Former Illini Isaiah Martinez Wins Second U.S. Open Title
By JJ Kim, Assistant Sports Editor
April 30, 2019
Former Illini wrestler and current volunteer coach Isaiah Martinez collected back-to-back U.S. Open Freestyle titles in Las Vegas this past weekend. After his victory at South Point Arena, the 74-kilogram wrestler qualified for the 2019 World Team Trials Challenge Tournament Wrestle-Off. If he con...
Senior earns All-American honors at championship
By Brendyn Jones, Staff writer
March 25, 2019
Six Illinois wrestlers competed in this year’s NCAA Championships at PPG Paint Arena in Pittsburgh. Out of the six wrestlers, redshirt senior Emery Parker was the only one to earn All-American honors by placing fifth in the tournament. This year marked the 28th year in a row Illinois had at least on...
Illinois bound for Big Ten Championships
By Brendyn Jones, Staff writer
March 7, 2019
The Illini wrestling team (2-9) will head to Minneapolis to compete in the Big Ten Championships this weekend. This will be Illinois’ first action in almost three weeks after dropping its last dual meet to No. 1 Penn State and it will be its first tournament action since the Midlands Championship...
Double trouble: Brothers share first-year experience
By Brendyn Jones, Staff writer
February 28, 2019
For the Braunagel twins, freshmen Danny and Zac, wrestling is the one true thing they’ve shared throughout their lives. The twins started wrestling at 5 years old as a way to keep in shape for their other athletic interests: baseball and football. In those early years, they weren’t as serious, but ...
Parker gets last win at Huff Hall; Illini drop both weekend meets
By Brendyn Jones, Staff writer
February 19, 2019
The No. 20-ranked Illinois wrestling team competed in its last two dual meets of the season this weekend when they traveled to No. 11 Northwestern on Friday and hosted No.1 Penn State on Sunday. The Illini dropped both matchups over the weekend, losing 25-12 against Northwestern and 39-9 against Penn State. ...
Seniors strive to leave legacy
By Brendyn Jones, Staff writer
February 18, 2019
In the Illini wrestling practice room in Huff Hall, there is a wall overlooking the mats. It is decorated with images of Illini All-Americans like Isaiah Martinez, Jesse Delgado and Matt Lackey. The wall serves as a celebration of Illini wrestling history but also as motivation for the current wrest...
Carr wrestles with ambitious goals on and off the mat
By Brendyn Jones, Staff writer
February 11, 2019
Mike Carr, 141-pound redshirt sophomore, hasn’t lost a match since he competed in the Cliff Keen Invite at the beginning of December. Since then, Carr has won six times with three of those wins coming against ranked opponents. Carr has had plenty of success in his three seasons wrestling for the Univers...
Team faces uphill battle after frustrating loss to Iowa
By Brendyn Jones, Staff writer
January 28, 2019
The No. 13-ranked Illinois wrestling team (2-4) struggled against No. 3 Iowa (9-0) at Huff Hall on Friday. The Hawkeyes beat the Illini 31-8. The Illini met the Hawkeyes coming off a loss to the No.8 Minnesota Golden Gophers, where the Illini gave up two pins and two major decisions. Illinois went 3-7 ...
Illini set to fight Hawkeyes
By Brendyn Jones, Staff Writer
January 24, 2019
The No. 20-ranked Illinois wrestling team (2-3) is set to host No. 4-ranked Iowa (8-0) this Friday at Huff Hall. The Illini are looking to even both their overall and conference records with a win against the Hawkeyes. The Illini are coming off of a loss to the No. 7 Minnesota Golden Gophers last week...
Illinois wrestling to host Golden Gophers
January 17, 2019
The No. 14 Illini wrestling team is coming off of a 1-1 weekend in Michigan where they picked up a win against Michigan State but dropped a meet against No. 5 Michigan. The program is in the midst of conference competition and will be wrestling against Big Ten teams until nationals in March. Next up o...
Parker strong as Illini take down Spartans but fall to Wolverines
By Brendyn Jones, Staff Writer
January 14, 2019
The No. 14-ranked Illinois wrestling team is in the thick of Big Ten play. The Illini started conference competition on Friday with an 18-15 win against the Michigan State Spartans. The Illini picked up six wins and four losses against the Spartans, ending with an overtime victory to win in the last...
Illini prepare for second dual meet
By Brendyn Jones, Staff Writer
December 6, 2018
The Illini are fresh off a trip to Las Vegas where three wrestlers placed in the top 10. Taking down two ranked opponents, 157-pound redshirt-junior Eric Barone placed seventh in his weight class. Mike Carr, a 141-pound redshirt-sophomore, and Travis Piotrowski, a 125-pound junior, both placed sixth. Il...
