Mike Poeta and Jimmy Kennedy will lead the tenth-ranked Fighting Illini wrestling team into the Big Ten Championships this Saturday and Sunday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

All ten Illinois starters received pre-rankings for the tournament, but Poeta (157 pounds) and Kennedy (133) earned No. 1 seeds in their respective brackets.

“I think I’m the best guy in the country so I think I should be the No. 1 seed, but I have to perform and beat three guys this weekend,” Poeta said. “I wrestle better when guys are coming after me.”

Kennedy took a more modest approach to competing as the top seed.

“It’s cool to have a few guys get that No. 1 seed,” he said. “Now we just have to go work off that and use that to our advantage, hopefully place where we’re seeded and then get a good seed at nationals.”

Poeta referred to Kennedy as “one of the most mentally tough kids you’ll ever meet” because nothing fazes him.

“He just goes out there to keep scoring points,” Poeta said. “He doesn’t care what the other guy does, and that’s the attitude that every one of us needs to have.”

Regarded by many as the mini-NCAA Tournament, the Big Ten Championships are important for all conference wrestlers because it guarantees 72 automatic bids to the NCAA Wrestling Championships.

“The Big Ten Tournament sets the whole table for the National Tournament,” head coach Mark Johnson said. “Obviously, when you’ve got the teams and the quality in the Big Ten conference every match is important. You can’t look over anybody. This definitely prepares you for that run over in St. Louis at the National Championships.”

The expectations are high for this year’s Illini squad, which finished the season tied for third place in the Big Ten. Illinois ended the season 5-3 in conference and 13-4 overall. The Orange and Blue are also looking to rebound from last year’s seventh place finish in the conference tournament. Illinois sits in second, behind Iowa, with 17 Big Ten Championships, the most recent occurring in 2005. Johnson believes his men can rise to the challenge.

“We’ve had both good runs this year and last year during the regular part of the season,” Johnson said. “This team’s tougher. We’ve toughened practice up. We’ve made things harder on them, and they’ve adjusted. I really feel this team is a tougher team than we had last year – more experience for sure.”

Such experience lies in part with the seven remaining Illini starters who placed in last year’s Big Ten Championships. On the other hand, one wrestler who Poeta and Kennedy believe could open a lot of eyes this weekend is true freshman Ryan Prater. A starter at 141 pounds, Prater received a No. 8 seed, but is ranked 15th in the country.

Poeta, No. 2 in the country, remains concentrated on only one person heading into this weekend.

“The ideal guy I’m looking for is Mike Poeta,” Poeta said. “He has to wrestle good. That’s the only guy I’m focused on because if I get Mike Poeta wrestling good, then I don’t care who he’s wrestling.”

Illinois’ Big Ten Championship seeds

Wt. Seed Rank, Name Record Year

125 5th No.8, Flores (22-9, 4-4) Sr.

133 1st No.3, Kennedy (25-4, 8-0) So.

141 8th No.15, Prater (20-9, 3-5) Fr.

149 8th NR, Paswall (19-9, 1-5) Fr.

157 1st No.2, Poeta (28-2, 6-2) Jr.

165 5th NR, Smith-Bergsrud(17-7, 5-1) Jr.

174 5th No.15, Dergo (23-11, 4-4) So.

184 7th NR, Fried (6-7, 3-5) r-Fr.

197 3rd No.11, Bond (23-5, 6-2) So.

Hwt 5th No.13, Wise (26-12, 5-3) Jr.