The 2024-25 wrestling season is right around the corner, and Illinois is gearing up to face SIUE on Nov. 2. After a disappointing 2023-24 season, going 5-9 overall and 2-6 against Big Ten opponents, Illinois has a promising season ahead.
The team was ranked No. 12 nationwide by InterMat’s preseason rankings. Individually, Illinois’ redshirt senior Lucas Byrd was ranked third in his weight class of 133 pounds.
Roster outlook
Illinois has a few crucial pieces returning to their roster this season. Byrd did not compete all of last season but will return to action this year. Redshirt senior Zac Braunagel also did not compete a year ago. His twin brother, redshirt senior Danny Braunagel, played in four matches and had a record of 4-0. Both of them will be returning full-time this season.
Redshirt senior Edmond Ruth was a bright spot on the team last year. Ruth was a 2024 All-American, First-Team All-Big Ten and Big Ten champion at 174 pounds. He also placed seventh at the NCAA championships. Ruth will compete at 184 pounds this season.
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Another wrestler fighting to compete at 184 pounds this season is Dylan Connell. The redshirt junior was productive in his first season, with a 25-6 record. In his second season, he qualified for the NCAA championships. Connell was the main wrestler in the 184-pound class last season for Illinois but will now compete with Ruth.
Additionally, redshirt sophomore Danny Nini transferred from North Carolina last spring because of assistant coach Austin O’Connor, his teammate at UNC during his freshman year. In high school, he was a two-time FHSAA state champion and earned All-State honors four times. He will go against his old school on Nov. 25 when the Illini travel to Chapel Hill.
Who’s on the schedule?
Illinois will head to Edwardsville to face off against SIUE for the first match of the season. Last season, Illinois opened against SIUE and beat them 28-7. The Illini are undefeated against the Cougars, having won all nine past matches. Interestingly, there are six teams Illinois will face that they are undefeated against all-time.
Including SIUE, Illinois is undefeated against six teams they face this year. Those teams are No. 22 Arizona State, Binghamton, North Carolina, No. 27 Maryland and No. 30 Indiana. If they continue their streaks against those teams, that would be six wins, one more than their total last year.
On the flip side, they also face some teams they have struggled against. Illinois will face off against No. 2 Iowa in January. Overall, they are 2-12 against Iowa all-time, with their last win against Iowa during the 2004-05 season. To put that into perspective, most freshmen in college weren’t even born yet.
They also play No. 1 Penn State this season. Illinois won the first five matches against them but have dropped seven in a row. They haven’t been victorious over Penn State in 10 years. Illinois will host them on Feb. 16, the last match of the season before the Big Ten championships.
Last season
In 2023-24, Illinois had three players represent them at the Big Ten championships and three at the NCAA championships. Overall, the team finished 11th in the Big Ten championships, the fifth 11th-place finish in the last six years. They finished 10th in the 2022-23 season.
Despite some good seasons during that stretch, Illinois hasn’t had much success at the Big Ten championships. However, by the time the Big Ten championships roll around, Illinois will have faced 10 top-30 teams, including the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams nationwide. With the experience of facing many good teams, Illinois may be better prepared for the championships.
@Ben_some16
