No. 13 Illinois Wrestling Opens Season in Road Trip to SIUE

Rankings according to InterMat

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 13 Fighting Illini wrestling team is set to begin their 2024-25 season on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. CT in Edwardsville Ill. where they will take on the Cougars of SIU-Edwardsville. 

Redshirt senior Edmond Ruth is back after a 2023-24 season that featured a Big Ten title at 174 pounds and a second straight trip to the NCAA Championships where he became an All-American for the first time in his career.

Illinois also gets back three former NCAA Championships qualifiers back from their redshirt seasons in redshirt seniors Danny Braunagel, Zac Braunagel and Lucas Byrd. Two new graduate transfers enter into the lineup for Illinois from Iowa State in Ramazan Attasauov and Jason Kraisser, both former NCAA Championships qualifiers themselves. 

Head coach Mike Poeta enters his fourth year at the helm, coming off a 2023-24 campaign in which the Illini finished with a 5-9 record (2-6 B1G) and placed 11th as a team at the Big Ten Championships. 

Scouting The Opponent

Last season, SIUE finished with a 6-6 overall record while going 3-4 in the Mid-American Conference and placing 8th at the MAC Championships. Illinois holds a strong edge in the all-time series, owning a 22-6-1 record against SIUE, with the first matchup dating back to 1974. Last season, the Illini hosted the Cougars on Nov. 2, 2023, for the season opener at the State Farm Center, where the Orange and Blue won 28-7.