No. 11 Illinois (8-3, 3-3) dropped its third contest of the season in a last-minute 15-16 defeat in Piscataway on Sunday. The hosts, No. 13 Rutgers (11-4, 3-2), held any nerves back in a close dual. Both teams won five matches, with the Scarlet Knights barely edging ahead at the end.
In their losses, the Illini failed to score more than four points. With three ranked upsets in the 141-, 157- and 174-pound weight categories, Illinois ended the road trip 1-2, a disappointing patch at the business end of the season.
Down to the wire
Illinois had strong performances across several weight classes. At 125 pounds, junior Caelan Riley failed to capitalize on the momentum of his first win just two days prior, falling to No. 19 senior Dean Peterson, 8-2.
But the Illini rebounded quickly with No. 4 redshirt senior Lucas Byrd at 133 pounds. Byrd battled his way to a close 6-5 decision win against No. 9 senior Dylan Shawver, adding to his near-perfect 13-1 season.
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The energy carried just two rounds later at the 149-pound bout. There, No. 12 redshirt freshman Kannon Webster delivered the most dominant performance of the day with an 8-1 slashing of Rutgers’ No. 20 senior Andrew Clark.
After splits in the 157- and 165-pound duals, Rutgers took a narrow 12-9 lead after 174-pound No. 22 graduate student Jackson Turley edged out a win over 174-pound redshirt senior Danny Braunagel, 4-1.
The 184-pound dual was where No. 10 redshirt senior Edmond Ruth and No. 18 Rutgers sophomore Shane Cartagena-Walsh delivered fans a treat. Ruth battled out a crucial and clutch overtime win, scoring SV-1 4-1 to tie it up at 12 a piece. Ruth’s experience and championship pedigree proved instrumental in the dual win.
Then No. 18 redshirt senior Zac Braunagel followed up with another victory in the 197-pound dual to put the Illini up 15-12.
Tie-breaking thriller
The decisive moment all came down to the heavyweight 285-pound matchup. N0. 7 Rutgers graduate student Yaraslau Slavikouski took down No. 10 redshirt senior Luke Luffman in overtime, SV-1 4-1.
Under NCAA wrestling rules, if two teams tie in total points at the end of the dual, the cumulative dual points scored across all matches determine the winner. In this case, Rutgers edged Illinois 38-34. The four-point advantage gave Rutgers one tiebreaker point, securing the 16-15 victory for the Scarlet Knights.
Caught in neutral
Illinois never got the momentum going. They won only one set of consecutive matches in the 184- and 197-pound weight classes. It was a rollercoaster of a dual and one of the reasons Illinois couldn’t hold onto a tight one. When Illinois seemed to win, Rutgers bounced back and put themselves on the board. The final four important points sealed the dual.
Illinois’ “big three” almost got it done as Byrd and Scoles emerged victorious, but Luffman missed out on the match-winner. The Illini have been propelled with the big three at the wheel this season. Despite a few hiccups, they seem to have found their mojo again. Luffman has been consistent, and Rutgers’ Slavikouski outranked him.
Uphill climb ahead
With three losses and wins in conference play, Illinois sits in a delicate spot in the Big Ten standings. The team is currently No. 8 on the Big Ten table. In duals with teams above them, the Illini are 1-3, making the final two duals of the season critical.
With No. 1 Penn State (9-0, 3-0) coming up, a win would elevate Illinois’ seeding for the Big Ten championship. The Illini face the Boilermakers (8-3, 1-2) before they dual off against the unbeaten Nittany Lions on Senior Day, Feb. 16. There are things to figure out and lessons to learn before Illinois returns home to rescue the season.
