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    Illinois sits in second after Day 1 at Midlands

    EVANSTON, Ill. -- Two sessions into the 52nd annual Midlands Championships, the ninth-ranked Fighting Illini are in second place with 90 points, trailing only Iowa's 110.5 points. Zane Richards (133), Steven Rodrigues (141), Isaiah Martinez (157), Jackson Morse (165), Zac Brunson (174) and Jeff Koepke (197) all advanced to the semifinals in their respective weight classes. Brock Ervin (141) and Nikko Reyes (184) are still alive in the consolation brackets.

    At 133 pounds, Richards entered the day as the fourth seeded wrestler in the weight class. Richards received an opening round bye before pinning Old Dominion's Michael Hayes in his first bout of the day. Richards then defeated Ian Nickell of CSU Bakersfield, 8-4, to advance to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinal match, Richards earned a 12-1 major decision over Maryland's Geoffrey Alexander to advance to tomorrow's semifinals. Richards will open Tuesday's action by facing top-seeded A.J. Schopp of Edinboro.

    In the 141-pound weight class, Rodrigues began Monday's action by pinning Carter McElhany of Air Force. He then earned a 10-8 win over Eastern Michigan's Kyle Springer in sudden victory to stay alive in the winners' bracket. Rodrigues made sure his next match was not as close as the previous one, defeating Jeff Canfora of Penn with a 12-3 major decision to advance to the quarterfinals. In his quarterfinal bout, Rodrigues defeated Iowa's Jeff Dziewa 3-1, punching his ticket for tomorrow's semifinals. The sixth-seed entering the tournament, Rodrigues will face second-seeded Devin Carter of Virginia Tech in his first match on Tuesday.

    The top-seed at 157 pounds, Martinez received a first-round bye before earning an 18-2 technical fall against Indiana's Luke Blanton. Martinez advanced to the quarterfinal bout after Austin Eads of Old Dominion was forced to stop competing due to injury. In his quarterfinal match, Martinez faced Brandon Zeerip of Eastern Michigan, earning a 24-10 major decision to advance to the semifinals. Martinez will face Iowa's Mike Kelly in tomorrow's opening session.

    Morse, the fourth-seed in the 165-pound weight class, advanced to tomorrow's semifinal by earning four wins on Monday. He began his day with a 16-0 technical fall victory over Justin Samora of Adams State. In the second round, Morse defeated Eastern Michigan's Devan Marry, 5-0. A 7-1 decision over Northern Illinois' Shaun'Qae McMurty gave Morse a spot in the quarterfinals, where he defeated Jimmie Schuessler from Grand View to advance to the semifinals.

    Brunson had a bye in the first round before earning a 19-4 technical fall over Lehigh's Garett Stehley in round two. In his next bout, Brunson defeated Edinboro's Patrick Jennings, 3-0, to advance to the quarterfinals. In his quarterfinal bout, Brunson beat Frank Cousin of Wisconsin, 11-3, to advance to tomorrow's semifinals. Brunson, the second-seed at 174 pounds, will begin action tomorrow by facing Johnny Sebastian of Northwestern.

    At 197 pounds, Koepke made it six Illini in the semifinals after finishing Monday with a flawless record. He opened the day with a bye before earning a 12-4 major decision over Parker Hines of Air Force. A 5-3 win over North Dakota State's Thomas Petersen punched Koepke's ticket to the quarterfinals. In his final bout of the day, Koepke earned a 3-1 win over Ruben Franklin of CSU Bakersfield in sudden victory. The 10th-seed entering the tournament, Koepke will face Timmy McCall of Wisconsin in tomorrow's semifinal match.

    Session three (consolation rounds, semifinals and seventh-place matches) begins tomorrow at noon, while the final session (championships, third-place matches and fifth-place matches) will take place at 7 p.m. CT. The Big Ten Network will air the final session live.

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