CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Redshirt junior No. 12 Eric Barone defeated his second top-five opponent of the season with a 3-1 overtime win over No. 5 Kaleb Young in the 157-bout, but No. 13 Illinois ultimately fell to No. 3 Iowa 31-8 at Huff Hall Friday night. No. 4 Mike Carr defeated No. 19 Max Murin in a 6-3 decision in the 141-pound match for his third consecutive victory, all of which coming against ranked opponents. Redshirt Senior and nationally-ranked No. 2 184-pounder Emery Parker remained undefeated on the season with a 4-1 decision over No. 17 Cash Wilcke.
"Barone had a huge win," said head coach Jim Heffernan. "Michael Carr responded when his back was against the wall, but I don't think across-the-board we had enough fight, and I think we left a couple wins on the mat. We are nowhere as an offense of as we need to be to be successful and we will get that addressed."
Barone's impressive season at 157-pounds continued with tonight's win over No. 5 Young. It was a defensive battle with the only points of the regulation coming on escapes, Barone taking the initial 1-0 lead midway through the second, and then Young escaping in the third to tie the match. It was Barone that seized the opportunity in overtime, forcing the takedown to win the match, 3-1. The win was the second against a No. 5 nationally-ranked opponent this season for Barone, after defeating then-No.5 Ke-Shawn Hayes of Ohio State in a 2-1 decision at the Cliff Keen Invitational on November 30. With the win Barone moves to 15-7, which ties him with redshirt Junior Joey Gunther and redshirt senior Andre Lee for the team lead in wins.
The 141-pound matchup between redshirt sophomore Mike Carr and Max Murin was relatively quiet through the start of the third period. Carr took the lead first with an escape in the second, then Murin tied the score at one early in the third with an escape of his own. After a call that went to video review, Murin was awarded two points for a takedown to take a 3-1 lead with 38 seconds remaining. No. 4 Carr then took over, first with an escape to draw within one, followed by a takedown to take the 4-3 lead. Video review had also determined Carr had earned a two-point nearfall. Closing out the match on a 5-0 run, Carr won the match in a 6-3 decision. Carr is now 8-2 on the season and 4-0 in B1G duals.
Redshirt senior Emery Parker put his perfect record on the line in the 184-pound matchup against Cash Wilcke. Wilcke took the initial 1-0 lead in the second on an escape, but that would be the only point Parker would allow in the bout. After tying the match on an escape to start the third period, Parker took the lead 2-1 after a stalling call on Wilcke. Parker used a takedown near the end of the third to seal the match and win a 4-1 decision. No. 2 Parker remains unbeaten (11-0, 4-0 B1G) heading into his Sunday afternoon showdown with No. 4 Taylor Venz of Nebraska.
The No. 13 Illini head to Nebraska for a Sunday afternoon dual with the No. 6 Cornhuskers, beginning at 2 p.m. CT. The match can be streamed on BTN2Go.
125 -- #2 Spencer Lee (IA) Fall #12 Travis Piotrowski (ILL), 6:06; Iowa 6, ILL 0
133 – Paul Glynn (IA) dec. #18 Dylan Duncan (ILL), 3-1; Iowa 9, ILL 0
141 -- #4 Mike Carr (ILL) dec. #19 Max Murin (IA), 6-3; Iowa 9, ILL 3
149 -- #16 Pat Lugo (IA) major dec. Mousa Jodeh (ILL), 14-4; Iowa 13, ILL 3
157 -- #12 Eric Barone (ILL) dec. #5 Kaleb Young (IA), 3-1; Iowa 13, ILL 5
165 -- #2 Alex Marinelli (IA) winner by stalling disqualification Joey Gunther (ILL), 9-3 (DQ); Iowa 19, ILL 5
174 -- Keegan Shaw (IA) dec. Nick Gasbarro (ILL), 6-2; Iowa 22, ILL 5
184 -- #2 Emery Parker (ILL) dec. #17 Cash Wilcke (IA), 4-1; Iowa 22, ILL 8
197 -- #5 Jacob Warner (IA) dec. Andre Lee (ILL), 5-1; Iowa 25, ILL 8
285 -- #3 Sam Stoll (IA) fall Deuce Rachal (ILL), 4:37; Iowa 31, ILL 8
*-1 team point unsportsmanlike conduct against Illinois after 157
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.
