Rankings via InterMat
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 12 Illinois wrestling team (1-0) defeated Rider (0-1), 24-12, on Saturday night in the UI Armory.
Tonight's matchup on Military Appreciation Night began at heavyweight where No. 8 Luke Luffman shut out Steyn De Lange, 4-0, to give Illinois the early 3-0 lead. No. 24 Tyler Klinsky of Rider defeated No. 15 Spencer Moore at 125 pounds, 6-3, to tie the dual back up at three.
Reigning NCAA and Big Ten Champion at 133 pounds No. 1 Lucas Byrd took the mat next and much like Luffman earlier shut out his opponent, Will Betancourt, 3-0, to put the Illini back in front, 6-3. A lead that they would not surrender the rest of the night. This win was also Byrd's 97th of his career, closing in on the 100-win milestone.
NCAA qualifier at 141 pounds last season No. 15 Danny Pucino extended Illinois' lead, 9-3, with his 5-1 decision win over No. 24 Eli Griffin. Rider's Dylan Layton would go on to pin Will Baysingar in the next bout at 149 pounds, but instead of tying up the dual at nine the referees took a team point from the Broncs for the coaching staff for control of mat being infringed. Â
Two redshirt sophomores No. 10 Kannon Webster (157 pounds) and No. 8 Braeden Scoles (165 pounds) scored bonus points to begin the Illini's runaway with the dual. Webster notched a major decision with his 9-1 win over Liam Scrivanich and Scoles scored a 23-8 tech. fall over No. 32 Brendon Abdon. Illinois led 18-8 after these two matches. Redshirt freshman Colin Kelly made his Illini debut earning a 4-2 decision win at 174 pounds over Enrique Munguia, 21-8.
A 2024 NCAA championships qualifier at 165 pounds, Chris Moore, returned to the lineup after redshirting last season where he bumped up to 184 pounds. He wasted no time in his return to dual action as he secured a takedown two seconds into his match and controlled JP Hangey the rest of the way to win 10-7 and give Illinois its largest lead of the night, 24-8. Rider's No. 22 Brock Zurawski would go on to win the final bout of the night at 197 pounds, 13-5, over Dylan Connell to make the final 24-12 for the Orange and Blue.
NEXT UP
The Illini matmen are back in action next weekend, Nov. 15-16, for the National Duals Invitational sponsored by Paycom in Tulsa, Okla.
RESULTS
#12 Illinois 24, Rider 12
Nov. 8, 2025 I Champaign, Ill. I UI Armory I Attendance: 411
285: No. 8 Luke Luffman (ILL) dec. Steyn De Lange (RID), 4-0 // ILL 3, RID 0
125: No. 24 Tyler Klinsky (RID) dec. No. 15 Spencer Moore (ILL), 6-3 // ILL 3, RID 3
133: No. 1 Lucas Byrd (ILL) dec. Will Betancourt (RID), 3-0 // ILL 6, RID 3
141: No. 15 Danny Pucino (ILL) dec. No. 24 Eli Griffin (RID), 5-1 // ILL 9, RID 3
149: Dylan Layton (RID) over Will Baysingar (ILL), Fall (2:43) // ILL 9, RID 8
157: No. 10 Kannon Webster (ILL) major dec. Liam Scrivanich (RID), 9-1 // ILL 13, RID 8
165: No. 8 Braeden Scoles (ILL) tech. fall No. 32 Brendon Abdon (RID), 23-8 (7:00) // ILL 18, RID 8
174: Colin Kelly (ILL) dec. Enrique Munguia (RID), 4-2 // ILL 21, RID 8
184: No. 25 Chris Moore (ILL) dec. JP Hangey (RID), 10-7 // ILL 24, RID 8
197: No. 22 Brock Zurawski (RID) major dec. Dylan Connell (ILL), 13-5 // ILL 24, RID 12
