CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - No. 15 Illinois wrestling hosts its first of three consecutive home duals on Sunday, taking on No. 23 Michigan at 1 p.m. at Huff Hall. Free Pink T-shirts will be given to the first 150 fans, as the Illini show their continued support in the fight against cancer for Illinois Wrestling's Take Down Cancer Day.
Probable Wrestlers
| No. 15 Illinois |
|
No. 23 Michigan |
| Wrestler |
Record |
Weight Class |
Wrestler |
Record |
| #24 Justin Cardani |
10-5 |
125 lbs. |
Jack Medley |
12-8 |
| #8 Travis Piotrowski |
16-2 |
133 lbs. |
Joey Silva -OR- Austin Assad |
3-0; 3-5 |
| #12 Dylan Duncan |
12-6 |
141 lbs. |
Cole Mattin -OR- Ben Freeman |
12-7; 0-4 |
| Mousa Jodeh |
2-9 |
149 lbs. |
#12 Kanen Storr -OR- Ben Lamantia |
10-2; 6-4 |
| Eric Barone |
8-8 |
157 lbs. |
#8 Will Lewan |
13-4 |
| #14 Danny Braunagel |
15-5 |
165 lbs. |
Tyler Meisinger -OR- Reece Hughes |
6-6; 0-1 |
| #22 Joey Gunther |
11-4 |
174 lbs. |
Max Maylor |
3-9 |
| #14 Zac Braunagel |
13-6 |
184 lbs. |
#13 Jelani Embree -OR- Bobby Striggow |
15-5; 4-8 |
| Matt Wroblewski |
7-9 |
197 lbs. |
Jackson Striggow -OR- J.T. Correll |
13-5; 1-5 |
| Luke Luffman |
11-5 |
285 lbs. |
#2 Mason Parris |
20-0 |
Individual Rankings from FloWrestling; team rankings from InterMat Dual
Quick Hits
*Illinois enters Sunday's dual vs. Michigan 4-3 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten duals.
*Illinois trails the all-time series 26-44, with one tie. In the most recent matchup between the teams, the Illini were defeated, 28-10, on Jan. 12, 2019 in Ann Arbor.
*Illinois was defeated by No. 5 Ohio State, 28-6, last time out.
*Redshirt freshman Justin Cardani (125) and senior Travis Piotrowski (133) each remain undefeated in Big Ten Duals at 3-0 after winning their bouts at Ohio State last weekend.
*Piotrowski now leads the Illini in wins with 16. He has won his last five bouts, and is also a perfect, 7-0, in dual matchups this season.
*Illinois is ranked 15th in the latest InterMat Dual rankings (January 21), its highest national ranking of the season.
*Six Illinois wrestlers are ranked in the national top-25 by FloWrestling, including four in the top-15. Eight wrestlers are ranked across the various weekly rankings.
*Sunday's matchup against No. 23 Michigan is the first of three consecutive home duals. After Michigan, the Illini will host Michigan State on Friday, January 31 and No. 19 Northwestern on Sunday, Feburary 2.
Illini Notes
Last Time Out
Illinois was defeated by No. 5 Ohio State, 28-6, on January 19 in Columbus. The Illini saw wins from redshirt freshman Justin Cardani at 125-pounds and senior Travis Piotrowski at 133-pounds.
Starting Duals Strong
Cardani and Piotrowski have been able to get the Illini out to early leads in dual matches this season. Every dual the Illini have contested this season has started at 125-pounds, and Cardani (125) and Piotrowski (133) are a combined 13-1 in dual bouts this season. Piotrowski is undefeated in duals at 7-0, and Cardani has won six consecutive dual bouts to put his record in duals at 6-1. Both Cardani and Piotrowski enter Sunday's matchup with Michigan undefeated in Big Ten duals.
Illinois and Illini Wrestlers In The National Rankings
The Illini rank at No. 15 in the latest InterMat Dual National Rankings. The Illinois lineup features five wrestlers ranked in the top-15 nationally. Here are the highest national-rankings for each ranked Illini wrestler entering the weekend: No. 7 Travis Piotrowski (133, InterMat), No. 9 Joey Gunther (174, InterMat), No. 12 Danny Braunagel (165, WIN Magazine), No. 12 Dylan Duncan (141, FloWrestling), No. 14 Zac Braunagel (184, FloWrestling, InterMat, Trackwrestling), No. 22 Justin Cardani (125, Trackwrestling), No. 30 Matt Wroblewski (197, Trackwrestling) No. 32 Luke Luffman (285, OpenMat).
Scouting The Wolverines
No. 23 Michigan enters Sunday's matchup with the Illini at 5-2 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten duals. In its most recent matchup, Michigan defeated No. 19 Northwestern last night in Evanston, 20-17. Sunday's probable lineup for Michigan features four wrestlers nationally-ranked by FloWrestlers, all of whom rank in the top-15. The Wolverines are led by heavyweight Mason Parris, who is ranked No. 2 nationally and comes into Sunday's dual with a record of 20-0.
Illini To Watch
184: Zac Braunagel
Nationally-ranked No. 14 Zac Braunagel could have a crucial ranked-battle in Sunday's dual if Michigan goes with or-listed No. 13 Jelani Embree at 184-pounds. Braunagel enters Sunday's dual with a record of 13-6, while Embree heads in with a record of 15-5. If not Embree, Braunagel will be opposed by Bobby Striggow, who would be entering Sunday's matchup with a 4-8 mark on the season.
125: Justin Cardani
Nationally-ranked No. 24 Justin Cardani will look to keep his hot streak going on Sunday against Michigan's Jack Medley in the 125-pound bout. Medley is coming off a dual-winning, 3-2 decision over No. 7 Michael DeAugustino on Friday night at Northwestern. Cardani will head in to Sunday's matchup with an overall record of 10-5, and as a winner of his last six dual bouts. Medley enters with an overall record of 12-8.
Up Next
The Illini will host two Big Ten dual matchups next weekend at Huff Hall, taking on Michigan State on Friday, January 31 at 7 p.m., and No.19 Northwestern on Sunday, February 2 at 1 p.m.
For next weekend's promotions, Friday's dual against the Spartans will be Super Hero and Kids Club Day at Huff Hall. The first 250 fans will receive a super hero cape, and Kids Club members will receive a free drawstring backpack. Sunday's matchup vs. the Wildcats will be Tuff N' Huff day, featuring the second annual arm wrestling competition. The arm wrestling competition will begin at 12 p.m., and the champion will win Air Pods.
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.
