A season removed from having ten wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships, the most in the nation, head coach Mark Johnson’s preseason 16th-ranked Illini are in the starting blocks for a new season, which will begin Sunday at the Missouri Open.

The Illini return five starters from last year’s team, which placed second at the Big Ten Championships.

Here is a quick rundown of the Illinois wrestling team’s five returning starters:

Gabe Flores (125)

After wrestling last season at 133 pounds, Flores is moving down to his natural weight of 125. He is ranked 14th in his weight class, behind two Big Ten wrestlers, senior Nick Simmons from Michigan State and Penn State junior Mark McKnight.

Flores finished last season with a record of 14-8 and placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships. Johnson said of the junior, “He’s a fun-loving, free-spirited kid who loves the competitions. He’s very good when the popcorn starts popping.”

Cassio Pero (141)

Pero is a two-time national qualifier and a 2005 All-American. He placed 8th his junior and 3rd his sophomore years at the Big Ten Championships. He is ranked 12th in his individual weight class behind five other Big Ten wrestlers including top-ranked Ryan Lang of Northwestern. Coach Johnson said Cassio is a team leader and describes his competitive drive as one of the strongest he has seen.

Troy Tirapelle (149)

As a redshirt freshman last season, Tirapelle finished 24-12, recorded a team-best seven pins, finished second at the Big Ten Championships and qualified for the national championships.

He is ranked 12th in his individual weight class behind three other Big Ten wrestlers. His two brothers Alex and Adam were also Illini wrestlers and his father Stephen Tirapelle coached his high school team, which teammate Gabe Flores was also on. Johnson said of the sophomore, “(Troy) is finally starting to grow and starting to believe in himself.”

Mike Poeta (157)

Poeta, ranked seventh in his weight class, is looking to build on his personal success from last season. He qualified for the national championships and placed third at the Big Ten Championships in his redshirt freshman year.

During the regular season Poeta finished 28-7 overall and 7-1 in conference matches. He has won first place at the Missouri Open each of the last two years. “Mike Poeta can be as good as Mike Poeta wants to be,” Johnson said. “He has the ability to be the best.”

Donny Reynolds (174)

Senior Donny Reynolds is a two-time national qualifier and he placed sixth in the Big Ten Championships both his sophomore and junior years. He finished last season with a 22-11 record and has a career record of 46-23.

Reynolds will not wrestle this weekend at the Missouri Open because he is still rehabilitating his knee following offseason surgery. “(Reynolds) provides senior leadership,” Johnson said. “He’s been around the block.”

After the Missouri Open this weekend, the Illini will compete in the UNI Open and then will host Findlay and Central Missouri State Dec. 9 at Huff Hall.