The Illinois-Wisconsin match up will feature six bouts in which both grapplers are ranked. The key battle will be at 157 lbs., where No. 3 Craig Henning (Chippewa Falls, Wis.) faces top-ranked Mike Poeta of Illinois. Both wrestlers have perfect conference records and excellent overall marks, with Henning at 22-1 and Poeta at 16-2 this season.
At 133 lbs., No.14 Zach Tanelli (Milburn, N.J.) will look to score his third upset in conference action as he takes on No. 8 Jimmy Kennedy. Tanelli has an 18-3 overall record while Kennedy is 22-3 this season.
No. 10 Kyle Ruschell will also have a tough match as he faces 12th-ranked Cassio Pero at 141 lbs. Pero is a two-time NCAA qualifier and a senior captain for the Illini. Ruschell, a freshman out of Crittenden, Ky., is having a breakout season with a 24-4 overall mark.
At 149 lbs., tri-captain No. 8 Tyler Turner (Spring Valley, Wis.) faces familiar foe No. 11 Troy Tirapelle. The pair met last year in the regular-season dual, with Turner defeating Tirapelle 10-4. However, Tirapelle later avenged his loss, defeating Turner 6-5 in the first round of the Big Ten championships.
A pair of ranked freshmen will battle at the 184-lb. weight class as No. 11 Trevor Brandvold (River Falls, Wis.) faces No. 16 John Dergo of Illinois. Brandvold is 12-4 on the year while Dergo is 18-7.
The final ranked battle is at 197 lbs., where No. 11 Dallas Herbst (Winneconne, Wis.) faces No. 20 Patrick Bond. Herbst, a sophomore tri-captain, is 21-4 on the year with 14 pins. Bond is 8-4 on the season and 2-3 in conference action.
Illinois is also ranked at 125 lbs. and 165 lbs. with No. 6 Gabel Flores and No. 13 Roger Smith-Bergsrud, respectively. Flores, who is 17-2 this year, will face Collin Cudd (River Falls, Wis.) who is 17-7 overall this season.
Jake Donar (Cuba City, Wis.) will have his hands full with Smith-Bergsrud. Donar is 8-11 overall and 6-9 in dual competition, while Smith-Bergsrud is 23-6 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten.
Results will be available for Sunday's match on uwbadgers.com. Those unable to attend will be able to watch all the action livestreamed on uwbadgers.com. Simply click the Webcast tab on the Video Guide button at the top of the page and select wrestling.
For a breakdown of all of the match-ups click the PDF link below.
Fans are also reminded that Wisconsin Idol will be taking place at next Friday's match against Minnesota. If you would like to participate please contact Marie at polzer@wisc.edu.
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