Despite injuries to two-time All-American B.J. Futrell and heavyweight Pat Walker, the Illini wrestling team still managed to finish ninth at the 2013 NCAA Championships and crowned an NCAA Champion in the 125-pound weight class, Jesse Delgado.

Head coach Jim Heffernan had high hopes for his team this season as the Illini were returning four All-Americans in Delgado, Futrell, Jordan Blanton and Mario Gonzalez.

After a good start to the season at the Loras Open, where 11 Illini wrestlers placed in the top four of their respective classes, they competed in the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open and the Lindenwood open. The Illini were led by the 141-pound Futrell early in the season, as he captured the title at the Harold Nichols Cyclone Open.

After Illinois won all three matches against Princeton, Maryland and Binghamton at the Journeymen Duals in Troy, N.Y., it continued its dominance early in the season by winning the Midlands Championships in Evanston for the first time since 2005.

Carrying the momentum from their win at the Midlands, the Illini were ready for the Big Ten dual season, where they would face some of the toughest competition in the country.

The Illini defeated Purdue 29-10 to open the Big Ten dual season, but Futrell suffered a neck injury that would keep him from wrestling for the remainder of the season.

The injury to Futrell seemed to hold the Illini back throughout the season. After defeating Purdue in its first Big Ten match, the Orange and Blue finished their season by losing five of its last seven Big Ten dual matches.

Delgado led the Illini in Futrell’s absence, as he finished the year with a 27-3 record. 165-pound Conrad Polz, 174-pound Jordan Blanton and 197-pound Mario Gonzalez also contributed to the Illini’s success. Polz finished the year with a 25-8 record and a fifth place finish at the NCAA championships, while Blanton finished the regular season 27-12, with a seventh place finish at the NCAAs. Gonzalez also had a solid season, finishing with an overall 18-9 record and a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships.

After winning the 125-pound weight class at the Big Ten Championships in Champaign, the Gilroy, Calif., native Delgado was considered to be one of the favorites to win the national title at 125 pounds.

Delgado defeated Utah Valley’s Jade Rauser and Brown’s William Watterson in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, to reach the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinal, he defeated North Carolina’s Nathan Kraisser 10-7 to and then defeated Cornell’s Nahshon Garrett 10-5 to reach the final against Penn State’s Nico Megaludis, who had beaten Delgado earlier in the season.

In the final match, Megaludis controlled the pace early, but with the score tied at one with 1 minute, 54 seconds remaining in the final period, Delgado used his speed and aggressiveness he had relied on all season to finally take control.

“I took a shot, got the scramble and ended up turning him on his back for the takedown and three back points,” Delgado said.

Delgado controlled the match from that point on and was crowned the 2013 champion; he was the first Illini wrestler to ever win at the 125-pound weight class. Delgado’s performance led the Orange and Blue to a ninth-place finish at the national meet.

“This year has been really hard with losing guys from injury,” head coach Jim Heffernan said. “Leaving here with a national champion and three All-Americans makes it feel a little better. Our goal was to finish in the top 10, and we did that this year.”

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @yaboybernie11.