The dual started at 197 and saw #20 Patrick Bond fall to #3 Philip Davis in 4:02. With no scoring in the first period, Davis started on the down position and scored a reversal and got the Illini redshirt-freshman on his back. The pin was called a few seconds later and Penn St. took a 6-0 lead in the dual. The Nittany Lions went ahead 10-0 when HWT #12 Aaron Anspach took a major decision against John Wise, 15-6.
After dropping the first two matches, Illinois won three in-a-row to climb back in the dual. At 125, #8 Gabe Flores upset #5 Mark McKnight, 6-1, to get the Illini on the board. The two grapplers spent most of the first period on the mat without recording any takedowns. McKnight opened the second with an escape, but Flores (Madera, Calif.) closed the period with a takedown to take a 2-1 lead. Flores extended his lead in the third with an escape and then added another takedown for good measure. At 133, #9 Jimmy Kennedy upset #8 Jake Strayer, 4-3. Kennedy (Ingleside, Ill.) opened the first period with a takedown but Strayer escaped to close the period. Strayer tied the match in the second on an escape and then took the lead on a penalty point. With 20 seconds left in the third, Kennedy scored a reversal to take the match and get the Illini three more points. The Illini now trailed, 10-6.
At 141, #12 Cassio Pero won a decision against Bryan Heller, 5-2. Heller took the lead in the first on a takedown but Pero (Chicago Heights, Ill.) quickly escaped. In the second period, Pero tied the match on an escape and then scored a takedown to take the lead. Pero rode Heller for the entire third period and got the Illini to within one in the dual, 10-9. At 149, #10 Troy Tirapelle fell to Dan Vallimont, 9-3, and Penn St. extended their lead to 13-9.
At 157, top-ranked Mike Poeta defeated Bubba Jenkins, 5-2, and got the Illini within a point of the Lions, 13-12. Poeta (Highwood, Ill.) took the early lead on a takedown to start the first, but Jenkins escaped seconds later. With Poeta leading 3-1 in the third, Jenkins narrowed the lead on an escape but Poeta took him down to seal the match. At 165, #13 Roger Smith-Bergsrud won a decision over Dave Rella, 8-5. Smith-Bergsrud (Lake Bluff, Ill.) took the early lead on a takedown in the first period, but Rella countered with an escape. In the second, Smith-Bergsrud extended his lead to 5-1 with an escape and a takedown, but Rella closed the gap on an escape of his own. Rella picked up another escape point to start the third, but Smith-Bergsrud planted the freshman on a takedown. In the third, Rella picked up three quick points on an escape and a takedown, but it wasn't enough as Smith-Bergsrud took the match and the Illini took a 15-13 lead in the dual.
Illinois fell behind, 16-15, after the 174 match, but John Dergo took a decision against Mike Ward, 4-1, to give the Illini a come-from-behind victory. After a scoreless first period, Dergo (Morris, Ill.) took the lead in the second period on an escape and a takedown. In the third, Ward scored on an escape, but Dergo fought the freshman off to seal the Illini victory and pick up his first Big Ten dual win.
"The team needed a win and I'm glad I helped them get it," said Dergo. "The win was also a relief. After getting my first Big Ten win, I can use it to go forward from here."
"The freshmen were incredible today," said head coach Mark Johnson. "To come in and upset a top guy at home shows how tough Jimmy is. Then, for the dual to come down to the last match with 3,000 fans rooting against you, Dergo let everyone know what he's made of."
The Illini continue Big Ten action at home on Sunday, Feb. 4, when they host top-ranked Minnesota at Huff Hall. Mat time is set to begin at 1p.m. Fans can watch the action live on fightingillini.com. Local radio station WDWS AM-1400 will tape-delay the dual to air after the women's basketball game.
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