. In their last action, the Spartans were defeated in an 18-17 decision against Kent State in the South Beach Duals.
A Look At the Wolverines
No. 5 Michigan enters the weekend matchup versus the Illini at the Crisler Center 5-0 in duals and having outscored opponents by a combined margin of 141-52. The Wolverines are 1-0 in the Big Ten after a 32-7 win against Indiana on December 9. The team has nationally-ranked wrestlers listed as probable starters in nine of 10 weight classes, led by No. 3 Steven Micic at 133-pounds. Michigan won its last dual at No. 9 Arizona State, 23-12.
Six Illini Ranked Nationally
TheFighting Illini still sit at No. 14 in the FloWrestling national rankings as we enter 2019. Here are the Illini's best ranks across the national rankings: No. 2 Emery Parker (FloWrestling, OpenMat, InterMat, Trackwrestling), No. 5 Mike Carr, (FloWrestling), No. 11 Eric Barone (WIN Magazine) No. 14 Travis Piotrowski (FloWrestling, Trackwrestling), No. 16 Joey Gunther (InterMat) and No. 17 Dylan Duncan, (WIN Magazine, OpenMat).
Illini to Watch
184: Emery Parker
Redshirt senior Emery Parker returns for the Illini after missing the Midlands tournament. Parker takes his perfect 7-0 record to the Crisler Centre, coming off an 8-5 decision over Will Feldkamp at the NIU dual his last time out. Parker previously this season won the 184-pound championship at the Lindenwood Open on Nov. 17.
141: Mike Carr
Mike Carr returns for the Illini squad seeing his first action since the Cliff Keen Invite in Las Vegas on November 30 and December 1, where he placed sixth at 141-pounds. Carr enters the weekend with his highest national-ranking of the season, coming in at No. 5 in FloWrestling's January 7 rankings. Carr is 4-2 in the 2018-19 campaign and 24-9 in his Illini career.
157: Eric Barone
Barone heads into the road trip coming off a fifth-place finish at 157-pounds at the Midlands Championships on December 29 and 30. Barone has been victorious in both of his dual appearances so far this season. After defeating Lane Stigall in a 9-2 decision at Grapple in the Grove to start the season, Barone followed up with another stellar performance in his next dual appearance at NIU, defeating Mason Kauffman in an 8-4 decision. Barone is 13-5 this season, with three victories by fall in 2018-19.
Up Next
Illinois hosts its first dual of the season at Huff Hall, with No. 8 Minnesota heading to Champaign next Friday, January 18 for a 6 p.m. showdown. The dual will feature the first ever Ladies Night. The first 250 ladies in attendance will receive a commemorative Illinois Wrestling etched wine glass. Prior to the dual, there will be a free self-defense clinic held in Huff Hall taught by the FOCUS Champaign School of Self-Defense. The class will begin at 4:30 pm and will provide participants with an introductory lesson on situational awareness and contextual defense.
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.
