Isaiah Martinez after winning his second NCAA title at 157 pounds (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Martinez repeated his success as a freshman by winning his second consecutive NCAA and Big Ten mat titles as a sophomore in 2016. An added honor: the Lemoore, California native was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 2016 Big Ten Championships. Martinez compiled an overall record of 32-1 this year, going 10-1 against ranked opponents, and leading the nation in wins by technical fall, with 14. Martinez will next represent team USA at the University World Championships in Turkey in October, competing in freestyle at 74 kilograms/163 pounds.
The University of Illinois Athlete of the Year award was first presented in 1940. The yearly award was discontinued in 1973, but resurrected in 1983 to recognize both a Male and Female Athlete of the Year. In 1993, the awards were named in honor of the 11-time UI letterman and former Olympian Dwight "Dike" Eddleman.
Martinez is the fifth Illini wrestler to receive the Dike Eddleman Award. He joins past honorees Jesse Delgado (2014), Matt Lackey (2003), Adam Tirapelle (2001), and Eric Siebert (1998).
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now