No. 2 Illini Wrestlers Look to Continue Unbeaten Dual Streak Against Wisconsin and N.C. State
Illinois Hosts N.C. State on Saturday, 1 p.m. at Huff Hall
#2 Illinois Wrestling (4-0)
at #15 Wisconsin “¢ Jan. 14, 2005 “¢ 7 p.m.
vs. North Carolina St. “¢ Jan. 15, 2005 “¢ 1 p.m. (Huff Hall)
“¢ ILLINOIS is coming off its seventh straight dual win, dating back to 2004.
“¢ 133-pound Mark Jayne remains undefeated with 12-0 record and 125-pounder Kyle Ott is 4-0.
“¢ Illinois enters this weekend’s competition with wrestlers ranked in 8 of 10 weight classes.
“¢ Jayne, Tirapelle and Glynn are approaching the coveted 100 career-win mark. (Glynn needs three wins)
“¢ The replay of Jayne’s Midlands Championship match will be aired on Comcast Sports Net, Friday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. CT.
Illini Look to Continue Unbeaten Dual Streak Against Wisconsin and N.C. State
The second-ranked Illinois wrestling team opens its the Big Ten dual meet portion of the schedule with a road match against 15th-ranked Wisconsin on Friday, Jan. 14, and will return home for a Saturday, Jan. 15 matchup against the defending ACC Champs, N.C. State.
The team also looks to continue their unbeaten dual streak that currently stands at seven matches, dating back to the 2004 season. Last year, the Illini finished up 7-1 in Big Ten action and 13-1 overall in duals and have had a winning season in each of Mark Johnson’s 12 years at the helm.
Illinois leads the all-time series against the Badgers, 33-25-2, and have won all six duals during the Johnson era. Last season, the Illini hosted Wisconsin in Champaign, winning the match 30-9. This season, however, the Badgers have upgraded talent with ranked wrestlers at six weight classes. They will be favored at 141, 149 and 197 pounds.
Against the Wolfpack, the Illini will have the edge in all 10 weight classes. This weekend will be third meeting between the two teams with the Illini unbeaten in those two matches. Last season, the squad dominated the Wolfpack, 41-3. The only other meeting came during the 2001 season in a 33-6 Illini victory.
Wisconsin Match to Watch-
133 pounds #3 Mark Jayne (15-0) vs. #6 Tom Clum (15-1): Unbeaten Mark Jayne will face his toughest competition of the season in Wisconsin’s sixth-ranked Tom Clum. Clum wrestled last season for the Badgers at 125 pounds, posting a very successful season as the Big Ten Champion. Despite the weight change last season, Jayne and Clum have met on three other occasions at 133. In 2003, Jayne won a pair of decisions over the 12th-ranked Clum, 12-10 overtime win in the dual and a 7-4 victory at the Big Ten Championships. In 2002, Clum came out on top in the fifth-place match at the UNI Open, 6-3.
N.C. State Match to Watch –
125 pounds #2 Kyle Ott (4-0) vs. Garrett Cummings (11-2): Without any ranked wrestlers on the Wolfpack squad, Garrett Cummings boasts the best overall record among the 10 starters. Ott enters the match as the second-ranked wrestler at 125 pounds with a 4-0 overall record and Cummins is 11-2 this season. The two wrestlers have one common opponent in Wyoming’s Bryce Leonhardt. Ott defeated Leonhardt last weekend by only a decision, 7-3, while Leonhardt defeated Cummings by a 7-1 score.
Illini in Big Ten History
As the Illini begin Big Ten competition this weekend, the squad will be preparing for their quest for a Big Ten team title. Last season, the Illini tied for the conference’s dual meet title with a 7-1 record, but were eluded by the tournament title which determines the league’s annual champion. The Big Ten enters its 90th year of sponsoring wrestling (began in 1913, but didn’t sponsor in 1918 and 1919). Iowa leads the conference with 31 team titles, but Illinois is second with 16. The last time the Illini won the Big Ten Championship was in 1952. They also won a string of seven championships in nine years under Coach Paul Prehn between the years of 1920-28.
Big Ten Dual History
Illinois head coach Mark Johnson twice has led squads to seven-win Big Ten seasons, which ranks third on the single-season Big Ten dual wins list. The most dual wins in a season record is eight held by B.R. Patterson’s squads in 1950 and 1955. Because current scheduling only allows for eight conference duals in a season, a coach would need to lead an undefeated team through Big Ten duals in order to tie the record. In both 2000 and 2004, Johnson-coached squads have won seven of eight of their conference matchups. Last season, Illinois won the Big Ten regular season dual meet title.
Illini Strong Against Non-Conference Foes
Since the arrival of Mark Johnson at the University of Illinois, the Illini wrestling squad has been nearly perfect against non-Big Ten foes in dual meets, recording an 84-3 (.966) record. The only non-conference losses under Johnson have come to Nebraska (1996 & 2003) twice and Missouri (2001) once. The Illini have won their last 12 against opponents outside the Big Ten.
Glynn, Jayne and Tirapelle Climb Career Win List
Senior wrestler Brian Glynn won two matches at the Buckeye Duals to give him 97 career wins which ranks 13th on the Illinois all-time victory list. Currently, Glynn needs one more to move up to 12th and pass current head coach Carl Perry’s 98 victories. Junior Mark Jayne won three bouts, which gives him 90 for his career, good enough for 17th on the ranking. Junior Alex Tirapelle just recently popped on the list with his 82 wins for 22nd, and with two more years of eligibility could vie for the top honors, which would knock off his brother, Adam’s, 127 wins.
Illinois Wrestling on the Tube
“¢ Midlands (Comcast Sports Net) Jan. 14th, 7 p.m.; Jan. 21st, 1 p.m.; Jan. 25th, 7 p.m.
“¢ NWCA National Duals (CSTV) Jan. 25th, 8 p.m.
“¢ vs. Iowa (Insight Cable) TBA
“¢ vs. Indiana (Insight Cable) TBA
“¢ at Minnesota (CSTV) Feb. 20, 8 p.m.
“¢ Big Ten Championships (CSTV) March 7, 8 p.m.
“¢ NCAA Championships (ESPN) March 19, TBA
all times central
— Cassie Arner University of Illinois Associate Sports Information Director 217-244-3886 217-390-6564 cell 217-333-5540 fax
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