CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The 12th-ranked Fighting Illini wrestling team looks to extend its two-match winning streak in the Big Ten on Sunday, January 14, as they battle No. 14 Minnesota in Minneapolis at 1 p.m. The dual can be streamed live through BTN Plus and FloWrestling. A subscription is required for both platforms.
Quick Hits
*Emery Parker was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on January 9 after winning two matches over ranked opponents last weekend. The redshirt junior is 13-1 on the season and has won his last eight matches.
*During his eight-match winning streak, Emery Parker has outscored his opponents 63-30, and has tallied three wins over ranked opponents (Gravina, Venz and Sliga).
*Emery Parker became the 11th Illini to win a Midlands title, going 5-0 last weekend in Hoffman Estates to win the 184-pound championship. Parker defeated two-time All-American Nate Jackson, 8-2, in the title bout.
*Redshirt freshman Mike Carr (6-3) is coming off his best weekend of the season, a 2-0 record highlighted by a win over No. 8 Chad Red Jr. of Nebraska. The win was Carr's first over a ranked opponent.
*Isaiah Martinez moved into a tie for 23rd on Illinois' all-time wins list with his 103rd career win last Sunday agaisnt Northwestern. Recording his 100th win at Fresno State on November 17, Martinez is tied with former Illini Griff Powell (103). Martinez sits two wins behind a trio of Illini -- Kevin Puebla (105), current Illini assistant coach Mike Poeta (105) and John Dergo (105) -- for 20th place.
*Isaiah Martinez has won each of his five matches this season by either tech fall or fall, outscoring his five opponents 99-34 in the process. Martinez leads the team with 26 dual team points scored.
*Illinois is 24-30-2 all-time against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. Illinois won the most recent meeting, a 19-16 victory at Huff Hall on February 12, 2016.
Scouting the Gophers
The No. 14 ranked dual team in the country, according to the USA Today Coach's Poll, Minnesota boasts six ranked wrestlers amongst their probable starters heading into Friday night at No. 2 Ohio State and Sunday's dual against the Illini. Featherweight Ethan Lizak leads the six ranked grapplers with a No. 4 ranking at 125 pounds, while No. 9 Nick Wanzek (165) also sits in the top-10. As a team, the Gophers are 4-1 overall in dual action, including a win at Michigan State (29-3) in their lone conference dual so far this season.
Series History: MINN leads 30-24-2
Minnesota a six-match advantage in the all-time series between the two long-time Big Ten counterparts. However, the Illini hold bragging rights from their most recent meeting two years ago at Huff Hall. A 19-16 victory for the Fighting Illini, current Illini starters Isaiah Martinez (157), Kyle Langenderfer (149) and Emery Parker (197) each wrestled against the Gophers, but all at different weight classes than this season. Martinez was the only Illini to come away victorious on the 2016 Senior Night, taking a 15-6 major decision over Brandon Kingsley.
Illini Notes
Last Time Out
Hometown fans of the Illini saw the Orange and Blue open their 2018 home slate with back-to-back wins over No. 20 Nebraska and Northwestern. On Friday, January 5, the Illini won by criteria over the 20th-ranked Huskers, outscoring the visitors 51-49 in total points. Two days later, Illinois again won 18-17, this time using a Deuce Rachal (HWT) takedown in the final match of the day to secure the come-from-behind win over the in-state rival. The two victories improved the Illini to 3-2 overall, and 2-1 in Big Ten duals.
Illini to Watch
184: #12 Emery Parker
Arguably the hottest Illini right now, the 184-pound redshirt junior carries an eight-match winning streak into his match against newly ranked (No. 20) Owen Webster. A perfect 5-0 in duals this season, Parker will look to continue both streaks in his first faceoff with the Golden Gopher wrestler. Webster enters the weekend 8-3 on the season with a 5-2 record in duals. Also listed as a probable for Minnesota is Dylan Anderson who is 21-6 overall, and 2-0 in dual matches.
165: #2 Isaiah Martinez
After five straight wins by tech fall (4) or fall, the three-time Big Ten champion will get his first real test of the season on Sunday against No. 9 Nick Wanzek. A familiar foe, Martinez and Wanzek have battled both in college and on the international circuit. Most recently, Martinez got the best of Wanzek at Under-23 World Team Trials last May as Martinez defeated Wanzek with a 10-0 shutout in the finals of Last Chance Trials. Two months prior, the Illini three-time NCAA finalist edged Wanzek in the second round of NCAA Championships, 8-5. In 2017-18, Wanzek is 16-2 overall, his only loss coming to No. 3 Evan Wick (Wisconsin) and No. 10 Isaiah White (Nebraska) at the Cliff Keen Invite.
141: #18 Mike Carr
The redshirt freshman will look to prove on Sunday that last Friday's upset of No. 8 Chad Red Jr. (Nebraska) was no fluke. Having faced three ranked wrestlers in his first nine collegiate matches, Carr carries a 6-3 record into Sunday's contest where he will face No. 11 Tommy Thorn. Ranked 18th by OpenMat, Mike Carr carries a 4-1 dual record into Sunday, while Thorn enters the weekend 5-3 in duals. Thorn is 2-4 so far this season against ranked opponents.
Parker Named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week
Illinois 184-pounder Emery Parker was named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on January 9 following a 2-0 weekend that saw him take down No. 6 Taylor Venz (Nebraska) and No. 18 Mitch Sliga (Northwestern). Now on an eight-match win streak, Parker leads the team in wins (13) and has outscored his opponents 63-30 since the start of the December.
Tech Support
Isaiah Martinez has boosted the Illini in each of its five duals with a tech fall in four of the five contests with the other decision coming by fall. In the five victories, Martinez owns a 99-34 advantage in points scored, and leads the team with 26 dual team points. Martinez owns 43 tech falls in his career, his most common victory of the 103 career wins.
Home Cooking
The Illini have now won nine straight home duals, the longest streak under head coach Jim Heffernan and the longest in Illini history since former Illini head coach Mark Johnson led the Orange and Blue to 11 straight from February 8, 2004 to January 20, 2006. The nine straight victories dates back to a February 7, 2016 match against Northwestern where the Illini defeated the Wildcats, 25-24. In the nine matches, Illinois has defeated a pair of ranked foes, No. 13 Michigan (1/20/17) and No. 20 Nebraska (1/5/18).
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