CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Coming off an opening weekend sweep at the Eastern Michigan Duals, the ninth-ranked Illini dispatched the No. 25 Arizona State Sun Devils 27-9 and SIUE 41-3. The Illini were led by pins from Zac Brunson (2), Isaiah Martinez, and Brooks Black.
"I thought there were some really good things. [Steven] Rodrigues looked really good, especially in that last match. Brooks Black showed a little bit of fire, which is good. Overall, I thought everything was pretty positive for the most part."
The 25th ranked Sun Devils jumped on top of the Illini early with an 8-6 decision by Ares Caripo over true-freshman Francis Edelen. The No. 6 wrestler at 133 pounds, Zane Richards, responded for the Illini with a 22-6 tech fall in third period to take a 5-3 lead. After a Brock Ervin decision pushed the lead to 8-3, Arizona State fought back with a hard-fought 7-5 sudden victory decision.
In a bout that could have turned the tides in favor of the Sun Devils, No. 1 Isaiah Martinez fought tooth and nail with Oliver Pierce at 157 pounds. The two fought to a stalemate after the first period, but Isaiah Martinez nabbed an escape in period two before tacking on a riding time point to claim a 2-0 victory, and give the Orange and Blue an 11-6 lead.
Upperclassmen Steven Rodrigues and Zac Brunson put away the grapplers from Tempe in the next two bouts with a major decision and a pin, respectively.
"Brunson has been good on top for the last couple of years," said Heffernan. "I think he's really focused on becoming a pinner, so he's working on being better on top, and he's good on his feet already."
After No. 4 Blake Stauffer grabbed three points for Arizona State, Andre Lee and Brooks Black combined for 6 points to finish off the dual, giving the Illini a 27-9 victory.
"I think everybody battled hard," said Black. "I think we're making the right steps in the right direction to get ready for Big Tens."
In the second dual for the Illini, the Orange and Blue again fell behind early 3-0, but were quick to respond with major decisions from Zane Richards and Brock Ervin. At 149 pounds, Kyle Langenderfer earned his first win on the day with a 3-2 decision over former Illini John Fahy.
The Fighting Illini put the pressure on SIUE the rest of the way with falls by Martinez (2:52), Brunson (2:44), and Black (0:24), and a tech fall from Rodrigues (4:32). The rout ended with a 41-3 victory for Coach Heffernan's Squad.
For Brunson, his two pins today gives him four falls in five bouts this season, and tops on the team.
"Brunson has been good on top for the last couple of years," said Coach Heffernan. "I think he's really focused on becoming a pinner, so he's working on being better on top, making it more of a priority. He's good on his feet already, so it's another way for him to score and another way for him to attack people."
No. 9 Illinois 27, No. 25 Arizona State 9
125: Ares Carpio (ARST) over Francis Edelen (ILLI) (Dec 8-6) 133: Zane Richards (ILLI) over Cordero Coronado (ARST) (TF 22-6 5:47) 141: Brock Ervin (ILLI) over Robert Mathers (ARST) (Dec 10-5) 149: Matthew Kraus (ARST) over Kyle Langenderfer (ILLI) (SV-1 7-5) 157: Isaiah Martinez (ILLI) over Gene `Oliver` Pierce (ARST) (Dec 2-0) 165: Steven Rodrigues (ILLI) over Jacen Petersen (ARST) (MD 17-5) 174: Zac Brunson (ILLI) over Zachary Smith (ARST) (Fall 2:21) 184: Blake Stauffer (ARST) over Jeffrey Koepke (ILLI) (Dec 5-4) 197: Andre Lee (ILLI) over Joshua Dasilveira (ARST) (Dec 3-1) 285: Brooks Black (ILLI) over Tanner Hall (ARST) (Dec 4-3)
No. 9 Illinois 41, Southern Illinois Edwardsville 3
125: Troy Gassaway (SIE) over Francis Edelen (ILLI) (Dec 7-1) 133: Zane Richards (ILLI) over Dakota Leach (SIE) (MD 20-8) 141: Brock Ervin (ILLI) over Angelo Silvestro (SIE) (MD 10-2) 149: Kyle Langenderfer (ILLI) over John Fahy (SIE) (Dec 3-2) 157: Isaiah Martinez (ILLI) over Nate Higgins (SIE) (Fall 2:52) 165: Steven Rodrigues (ILLI) over Eric Travers (SIE) (TF 18-2 4:32) 174: Zac Brunson (ILLI) over Clayton Bass (SIE) (Fall 2:44) 184: Jeffrey Koepke (ILLI) over Derek Nagle (SIE) (MD 14-5) 197: Andre Lee (ILLI) over Jake Tindle (SIE) (Dec 3-2) 285: Brooks Black (ILLI) over Chris Johnson (SIE) (Fall 0:24)
Highlights
