"We knew going into heavyweight just because of the way the other nine matches went that we weren't going to win on criteria and had to get at least a major decision to win the dual meet," said head coach Jim Heffernan. "I went and told Luke (Luffman) that. He did a great job. He hustled, he wrestled hard, he was awesome."
Redshirt freshman Justin Cardani started the dual with an upset win over No. 9 Michael DeAugustino. Cardani got out to the early lead with a takedown in the first. He'd tack on a point for an escape plus the riding time point to take a 4-2 decision over DeAugustino. Cardani is now 12-6 on the season, 8-2 in dual matchups, and 5-1 in Big Ten bouts.
Senior Travis Piotrowski kept his big season going with a dominant performance in the 133-pound bout. Going against Dylan Utterback, Piotrowski tallied five takedowns and two four-point nearfalls on his way to achieving a 20-3 tech. fall victory in the third period. Piotrowski, ranked seventh nationally at 133-pounds by FloWrestling, is now 19-2 on the season, and a perfect 10-0 in dual bouts.
Redshirt junior Dylan Duncan was able to extend the Illinois lead with a win against Alec McKenna in the 141-pound matchup. Duncan got out to an early, 2-0, lead with a takedown late in the first. He scored two more with a reversal in the second. Duncan earned the riding time point, and won a 5-0 decision over McKenna to put the Illinois advantage at 11-0. Nationally ranked No. 12 at 141-pounds, Duncan is now 15-6 on the season and 4-2 in Big Ten duals.
After dropping the next four bouts, Illinois needed a win at 184-pounds to get back on track. Redshirt freshman Zac Braunagel scored in the match with two takedowns, a reversal, a two-point nearfall a four-point nearfall and the riding time point, going on to win the bout by major decision over Jack Jessen, 13-2. Braunagel's major decision evened the dual score at 15-15. Ranked 13th nationally at 184-pounds, Braunagel moves to 15-7 on the season.
After falling behind with a loss at 197-pounds, Illinois needed a bonus-points win at heavyweight to win the dual. Freshman Luke Luffman was able to deliver taking on Jack Heyob. Luffman tallied four takedowns en route to his 14-4 major decision victory over Heyob, which gave Illinois four team points to win the dual, 19-18. Luffman is now 13-7 on the season.
Up next, the Illini head to the east coast for a pair of Big Ten duals next weekend. Illinois faces off against Rutgers on Friday, February 7 at 6 p.m. CT. The Illini will then travel to Maryland for a Sunday afternoon matchup with the Terrapins, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CT. Both duals can be streamed with a subscription to BTN +.
Results:
125: Justin Cardani (ILL) dec. No. 9 Michael DeAugustino (NU), 4-2 | ILL 3, NU 0
133: No. 7 Travis Piotrowski (ILL) tech. fall Dylan Utterback (NU), 21-3 | ILL 8, NU 0
141: No. 12 Dylan Duncan (ILL) dec. Alec Mckenna (NU), 5-0 | ILL 11, NU 0
149: No. 16 Yahya Thomas (NU) dec. Mousa Jodeh (ILL), 2-1 | ILL 11, NU 3
157: No. 1 Ryan Deakin (NU) Fall Eric Barone (ILL), 5:38, | ILL 11, NU 9
165: No. 18 Shayne Oster (NU) dec. No. 15 Danny Braunagel (ILL), 7-6 | NU 12, ILL 11
174: Tyler Morland (NU) dec. No. 22 Joey Gunther (ILL), 2-0 | NU 15, ILL 11
184: No. 13 Zac Braunagel (ILL) major dec. Jack Jessen (NU), 13-2 | ILL 15, NU 15
197: No. 12 Lucas Davison (NU) dec. Matt Wroblewski (ILL), 5-0 | NU 18, ILL 15
285: Luke Luffman (ILL) major dec. Jack Heyob (NU), 14-4 | ILL 19, NU 18
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