Senior John Dergo finished his Illinois career Sunday with a win over No. 5 seed Clayton Foster of Oklahoma State to take fifth place at 184 pounds at this year’s NCAA Championships. Dergo also earned All-America honors, the first of his career.
Sophomore Jordan Blanton also earned his first All-America honors as he also took home fifth place at 174 pounds. Blanton defeated No. 7 seed Ben Bennett of Central Michigan for the second time in the tournament in order to secure fifth place. Senior Patrick Bond also went 2-2 after dropping his opening round match.
Overall, the trio earned the Illini a tie for 23rd place with Harvard, with Iowa taking first place for the third straight year.