Wisconsin took an early 6-0 lead in the dual when John Wise was pinned by Kyle Massey in 2:42. Illinois fired right back, however, when #6 Gabe Flores won by technical fall against Collin Cudd, 17-2, in their 125-pound match. In the first period, Flores (Madera, Calif.) came out firing with a takedown and a two-point nearfall. Cudd cut into the lead with a reversal of his own, but Flores escaped and picked up another takedown, a three-point and two-point nearfall to extend his lead. In the third, Flores built on his lead when he added a takedown and another two-point nearfall. Illinois trailed the dual, 6-5.
Illinois took the lead in the dual after 133 when #8 Jimmy Kennedy won a decision against #15 Zach Tanelli, 7-3. Kennedy (Ingleside, Ill.) scored first with a takedown in the first period, and then added a reversal to extend his lead in the second period. Tanelli cut the lead to two in the third on another escape, but the Illini true-freshman took him down again to seal the victory. At 141, #12 Cassio Pero dominated #10 Kyle Ruschell, 12-2. Pero (Chicago Heights, Ill.) jumped to a 4-0 lead on a takedown and a two-point nearfall in the first period. In the second, the senior All-American added another two points on a reversal. Tanelli started the third with an escape, but Pero planted him with another takedown and two-point nearfall. After the upset, Illinois extended their lead in the dual to 12-6.
The Badgers took a 13-12 lead after the Illini dropped their next two matches. But, Illinois took the lead right back at 165 when #12 Roger Smith-Bergsrud edged Jake Donar, 4-2, in sudden victory. With no scoring in the first two periods, Smith-Bergsrud (Lake Bluff, Ill.) scored first with a takedown in the third. With riding time locked up, Donar picked up a crucial escape point to send the match into overtime. Smith-Bergsrud recorded a takedown with 15 seconds left on the clock to come away with the dramatic victory and give Illinois the 15-13 lead.
Wisconsin took the lead back again after Matt Winterhalter fell to Matt Maciag, 6-2, in their 174-pound bout. But, Illinois answered again at 184 when #16 John Dergo took a crucial decision against Justin Peterson, 9-4. Dergo (Morris, Ill.) built a 6-2 lead in the first period after scoring three takedowns. In the third, with the Illini true-freshman leading 6-3, added an escape and a takedown to give Illinois an 18-16 lead.
The dual came down to 197 and saw #20 Patrick Bond upset #12 Dallas Herbst, 7-3. Bond (Chesapeake, Va.) took the early lead with a takedown in the first period. The Illini grapller then extended his lead in the second period with an escape. In the third, after another Bond takedown, Herbst cut into the lead with an escape and a takedown of his own. Bond added an escape point for good measure and picked up his second upset victory of the weekend.
"The win felt great," said Bond. "After training hard all year - and especially all week - I felt that I deserved the victory. I also feel that I have a lot more work to do to get where I know I can be."
"This was a big win," said head coach Mark Johnson. "The guys stepped up. We had key guys out and they dug deep and found a way to get it done. I'm proud of them."
The Illini close out their season at home against Ohio St. on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. Illinois will say goodbye to six seniors in Jim Comfort (133), Matt Harding (197), Joel Karr (141), Cassio Pero (141), Donny Reynolds (174) and Matt Winterhalter (174).
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