Wrestling Meet Notes Illinois Quick Facts
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WRESTLING MEET NOTES Athletics Communication // 1700 South Fourth Street // Champaign, IL 61820 Wrestling Contact: Chad Beyler // Office: 217-300-1449 // Cell: 217-493-3777 // [email protected] // fightingillini.com FIGHTINGILLINI.com @IlliniWrestling @IlliniWrestling @IlliniWrestling 2016-17 SCHEDULE & RESULTS #12 ILLINOIS @ NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS 9-3 overall, 6-3 Big Ten THURSDAY, MARCH 16 - SATURDAY, MARCH 18 (ESPN, ESPNU, ESPN3) Home: 5-0; Away: 3-3; Neutral: 1-0 *The Fighting Illini send seven wrestlers to NCAA Championships: No. 1 seed Isaiah Martinez (27-0), No. 8 seed Zane DATE OPPONENT TIME/SCORE Richards (25-4), No. 10 Zac Brunson (28-8), No. 11 Emery Parker (28-8), Eric Barone (10-9) and Kyle Langenderfer (23-8). Nov. 12 Kaufman Brand Open NTS *Isaiah Martinez (27-0) is seeking to become the first Illini ever to win three NCAA titles and the first Illini to win an NCAA Nov. 19 Lindenwood Joe Parisi Open NTS title at two different weight classes. Martinez is a perfect 10-0 in his career at NCAA Championships. Dec. 3 Northern Iowa Open NTS *Seniors Zane Richards and Zac Brunson have qualified for all four NCAA Championships in their Illini careers. Richards Dec. 7 @ SIU-Edwardsville W, 30-10 placed fourth last year at Madison Square Garden to earn his first All-America honor. Dec. 29-30 @ Midlands Championships 5th of 42 Jan. 6 @ #13 Rutgers* L, 17-19 *Five Illini are currently ranked in their respective weight classes according to Intermat: #1 Isaiah Martinez (27-0), #7 Zane Richards (25-4), #10 Zac Brunson (28-8), #11 Emery Parker (28-8) and #16 Kyle Langenderfer (23-8). Illinois is ranked Jan. 8 @ Maryland* W, 30-15 #12 in InterMat's pre-championships power index. Jan. 15 @ #4 Ohio State* L, 18-29 *Zac Brunson tied the Big Ten Championships record for fastest pin with a 16-second fall of Braxton Cody (Northwestern). JAN. 20 #13 MICHIGAN* W, 34-6 With 19 career pins, the Illini senior is just one pin shy of cracking the school's career pins top-10 list. JAN. 22 NORTHERN ILLINOIS W, 25-12 *Zane Richards and Zac Brunson both rank in the top-25 on Illinois' all-time wins list. Richards is tied for 15th with 107 JAN. 27 MICHIGAN STATE* W, 30-9 wins, while Zac Brunson ranks 22nd with 103 wins. With 94 career wins, Isaiah Martinez is four wins shy cracking the Jan. 29 @ #19 Arizona State W, 26-9 wins list by tying former Illini Carl Perry (1997-2000). Feb. 3 @ Northwestern* W, 28-15 *The Illini have recorded 11 individual NCAA titles, 21 finals appearances, 57 All-America honors and 164 NCAA FEB. 5 PURDUE* W, 30-6 Championships qualifiers under Coach Heffernan since he arrived as an assistant in 1992. Feb. 10 @ #2 Penn State* L, 7-34 FEB. 12 INDIANA*% W, 28-9 March 4-5 Big Ten Championships 6th of 14 NO. 12 ILLINOIS SEND SEVEN TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS (Bloomington, Ind.) March 16-18 NCAA Championships All Day Fighting Illini wrestling sends seven wrestlers to NCAA Championships in St. Louis, (St. Louis, Mo.) Missouri, March 16-18. The Orange and Blue are led by top-seeded Isaiah Martinez bold = Huff Hall at 165 pounds and four-time NCAA qualifiers Zane Richards (133) and Zac Brunson * = Big Ten Match (174). Travis Piotrowski (125), Eric Barone (149) and Emery Parker (184) will be making % = Televised on Big Ten Network their NCAA Championships debut, while Kyle Langenderfer (157) returns for his second appearance after qualifying at 149 pounds in 2015. NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE AND TV INFORMATION Date Session Time TV Thurs., March 16 Session I 11 a.m. ESPNU / ESPN3 Session II 6 p.m. ESPN / ESPN3 Fri., March 17 Session III (quarterfinals) 10 a.m. ESPNU / ESPN3 ILLINOIS QUICK FACTS Session IV (semifinals) 7 p.m. ESPN / ESPN3 Location: Champaign-Urbana, Ill. Founded: 1867 Sat., March 18 Session V (medal round) 10 a.m. ESPNU / ESPN3 Enrollment: 44,520 Session VI (finals) 7 p.m. ESPN / ESPN3 Nickname: Fighting Illini Colors: Orange and Blue Conference: Big Ten The ESPN family of networks will carry NCAA Championships in its entirety; beginning Head Coach: Jim Heffernan (8th Season / 25th at Illinois) Associate Head Coach: Mark Perry (6th Season) with the opening rounds on Thursday morning and continuing through the finals round Assistant Coach: Jeremy Hunter (16th Season) on Saturday night. For the first time in NCAA Championships history, the evening Volunteer Assistant Coach: Wynn Michalak (5th Season) Home Venue: Huff Hall session of each day will be broadcast live on ESPN. ESPNU will carry the day sessions, 2016 Big Ten Finish: 7th while ESPN3.com will provide live coverage of each mat throughout the six sessions. 2016 NCAA Finish: T-9th Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 13/5 All-Americans Returning/Lost: 2/1 Starters Returning/Lost: 8/2 LIVE RESULTS Newcomers: 8 Trackwrestling will once again be providing live results for each individual match at 2016-17 University of Illinois Wrestling Notes // 1 Match Notes trackwrestling.com. Championships, the 2016 All-American 174 Pounds - No. 10 seed Zac Brunson ranks 15th all-time on Illinois' career In his final tournament wearing the ILLINOIS CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY wins list with 107 victories and a 14th Orange and Blue, Brunson enters his In the last 25 years, Illinois has in career win percentage (.814). This fourth NCAA Championships seeking his been one of the most successful and season, Richards went 25-4 and placed first All-America honor. With 103 career consistent wrestling programs in the fourth at Big Ten Championships to earn wins, the Eugene, Oregon native is tied country. With Coach Heffernan on staff the No. 8 seed at NCAAs. The senior's for 22nd on Illinois' all-time list. Illinois' since 1992, the Illini have crowned 11 biggest win of the season came against best at getting someone on their back, national championships, had 21 finals No. 4 Stevan Micic on January 20 in the Illini senior has tallied 19 career appearances, 57 All-Americans and 164 Champaign. pins. His 16-second pin of Braxton Cody NCAA qualifiers. (Northwestern) in the opening round 149 Pounds - Eric Barone of Big Ten Championships tied the conference championships record for All-time, the Illini have had 24 individual One of three Illini to make their NCAA Championships debut, Barone placed fastest fall. Tied for the team lead in national championships, including one wins (28), Brunson is two wins shy of each of the last four years. 8th at Big Ten Championships went 6-3 in Big Ten duals. Barone's best victory of reaching the 30-win plataeu for the first the season came in Tempe, Arizona when time in his career. RPI AND COACHES' RANKINGS the Illini grappler defeated Josh Maruca Seven Illinois wrestlers are ranked in in Illinois' dual against Arizona State. 184 Pounds - No. 11 seed Emery Parker the RPI Rankings heading into NCAA Taking over 184-pounds this season, Championships. 157 Pounds - Kyle Langenderfer Parker is tied with Brunson for the team After missing the tournament last lead in wins (28). Parker placed fifth at Wrestler RPI Coaches' Poll season, Langenderfer has bounced back Big Ten Championships, notching his Travis Piotrowski 22 27 with a career-high 23 wins this season at fifth and sixth pins of his season along Zane Richards 9 6 his new weight class. Ranked as high as the way. The Wadsworth, Illinois native Eric Barone 27 29 No. 12 this season, Langenderfer has a has been ranked since December 7 and Kyle Langenderfer28 18 pair of wins against top-10 foes #9 Brian owns upset victories over #13 Jordan Isaiah Martinez 1 1 Murphy (Michigan) and No. 6 Josh Shields Ellingwood (Central Michigan) and #11 Nicholas Gravina (Rutgers). Zac Brunson 12 10 (Arizona State). Langenderfer placed eighth at Big Ten Championships and Emery Parker 18 11 won seven of his nine Big Ten duals. RICHARDS, BRUNSON CLIMB ALL-TIME LIST ILLINI IN THE FIELD 165 Pounds - No. 1 seed Isaiah Martinez With Richards winning four matches at The two-time champion at 157-pounds, Big Ten Championships and Brunson 125 Pounds - Travis Piotrowski Martinez looks to become the first Illini to tallying three, the two Illini seniors The first Illini true freshman to qualify win three NCAA titles in his career, and moved up the Illinois all-time wins list. for NCAA Championships since Jackson first to win one at two different weight Entering their final weekend of collegiate Morse in 2011. The Crystal Lake, Illinois classes. With a 94-1 career record, competition, Richards is tied with Pat native is 18-13 on the season and is Martinez is four wins shy of entering Quirk (1998-01) for 15th all-time with coming off a fourth-place finish at Big Illinois' all-time career wins list. A 107 wins, while Brunson is tied with Griff Ten Championships after entering the redshirt junior, Martinez has compiled Powell for 22nd place with 103 victories. tournament unseeded. Piotrowski has an unblemished 27-0 record, including wins over four ranked opponents this seven wins over ranked wrestlers. The Wrestler Years season, including #19 Johnny Jimenez Lemoore, California native is 11-0 Wins (Wisconsin) and #16 Conor Youtsey against the 165-pound field, including 1. Alex Tirapelle 2003-06 128 (Michigan) at conference championships. two wins against both No. 2 seed Logan 10. Jordan Blanton2008-13 115 Massa (Michigan) and No. 3 seed Vicenzo 11. Eric Siebert 1995-98 112 133 Pounds - No. 8 seed Zane Richards Joseph (Penn State). 12. Jevon Herman 1995-98 110 13.