Jan. 20, 2008

ASHLAND, Ohio - No. 15 Illinois rolled through its three duals at the Wendy's Duals at Kates Gymnasium, defeating Cleveland State, 37-0, Liberty, 40-0, and the host Ashland, 46-0. As a team, the Illini racked up seven pins, two technical falls and five major decisions in their final tune-up heading into Big Ten dual action on Feb. 1.

"Our guys did some good things," Illinois assistant coach Carl Perry said. "It was good to have a chance to work on some different areas to get ready for Big Tens."

No. 13 Gabe Flores (125) started Illinois on the right foot against CSU with a 10-1 major decision, and No. 9 Jimmy Kennedy (133) pinned Josh Palivoda in 1:57 for an early 10-0 Illini lead. Consecutive decisions by No. 19 Ryan Prater (141) and Grant Paswall (149) were follwed by No. 1 Mike Poeta's technical fall at 157, pushing Illinois' lead to 21-0. Roger Smith-Bergsrud (165), No. 17 John Dergo (174) and Dave Gleissner (184), No. 13 Patrick Bond (197) and No. 19 John Wise (HWT) all recorded decisions to finish off the 37-0 win.

Against Liberty, Flores started with a pin in just 33 seconds, followed by back-to-back decisions by Kennedy and Prater. Paswall then pinned Sam Walters in 43 seconds, putting the Illini ahead 18-0. Poeta and Smith-Bergsrud each recorded decisions, followed by a 13-2 major decision for Dergo. Gleissner earned a decision, Bond got a pin in 4:41 and Wise notched a 15-3 major decision to ice the 41-0 victory.

In the final match of the day, against the host Ashland Eagles, Flores notched a 20-2 technical fall and Kennedy recorded his second pin of the day, this time in 1:20. Prater and Paswall each earned decisions and Poeta recorded his second pin of the year. Smith-Bergsrud followed with a pin and Dergo got a 14-5 major decision to put Illinois up 33-0. Ben Friedl (184) notched a 9-3 decision, Bond got a win by injury default and Wise earned a 13-5 major decision to ice a 46-0 Illini victory.

"Kennedy had two falls," Perry said. "He's really starting to get in a groove. He's right on track. And Mike Poeta had a great week of practice and continues to put himself among the best in the country."

Illinois will take a week off from competition before beginning the Big Ten dual season Friday, Feb. 1, at Michigan. The match will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, starting at 5 p.m. (CT).

Illinois 37, Cleveland State 0
125: #13 Gabe Flores (ILL) maj. dec. Matt Reynolds (CSU), 10-1 (4-0)
133: #9 Jimmy Kennedy (ILL) pins Josh Palivoda (CSU), 1:57 (10-0)
141: #19 Ryan Prater (ILL) dec. Mike Hurley (CSU), 7-1 (13-0)
149: Grant Paswall (ILL) dec. Ryan Hurley (CSU), 6-1 (16-0)
157: #1 Mike Poeta (ILL) tech. fall. Daniel Castillo (CSU), 17-2 (21-0)
165: Roger Smith-Bergsrud (ILL) dec. Nate Kmetz (CSU), 9-3 (24-0)
174: #17 John Dergo (ILL) dec. Caleb Kennedy (CSU), 21-1 (28-0)
184: David Gleissner (ILL) dec. DJ Cummins (CSU), 4-3 (31-0)
197: #13 Patrick Bond (ILL) dec. Alek Hughes (CSU), 12-5 (34-0)
285: #19 John Wise (ILL) dec. Rashard Goff (CSU), 3-0 (37-0)

Illinois 41, Liberty 0
125: #13 Gabe Flores (ILL) pins Sean Katz (LIB), 0:33 (6-0)
133: #9 Jimmy Kennedy (ILL) dec. T.J. Mitchell (LIB), 9-2 (9-0)
141: #19 Ryan Prater (ILL) dec. Tim Harner (LIB), 4-3 (12-0)
149: Grant Paswall (ILL) pins Sam Walters (LIB), 0:43 (18-0)
157: #1 Mike Poeta (ILL) dec. Shaun Smith (LIB), 8-1 (21-0)
165: Roger Smith-Bergsrud (ILL) dec. Chad Porter (LIB), 6-2 (24-0)
174: #17 John Dergo (ILL) maj. dec. Aaron Kelly (LIB), 13-2 (28-0)
184: David Gleissner (ILL) dec. Chris Daggett (LIB), 8-6 (31-0)
197: #13 Patrick Bond (ILL) pins Nick Knowles (LIB), 4:41 (37-0)
285: #19 John Wise (ILL) maj. dec. Patrick Walker (LIB), 15-3 (41-0)

Illinois 46, Ashland 0
125: #13 Gabe Flores (ILL) tech. fall Brandon Davis (ASH), 20-2 (5-0)
133: #9 Jimmy Kennedy (ILL) pins Dan Mandara (ASH), 1:20 (11-0)
141: #19 Ryan Prater (ILL) dec. Tommie Graszl (ASH), 7-2 (14-0)
149: Grant Paswall (ILL) dec. Marcus Gordon (ASH), 4-3 (17-0)
157: #1 Mike Poeta (ILL) pins M. Abdur-Rahman (ASH), 5:38 (23-0)
165: Roger Smith-Bergsrud (ILL) pins Tony Bradberry (ASH), 4:40 (29-0)
174: #17 John Dergo (ILL) maj. dec. Travis Popham (ASH), 14-5 (33-0)
184: Ben Friedl (ILL) dec. Jordan Job (ASH), 9-3 (36-0)
197: #13 Patrick Bond (ILL) wins via injury default (42-0)
285: #19 John Wise (ILL) maj. dec. Frank Read (ASH), 13-5 (46-0)