"For the most part we were pretty aggressive," said head coach Jim Heffernan. "I think there are still a lot of small things we need to clean up, but it's early enough and that's what this event is for. I thought for the most part we were solid."
In the opening match of the season, Illinois easily dismantled SIU-Edwardsville, 44-0. Jesse Delgado, Isaiah Martinez and Jackson Morse recorded falls at their respective weight classes to lead the Illini against the Cougars. Kyle Langenderfer earned a technical fall victory at 149 pounds, while Steven Rodrigues, Zac Brunson and Jeff Koepke earned major decisions over their opponents. Dominic Olivieri, Nikko Reyes, and Christopher Lopez won by decision in their respective battles, giving the Orange and Blue victories in all 10 weight classes.
Against Rider, the Illini won eight of the 10 matchups to earn a 29-6 win. Delgado's technical fall over J.R. Wert at 125 pounds and Reyes' victory by forfeit at 184 pounds were the only extra-point wins of the match for Illinois. Rodrigues earned a 4-1 decision over Chuck Zeisloft at 141 pounds, while Martinez grabbed an 8-4 win over Chad Walsh at 157 pounds. At 165 pounds, Morse defeated Conor Brennan, 8-6, and Brunson followed that up with a 9-4 victory over Ryan Wolfe at 174 pounds. Koepke's takedown in sudden victory against Donald McNeil sealed a 3-1 win at 197 pounds, while Lopez closed out the match with a 5-2 decision over Greg Velasco in the heavyweight bout.
After forfeiting at 125 pounds and dropping a major decision at 133, the Illini earned extra-point wins in six of the final eight matches to earn a 37-10 victory over Northern Illinois. Rodrigues won by technical fall over Tyler Argue at 141 pounds. Langenderfer pinned Sal Annoreno in the 149-pound matchup, with Martinez following suit against Andrew Morse at 157 pounds. At 165 pounds, Illinois' Morse defeated Shawn'Qae McMurtry 12-3, earning a major decision victory. Brunson won by forfeit at 174 pounds, while Reyes took down Quinton Rosser at 184 pounds with a 15-5 major decision. Koepke and Brooks Black closed out the afternoon with decisions at 197 pounds and heavyweight. Koepke garnered a 5-3 win over Shawn Scott, while Black defeated Arthur Bunce by a score of 5-1.
The Fighting Illini will be making a California road trip next weekend where they will wrestle in three duals and one open tournament.
#11 Illinois 44, SIU-Edwardsville 0
125 - #1 Jesse Delgado pinned Kenny Baldridge, 6:35
133 - Dominic Olivieri dec. Patrick Myers, 5-1
141 - Steven Rodrigues maj. dec.Patrick Myers, 12-3
149 - Kyle Langenderfer tech. fall Angelo Silvestro, 18-3
157 - #9 Isaiah Martinez pinned Sam Zimmerman, 4:12
165 - #13 Jackson Morse pinned Connor McMahon, 4:30
174 - Zac Brunson maj. dec. Jake Residori, 9-0
184 - #11 Nikko Reyes dec. Jake Tindle, 8-2
197 - Jeff Koepke maj. dec. Cole Rogers, 10-2
HWT - Christopher Lopez dec. Chris Johnson, 2-1 (OT2)
#11 Illinois 29, Rider 6
125 - #1 Jesse Delgado tech. fall J.R. Wert, 22-5
133 - #17 Robert Deutsch dec. Dominic Olivieri, 6-0
141 - #19 Steven Rodrigues dec. #19 Chuck Zeisloft, 4-1
149 - B.J. Clagon dec. Kyle Langenderfer, 5-4
157 - #9 Isaiah Martinez dec. Chad Walsh, 8-4
165 - #13 Jackson Morse dec. Conor Brennan, 8-6
174 - Zac Brunson dec. Ryan Wolfe, 9-4
184 - Nikko Reyes won by forfeit
197 - Jeff Koepke dec. Donald McNeil, 3-1 (OT)
HWT - Christopher Lopez dec. Greg Velasco, 5-2
#11 Illinois 37, Northern Illinois 10
125 - Derek Elmore won by forfeit
133 - Tyler Argue maj. dec. Dominic Olivieri, 8-0
141 - #19 Steven Rodrigues tech. fall Tyler Argue, 23-7
149 - Kyle Langenderfer pinned Sal Annoreno, 6:01
157 - #9 Isaiah Martinez pinned Andrew Morse, 2:18
165 - #13 Jackson Morse maj. dec. Shaun'Qae McMurtry, 12-3
174 - Zac Brunson won by forfeit
184 - Nikko Reyes maj. dec. Quinton Rosser, 15-5
197 - Jeff Koepke dec. Shawn Scott, 5-3
HWT - Brooks Black dec. Arthur Bunce 5-1
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