CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 12 Illinois wrestling team (9-4, 2-2 Big Ten) defeated No. 17 Rutgers (7-5, 1-3 Big Ten), 17-16, on Saturday afternoon in Huff Hall. Every point of the dual was important as the score was 16-16 at the conclusion and went all the way to the third tiebreaking criteria of match points which was 46-42 in favor of the Orange and Blue.
The dual started off hot as Illinois' No. 20 Spencer Moore and No. 1 Lucas Byrd claimed victories at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, to give the team an early 6-0 lead. Rutgers went on to equalize that in the 141- and 149-pound bouts to tie the dual up, 6-6.
Kannon Webster made is return to the lineup this afternoon after missing the last couple of contests due to a concussion. The No. 9 ranked 157 pounder wasted no time making an impact as he picked up a crucial bonus point in his 13-4 major decision over No. 31 Anthony White. No. 8 Braeden Scoles handled business in the 165-pound bout in his 8-2 decision win over No. 20 Andrew Barbosa putting Illinois back in front, 13-6.
The Scarlet Knights answered with a major decision of their own at 174 pounds to pull back within three points, 13-10. No. 28 at 184 pounds Chris Moore earned another upset victory, this time over No. 14 Shane Cartagena-Walsh in a gutsy 2-1 decision. Which ultimately led to be the winning bout of the dual, Illinois led 16-10 at this moment.
Illinois lost the 197- and 285-pound bouts, but Dylan Connell and Ryan Boersma battled the whole time and did not surrender many points to Rutgers at all to help keep the team lead in match points. The Fighting Illini won the dual 17-16 after their 46-42 advantage in match points gave them the tiebreaking point. Today's attendance was 304.
RESULTS
#12 Illinois 17, #17 Rutgers 16
Jan. 24, 2026 I Champaign, Ill. I Huff Hall
125: #20 Spencer Moore (ILL) dec. #27 Ayden Smith (RUT), 5-1 // ILL 3, RUT 0
133: #1 Lucas Byrd (ILL) dec. #27 Dylan Shawver (RUT), 3-1 // ILL 6, RUT 0
141: Tahir Parkins (RUT) dec. Kole Brower (ILL), SV-1 4-1 // ILL 6, RUT 3
149: #31 Andrew Clark (RUT) dec. #27 Michael Gioffre (ILL), TB-1 3-2 // ILL 6, RUT 6
157: #9 Kannon Webster (ILL) major dec. #31 Anthony White (RUT), 13-4 // ILL 10, RUT 6
165: #8 Braeden Scoles (ILL) dec. #20 Andrew Barbosa (RUT), 8-2 // ILL 13, RUT 6
174: Ryan Ford (RUT) major dec. #25 Colin Kelly (ILL), 15-5 // ILL 13, RUT 10
184: #28 Chris Moore (ILL) dec. #14 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (RUT), 2-1 // ILL 16, RUT 10
197: #16 Remy Cotton (RUT) dec. Dylan Connell (ILL), 6-5 // ILL 16, RUT 13
285: #19 Hunter Catka (RUT) dec. Ryan Boersma (ILL), SV-1 5-2 // ILL 16, RUT 16
Tiebreaker: Total match points, Illinois (46) – Rutgers (42) // ILL 17, RUT 16
UP NEXT
The Illini matmen stay at home for next week's matchup against No. 25 Indiana on Friday (Jan. 30) in Huff Hall. The dual will air on BTN at 9 p.m. CT.
