WRESTLING • 1998-2001

Adam Tirapelle helped Illinois finish fifth at the 2001 NCAA Wrestling Championships by taking the individual title at 149 pounds. It was Illinois’s best placing nationally since 1946. Tirapelle earned All-America honors three times and was the 2000 Big Ten Champion at 149 pounds. He holds the school-record with 15 pins in 1999-2000, ranks second on Illinois single-season wins list with 39, second in career wins with 127, is third in career pins with 33 and sixth in all-time win percentage (.858). Tirapelle qualified for the NCAA Championships all four years at Illinois, finishing second in 2000 and third in 1999 in addition to his 2001 title. One of the great leaders for the Illini, he was a three-time team captain and two-time Most Valuable Wrestler. Tirapelle was the 2001 Illinois Dike Eddleman Male Athlete of the Year. He currently resides in Clovis, California.