CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini wrestling team will compete in its first dual meet of the season on Wednesday, December 7 when it battles SIU Edwardsville at the Jon Davis Center in Edwardsville, Illinois. The Orange and Blue come in on the heels of three tournaments to the start the season, compiling nine individual titles along the way.
Quick Hits
*Five Illini are currently ranked in their respective weight classes according to InterMat: #2 Zane Richards (7-0), #1 Isaiah Martinez (5-0), #12 Zac Brunson (12-2), #15 Emery Parker (13-1) #6 Brooks Black (4-0). The team checks in at No. 8 in the latest Tournament Power Index and No. 11 in the dual rankings.
*Parker (184) made his ranking debut this week (Dec. 5), checking in at No. 15 in the InterMat poll and No. 12 according to OpenMat.
*Three Illini are approaching the school's top-25 career wins list: Richards (89), Brunson (87) and Martinez (72) each will have a shot to surpass former Illini Tony Dallago, Kirk Azinger and Seth Brady who are tied for 25th with 91 wins. Alex Tirapelle holds the school record with 128 wins.
*Martinez needs just two more matches to qualify for the Illinois career win-percentage rankings. His current career win-percentage of 0.986 would pass former Illini Matt Lackey's 0.896 school record.
*Seven Illini have won individual tournament titles so far thjs season, as Richards (133), Ervin (149), Langenderfer (157) Martinez (165) Brunson (174), Parker (184) and Black (HWT). Parker and Richards lead the team with two a piece.
*A two-time NCAA and Big Ten champion at 157-pounds, Martinez is moving up to 165 pounds this season and will look to become the first Illini to win Big Ten and NCAA titles at two weight classes.
*Black finished the 2015-16 season with three wins over ranked opponents at Big Ten and NCAA Championships, highlighted by an upset of #6 Denzel Dejournette (Appalachian State) in the first round of NCAA Championships.
*Seniors Richards and Brunson represented the Illini at the 51st annual NWCA All-Star Classic by earning two decision victories. Illinois' all-time record in the event improves to 12-8.
Scouting the Cougars
The SIU Edwardsville grapplers are coming off back-to-back losses to Indiana and North Dakota State last weekend, dropping the duals by scores of 21-16 and 25-13, respectively. 2016 NCAA qualifier Freddie Rodriguez is currently ranked No. 12 at 125 and leads the team with a 9-1 record, including four pins. Heavyweight wrestler Jake McKiernan (13-4) holds the team lead in pins (5), while Jake Residori (174) and Jake Tindle (197) are both coming off of a 2-0 weekend against Indiana and North Dakota State.
Series History
The Illini will be wrestling the Cougars for the 24th time in program history, holding a 19-8-1 combined record dating back to 1973. The Orange and Blue made it 15 straight victories over the grapplers from SIU-Edwardsville last season with a dominating 41-3 victory at Huff Hall on November 15. Isaiah Martinez, Zac Brunson and Brooks Black each recorded pins to lead the Illini.
Familiar Foe
Wednesday's matchup will be the first dual meet for the Illini, but many of the Orange and Blue have already faced the Cougars this season. Among Illinois wrestlers competing with the team at tournaments, the Illini have compiled a 21-1 record against SIU Edwardsville. Brock Ervin leads all Illini with a 3-0 record, including two victories over SIUE projected 149-pound starter, Tyshawn Williams.
Weight Classes to Watch
125
Illinois' toughest matchup of the dual will be against senior #12 Freddie Rodriguez. Rodriguez was an NCAA Championships qualifier as a junior last season and carries at 9-1 record into the match with four pins. Illinois will send out true freshman Travis Piotrowski (6-3) to make his Illini dual debut against the Cougar senior. Piotrowski hails from Crystal Lake, Illinois where he was a a three-time All-American and the 2016 IHSA Class 2A 126 pound state champion at Prairie Ridge. Coached by Gus Silva, Piotrowski was ranked No. 61 in his class by FloWrestling.
197
Coach Heffernan will either send out Andre Lee (7-2) or Danny Hicks (3-2) to wrestle Jake Tindle (8-3) of SIUE. If Lee gets the call, it will be his fourth bout against Tindle. Lee defeated Tindle by way of a 6-3 decision at the Joe Parisi Open last month, while also defeating the Cougar 197-pounder last year at Huff Hall, 3-2. Tindle got the best of Lee as a true freshman, pinning the Illini grappler in 5:00 at the Greyhound Open.
HWT
Brooks Black enters the dual with the highest ranking of his career, checking in at No. 6 after winning the UNI Open with a 4-0 record. The junior is looking to build off of the end of last season when he won four matches over ranked opponents between Big Ten and NCAA Championships. Black will be opposed by Jake McKiernan (13-4), SIU-Edwardsville's leader in wins through the first month of the season. McKiernan split his two matches last weekend, defeating Fletcher Miller (Indiana) but falling to Tyler McNutt (North Dakota State).
Fighting Illini Headlines
Emery Parker Enters Ranks
In his first season as Illinois' projected starter at 184 pounds, Emery Parker checked into the InterMat rankings at No. 15 on December 6. Parker (13-1) has won individual titles at the Joe Parisi Open and again at the UNI Open. Taking over after the graduation of two-year starter Jeff Koepke, Parker has issued five tech falls and two pins while scoring bonus points in 11 of his 14 matches this season.
Richards on the Cusp of All-Time List
Senior 133-pounder Zane Richards enters the SIU-Edwardsville dual with 89 career wins, two shy of entering the all-time list in Illinois history. With a win on Wednesday night, Richards would set himself up to enter the top-25 in the first couple rounds at Midlands later this month. Tony Dallago, Kirk Azinger and Seth Brady are tied for 25th all-time, each finishing their Illini careers with 91 victories. Alex Tirapelle owns the program record with 128 wins from 2003-2006.
Martinez and Black Stellar in Return
No. 1 Isaiah Martinez and No. 8 Brooks Black proved dominant in their season-debut at the UNI Open, joining Emery Parker with individual titles. Martinez cruised through the opening four rounds before defeating No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri) 7-4 in the 165-pound final. Black scored bonus points in two matches and won by decision, 6-1, over Minnesota's Rylee Streifel in the final.
Coach Heffernan Inks Two to Class of 2017
Illinois Wrestling Head Coach Jim Heffernan finalized two national letters of intent Monday afternoon, as the program will welcome 125-pounder Justin Mejia and 165-pounder Johnny Mologousis for the 2017-2018 season. Both signees have Illini ties, as Mejia wrestles under Illinois all-time wins leader, Adam Tirapelle at Clovis High School and Mologousis is coached by All-American Griff Powell at Lyons Township High School.
