With the victory, the Illini finished the Big Ten regular season in second place with a record of 11-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference. Illinois extended their winning-streak against the Buckeyes to 10 in-a-row. They are now 10-1 in head coach Mark Johnson's 15-year career at Illinois. Along with Pero and Winterhalter, seniors Jim Comfort (133), Joel Karr (141), Matt Harding (197) and Donny Reynolds (174) were honored before the match.
The Buckeyes took an early 4-0 lead after #16 John Dergo dropped his 184-pound match to #3 Mike Pucillo, 17-5. Illinois fired right back at 197 when #12 Patrick Bond upset #6 J.D. Bergman, 6-5. Bond took the lead in the waning seconds of the first period, then added an escape point to close the second. Bergman opened the third period with an escape and a takedown to tie the score. Bond took the lead right back with a penalty point and an escape, but Bergman tied the match again with another takedown. The Illinois reigning Big Ten Wrestler of the Week regained the lead on an escape with 30 seconds left to take the match get the Illini on the board, 4-3.
Illinois led the dual, 6-4, after heavyweight when John Wise outlasted Corey Morrison, 2-1. The two big men traded escapes in the second and third periods, but with almost two minutes of riding time collected, Wise (Pittsfield, Ill.) came away with the win. After an Illinois forfeit at 125-pounds, Ohio St. jumped to a 10-6 lead in the dual.
The Illini bounced right back after 133-pounds when #8 Jimmy Kennedy defeated #17 T.J. Enright, 4-3. Kennedy (Ingleside, Ill.) scored first with a takedown in the opening period. After an Enright escape cut into the lead in the second period, Kennedy answered with an escape of his own. Enright tied the match with a takedown with under a minute to go, but the Illinois freshman scored another escape to take the match. Illinois trailed the dual by a point, 10-9.
Senior All-American #12 Cassio Pero gave Illinois a 12-10 lead in the dual after he dominated J Jaggers, 11-4, in their 141-pound bout. Pero (Chicago Heights, Ill.) built a big lead when he scored a takedown in the first two periods. After the two traded takedowns in the third, Pero scored a reversal and another takedown to win the final home match of his illustrious Illini career.
The Buckeyes led, 18-12, after back-to-back Illini losses at 149 and 157. Then, at 165 #14 Roger Smith-Bergsrud picked up a huge victory when he upset #10 Chris Vondruska, 3-1 in sudden-victory. Smith-Bergsrud (Lake Bluff, Ill.) took the early lead after scoring on an escape to start the second period, but Vondruska tied the match with an escape in the third to send the match into overtime. Then, with two seconds left in sudden-victory, Smith-Bergsrud brought the crowd to their feet when he scored the winning takedown. Illinois trailed the dual by only three points, 18-15.
In his last home match as a Fighting Illini, senior 174-pounder Matt Winterhalter man-handled Tommy Priestly in a 10-0 major-decision victory. Winterhalter (Durand, Ill.) electrified the crowd with a thunderous takedown and three-point nearfall that opened the first period. In the second, Winterhalter added to his lead when he picked up two stalling penalty points against the Buckeye junior. In the third, and with riding time locked up, Winterhalter scored another takedown to make sure that the major-decision, and Illini win, were intact.
"This feels great!" Said Winterhalter. "My team needed me to win. A decision would've tied the dual and bonus points would win it. I did what I had to do to get it done."
"This is a great day for us." Said head coach Mark Johnson. "What a better way for our two senior starters to go out. To win with three of our starters out, it's incredible. This speaks of how tough these guys have become this season. With Big Tens and Nationals coming up, this is right where we need to be."
Illinois heads to the Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, Mich. on March 3 and 4.
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